Embedded Engineer (BSP), Staff

• 6+ years of professional experience developing and shipping production embedded Linux systems.
• Expert proficiency in C and Linux kernel development, including driver development, device tree, and kernel internals.
• Demonstrated experience leading full board bring-up from schematic review through production-ready peripheral drivers.
• Strong systems programming experience in Rust or C++.
• U.S. citizenship and ability to pass a background check.

• Experience with NVIDIA Jetson platforms (Orin, JetPack).
• Yocto Project and meta-layer development experience.
• Prior experience establishing BSP practices at an early-stage or small-team hardware company.
• Active security clearance, or eligibility to obtain one.
• Prior experience in defense or other safety-critical applications.
• A passion for building robots or engineering projects as a hobby.

Company Overview

9 Mothers Defense develops AI-enabled systems to counter unmanned aerial threats. Our first product, EDDA, is an autonomous counter-sUAS point-defense platform designed to detect, track, and neutralize Group 1 drone threats. The company is headquartered in Austin, Texas.

Position Summary

9 Mothers is seeking a Lead Embedded Engineer (BSP) to own the Board Support Package and embedded platform underlying our counter-sUAS systems. The Lead Embedded Engineer is responsible for board bring-up, Linux platform development, device driver engineering, and the operating system framework upon which our perception, controls, and autonomy software operate. This is a senior individual contributor position.

• Lead end-to-end bring-up of new board revisions, including bootloader, kernel, device tree, and peripheral driver development.
• Own the Linux platform image that ships on production systems, including kernel configuration, patching, and long-term maintenance.
• Design and maintain the operating system framework supporting application software, including process supervision, inter-process communication, logging, configuration management, and update and rollback infrastructure.
• Develop and maintain device drivers for cameras, inertial measurement units, motor controllers, and custom hardware peripherals.
• Establish and operate the build, signing, and provisioning pipeline for production deployment.
• Diagnose and resolve complex issues spanning the hardware, kernel, and userspace boundary.
• Define standards and best practices for embedded software development, testing, and deployment.

• Meaningful Early Equity : You aren't just an employee; you are a foundational owner. Your contributions directly drive the value of your stake in the company.
• Direct Roadmap Influence : Forget the bureaucracy of big defense. You will have a seat at the table, directly shaping our product and technology trajectory from day one.
• Mission-Critical Work : We don't build for "what if." We build systems the Department of War actively needs to counter immediate, real-world threats.
• The Builder's Playground : Work in a brand-new lab fully optimized for rapid prototyping, equipped with NVIDIA Jetsons, high-end scopes, and 3-D printers.
• 100% Employer-Paid Premiums : We cover 100% of your medical, dental, and vision insurance premiums and cover 50% of healthcare premiums for your dependents.
• Unlimited PTO : We value results, not clock-watching. Take the time you need to stay sharp and recharge.
• Zero Red Tape : You report to the founders. You have the autonomy to make technical decisions that would take months of committee approval at a larger firm.
• Austin-Based Culture : Join an onsite team in Austin, TX, where we prioritize high-bandwidth collaboration and rapid field-testing.
• Relocation Assistance : We want the best talent in the room. If you aren't in Austin yet, we’ll help you get here, to make your transition to the Silicon Hills seamless.

• Application screen phone call (30 min)
• Live coding test with the Director of Engineering (45 min via MS Teams)
• Paid take-home consulting agreement ($500, ~4-8 hours)
• Onsite interview in Austin
• Offer