Senior Embedded Linux Engineer — Field Deployments & Impact

Spear AI is seeking an embedded linux developer to develop, debug and maintain software for Spear AI’s line of AI-enabled acoustic systems. In addition to traditional embedded software engineering tasks you will also be expected to periodically join field operations to deploy new systems, obtain user feedback, and better understand the primary use case.

Spear AI serves the national security industry and provides hardware, software, and data solutions that span levels of classification and are intended for operational deployment. Spear AI is a rapidly growing company with a commitment to development of excellent products through continuous fielding. Spear offers competitive pay, stock options, excellent benefits, and generous paid time off.

Responsibilities

This position will be part of the interdisciplinary hardware development team located in Falmouth MA. The team includes a diverse team of engineers and technicians that includes mechanical hardware and board-level electronics design engineers. Successful candidates will work with this team to deliver sensor systems that meet customer needs.

Responsibilities may vary but will generally include:

Translate general system requirements to actionable software tasks and architecture.

Embedded Linux development – Develop, troubleshoot, test, deploy, and debug primary buoy software in a Linux environment using modern GNU dev tools. Current codebase uses C++17 / Python 3.12+ in a ROS2 environment but ROS2 will be removed in the future.

Cross-platform development – Develop, maintain, test, debug, and employ a cross-platform DSP library developed for both real-time use on ARM A-series processors and traditional cloud computing environments.

Implement User Feedback – Solicit feedback from buoy field operators, identify key features missing from the existing system, and implement and appropriate.

Interface with IoT cloud segment – Maintain API with an independent cloud processing team that consumes acoustic data from the Internt of Things (IoT) buoy systems and creates data products to meet customer requirements. This includes both real-time data via MQTT and data offload during the servicing interval via upload to Amazon S3.

Testing – Test components, subsystems and systems in the shop and in the field.

Handoff to maritime operations – Develop documentation, procedures, scripts, containers, CI/CD pipelines, as needed to enable technicians to scale up buoy production as Spear grows.

Mentoring of junior colleagues as the team grows.

Requirements

8+ years of experience with embedded software. New college graduates without the requisite experience will not be considered under any circumstances.

Exemplary attention to detail, a focus on quality, and an uncompromising focus on safety.

Strong programing, testing, and debugging fundamentals. C/C++ experience strongly preferred.

Strong version control fundamentals.

Excellent verbal and good written communication skills.

Ability to work with hardware engineers to debug complex systems where bugs lie at the interface between hardware and software.

Experience working in a Linux environment.

Ability to physically participate in at sea deployment, test, and recovery operations including ability to lift, carry, and maneuver on a small boat at sea, communicate verbally, and carry out fine manipulations.

Eligibility for a SECRET, or TOP SECRET security clearance.

Desired

Any maritime operations experience including small boat operations, over-the-side handling, field repair and logistics of a trip to sea.

Prior military service of a history of working with military customers/personnel

Python programming skills

Experience with CMake, ROS2’s build system (ament / colcon), docker, gcc cross compilation, and other build/deployment/CI tooling for embedded systems.

Experience working with low-level communications protocols such as I2C, SPI, asynchronous serial, CAN, or similar.

Experience with embedded IoT modems using the AT command set.

Experience with FreeRTOS and its large modules such as file system or network drivers.

Why work with us

• We ship — We don’t work on 18-month projects that are irrelevant before they’re even finished.
• Our work has impact —…