Senior Software Engineer – Guidance, Navigation & Control (946218)

Company Description

Spear, founded in 2017 and based in Tel Aviv, develops and manufactures the Viper family of advanced Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) for leading defence forces.

As the leading system house in Israel for tactical UAS focusing both on the battalion echelon and submarines, we provide end-to-end system development from concept and design through integration and field testing - delivering AI-powered loitering systems that give any combat unit an “inherent air force” with minimal training.

Our multidisciplinary teams work across hardware, software, computer vision, artificial intelligence, communications, navigation, motion control, and electro-mechanics.

As we continue to grow rapidly, we are looking for talented team players to join our success.

Job Description:

We are looking for a highly motivated and experienced Senior Software Engineer to join us in the development of our GNC (Guidance, Navigation & Control) software stack.

As a Software engineer within the team, you will own the development, integration and optimization of features such as onboard flight control, navigation, and guidance for search and attack maneuvers.

You will develop high-performance autonomy software in close collaboration with Infra & Mission Control, Computer Vision, Systems Engineering, Flight Operations, and Product teams, delivering reliable and combat-proven solutions.

Responsibilities:

• Contribute to the architecture, design, and implementation of software modules.
• Lead the development of complex features from concept through production.
• Collaborate with mission control, systems, infra, and flight teams to ensure robust integration.
• Translate cutting-edge research and POCs into reliable, production-grade software.
• Mentor and support junior engineers on the team.
• Ensure performance, robustness, and real-time operation under constrained conditions.

Requirements:

• B.Sc./M.Sc. in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related field.
• 6+ years of professional software development experience.
• Strong understanding and experience in software architecture and design for real-time and embedded/edge computing applications (C/C++).
• Experience working with Linux and Bare-Metal environments.
• Experience with performance / limited memory sensitive programming.
• Strong programming skills and understanding of multi-threaded environments, OOP principles and design patterns.
• Knowledge of Networking and Communication Protocols.
• Excellent problem-solving and communication skills.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, innovative environment.

Advantages:

• Experience with GNC implementation - PID, Visual-Inertial Odometry (VIO), EKF.
• Hands-on with RTOS, micro-controllers, and edge AI compute (specifically – Nvidia Jetson family)
• Experience with ARM architecture, system peripherals and low level hardware protocols.
• Experience with Python / Simulink/ MATLAB
• Hands-on with the ROS robotics stack, ArduPilot/PX4 flight controllers
• Familiarity with Robotics/drone simulation (Gazebo, Isaac Sim, JSBSim or similar)
• Familiarity with MavLink, SBUS, and other RL communication protocols
• Background in UAVs / Robotics / Autonomous Systems at the defense, safety-critical or aerospace industry.