--- title: 'Embedded Software / Firmware Engineer at SE3 Labs' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/embedded-software-firmware-engineer-se3-labs-undisclosed-test-site-35km-from-8h9bcdaz9f69' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-06' --- # Embedded Software / Firmware Engineer at SE3 Labs - **Company:** SE3 Labs - **Location:** Undisclosed Test Site 35km From Munich - **Employment:** full-time - **Work type:** onsite - **Posted:** 2026-04-16 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-06 - **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/se3/cf373e6c-5d3c-4882-bddc-fa3867066ab0/application **Skills:** C, Python, Embedded Linux, I2C, SPI, CAN, Ethernet, MIPI, Hardware Bring-up, Serial Consoles, Flashing Workflows, Boot Issues Resolution, Hardware-near Debugging, System Integration, Secure Boot, Signed Update Systems, Rollback Strategies, Yocto, U-Boot, ROS > Own the low-level software foundation for autonomous platforms across drones and ground systems, including bring-up, drivers, and deployment tooling. The role involves hands-on hardware integration, troubleshooting, and performance optimization in a high-intensity, mission-driven environment. ## Job description ## EMBEDDED SOFTWARE / FIRMWARE ENGINEER Own the low-level software layer of our autonomy platform across drones, payload and ground systems. Your work defines the fieldability, robustness and performance of our core product. ## ABOUT SE3 SE3 Labs is building Spatial AI by combining 3D computer vision with large language models (LLMs). We believe the ability to reason about and act within physical space is foundational to unlocking the next generation of automation, from construction to smart infrastructure, and ultimately, defense. Now, we’re building the physical platform to bring Spatial AI to life. That means high-performance, real-world robotic systems (starting with UAVs) and we’re looking for a skilled, hands-on embedded engineer who’s ready to power the foundation of these systems and have them communicate, update and perform reliably in the real world. ## ABOUT THE ROLE As Embedded Software / Firmware Engineer, you’ll own the low-level software foundation across our embedded platforms - from bring-up and driver development to deployment tooling and in-field update infrastructure. You’ll work across diverse compute platforms, enabling new sensors, cameras, AI accelerators and networked peripherals and turning prototypes into robust, fieldable systems. This is a hands-on, on-site role in our prototyping and test space, with optional travel for field trials and partner testing. You’ll work closely with our hardware design and testing teams while collaborating with our world-class AI software team to ship vertically integrated solutions fast. Your contributions will directly shape system architecture and hardware design, and the systems you support will move quickly from bench to real-world testing and front-line deployment at scale reshaping Europe's defense capability. ## WHAT YOU’LL WORK ON - Requirements & Bring-Up: Translate system needs into low-level software architecture and bring new boards and subsystems to life across Jetson, Arm and STM32 platforms - Drivers & Interfaces: Develop and maintain drivers and hardware-facing software for sensors, cameras, AI accelerators and communication networks - Kernel & System Layer: Work across embedded Linux, kernel and device-tree configuration, BSP-level integration and board bring-up to create stable, maintainable foundations - Flash, Boot & Deploy: Build and refine flashing, booting and serial deployment tooling for development, production, update and recovery workflows - Troubleshoot & Iterate: Debug on the bench, isolate failures fast, improve performance and stability, iterate until systems are ready for field use - Integrate & Maintain: Support system integration across aircraft platforms, work closely with hardware engineers and continuously improve performance, reliability and long-term maintainability ## YOUR PROFILE - M.Sc. or higher in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Robotics, Embedded Systems or a related field - You bring 2+ years of hands-on experience in low-level software or firmware development for embedded systems; we’re equally interested and will reward more senior engineers who want to work deeply hands-on - You’re strong in C and Python and comfortable shipping real systems on embedded Linux in robotics, automotive or other hardware-adjacent environments - You have practical experience with hardware interfaces and protocols such as I2C, SPI, CAN, Ethernet and MIPI-based camera interfaces. - You’re comfortable with board bring-up, serial consoles, flashing workflows, boot issues, hardware-near debugging and systematic troubleshooting on real hardware - You know how to make software not just functional, but deployable, maintainable and robust under real-world conditions - You know how to validate low-level software on real hardware through structured debugging, integration testing and release-oriented validation. - Most importantly, you’re structured, fast-moving and mission-driven. You don’t wait for perfect specs but take ownership and iterate until it works - You thrive in a high-impact startup environment and are comfortable with a demanding execution pace, including sustained high intensity around critical milestones ## ESPECIALLY VALUED BONUS SKILLS - Experience with secure boot, signed update systems, rollback and recovery strategies, or other security-critical deployment infrastructure - Yocto-based build systems, custom Linux image creation, and U-Boot - Experience with ROS and related robotics middleware is a plus - Camera bring-up and Linux media pipelines, including GStreamer - Experience integrating AI accelerators or other high-performance compute peripherals - Experience with UAVs, robotics, defense systems or other hardware that gets tested outside the lab ## PERKS & BENEFITS - Work Environment to Excel at: Find a high-quality and modern toolset, flat hierarchy and a skilled, driven team which will push the limits together with you - AI-boosted workplace: We empower every employee with best-in-class AI tools and agents, giving you unlimited access to the latest advancements and a true productivity edge - Real Ownership: Get early, real stock to participate directly in SE3’s growth - 31 Paid Days Off: 30 vacation days plus your birthday off - Well-being Access: Free membership to gyms, yoga, and wellness through EGYM Wellpass - Team Offsites: We go on 2 company retreats per year, our last ones were in Italy, Greece and Spain - Mentorship: Work closely with experienced engineers and get paired with a professional mentor to support your growth ## OUR PROCESS 1. Intro Call (20 min): Let’s get to know each other (conducted by Michael, our Chief of Staff) 2. Technical Interview (45 min): (with Siva, Computer Vision Engineer) 3. Onsite Trial/Case (1.5 hrs): We’ll bring up and troubleshoot something together, just like on the job (together with our Hardware Team) 4. Team Dinner/Lunch: See if it’s a culture fit on both sides (can be integrated into the Onsite to accommodate long journeys) ## About SE3 Labs ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: SE3 Labs builds next-generation spatial AI for autonomous systems, enabling machines to perceive, reason, and act autonomously in the physical world. - **Entity Type**: Private (Pre-Seed stage; $3.2M total funding) - **Headquarters**: Munich, Germany - **Founded**: 2023 - **Founders**: Lukas Köstler (CEO), Simon Klenk (CTO), Daniel Cremers (CSO) ## Core Business - Primary industry/industries: Defence technology, autonomous systems, spatial AI, computer vision - Target customers: Defence organisations (e.g., German Bundeswehr), defence contractors, operators of unmanned aerial/ground systems (B2G/B2B) - Mission or purpose: “Laying the foundation for a new generation of resilient, software-defined capabilities” and advancing Europe’s technological sovereignty through spatial intelligence. ## Products & Services - **Spatial AI Platform**: A hardware-agnostic, on-edge software stack that combines navigation, perception, and AI reasoning. It provides: - **GNSS-denied navigation** (visual-inertial odometry, real-time map matching) - **Real-time 3D common operating picture** (semantic understanding, sub-metre localisation) - **Natural language swarm control** – one operator commands mixed aerial/ground swarms via spoken intent - **AI agents** that analyse the environment and reason over objects and movements in real time - **Sensor-to-shooter capability** – target-grade coordinate generation for coordinated action ## Market Standing - **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly disclosed - **Key Metric**: Total funding of $3.2M (conflicting reports: $3.15M per PitchBook) [linkedin.com](https://de.linkedin.com/company/se3-labs) [pitchbook.com](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/542367-37) - **Notable Investors/Partners**: Lakestar, Seedcamp, EWOR, Sequoia Scout Fund, UnternehmerTUM Funding for Innovators, SDAC, Magnetic, TwinTrack Ventures, Plug and Play, founders of Flixbus and Ascending Technologies, EUDIS Business Accelerator - **Growth Signals**: 150% YoY headcount growth (29 employees); active under contract with the German Bundeswehr; multiple defence contracts won; reduced sensor-to-shooter timeline “by an order of magnitude”; presence in Germany, UK, Singapore, Switzerland [tech.eu](https://tech.eu/2026/06/26/backed-by-lakestar-seedcamp-and-ewor-se3-unveils-spatial-ai-platform-for-autonomous-systems/) ## Competitive Advantages - **World-class research foundation**: Founders and team from TU Munich, with over 400 scientific publications and 87,000+ citations; leadership in computer vision and AI (e.g., Daniel Cremers – Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize winner) - **Hardware-agnostic, modular stack**: Integrates with any UAV/UGV or operates as full software stack; runs on-edge, resilient in contested environments - **GNSS-denied capability**: Enables autonomous navigation and swarming where GPS is jammed or unavailable - **Natural language interaction**: Lowers operator burden, turning one person into a force multiplier - **Proven operational deployment**: Technology validated in live military exercises with the Bundeswehr, not just lab demos ## Strategic Focus - **Defence & sovereign autonomy**: Scaling spatial AI for European defence, strengthening independence from non-European suppliers - **Multi-domain expansion**: Currently focused on aerial and ground platforms; targeting mixed swarms and potentially maritime systems - **Continuous operational validation**: Participating in field exercises and innovation centre demonstrations (e.g., Bundeswehr Cyber Innovation Hub, Erding Innovation Centre) - **Attracting top talent**: 15 open positions (as of mid-2026), including drone engineers, computer vision specialists, and test pilots ## Why Work Here - **Mission-driven**: Work on cutting-edge AI that directly impacts national security and autonomous systems - **Rapid growth**: 150% employee growth in the last year; small, agile team (~29 people) with room for impact - **World-class peers**: Surround yourself with researchers and engineers from TU Munich, Nvidia, Tesla Autopilot, BMW, etc. - **Open roles**: 15 active job postings including UAV Test Pilot, Drone Software and Controls Engineer, Mechanical Design Engineer, Technical Project Manager, and more [linkedin.com](https://de.linkedin.com/company/se3-labs) - **Location & hybrid**: Office in Munich (Ungererstraße 175) with remote/hybrid flexibility for some roles; international presence (UK, Singapore, Switzerland) - **Perks**: Involvement in live field operations, access to top-tier research networks, and participation in defence innovation ecosystem ## Sources 1. [se3.ai](https://www.se3.ai/) 2. [linkedin.com](https://de.linkedin.com/company/se3-labs) 3. [pitchbook.com](https://pitchbook.com/profiles/company/542367-37) 4. [tech.eu](https://tech.eu/2026/06/26/backed-by-lakestar-seedcamp-and-ewor-se3-unveils-spatial-ai-platform-for-autonomous-systems/) 5. [se3.ai/careers](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/se3) ## Other roles at SE3 Labs - [Workplace Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/workplace-manager-se3-labs-munich-xrmwxa3zft62) — Munich, Germany - [(Senior) Technical Field Engineer — Robotics Integration & Deployment](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-technical-field-engineer-robotics-integration-deployment-se3-labs-sxyfkp49nxwj) — Undisclosed Test Site 35km From Munich - [Senior Perception Engineer - VIO / SLAM / Sensor Fusion](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-perception-engineer-vio-slam-sensor-fusion-se3-labs-munich-bjya5js4zr28) — Munich, Germany - [(Senior) Associate Programmes](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-associate-programmes-se3-labs-munich-qrayq8ab71h5) — Munich, Germany - [(Senior) Programme Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-programme-manager-se3-labs-munich-3z7ekqrg3wme) — Munich, Germany - [Mechanical Design Engineer, Unmanned Systems](https://feeny.ai/job/mechanical-design-engineer-unmanned-systems-se3-labs-munich-tzxwb5j399vk) — Munich, Germany - [Procurement & Supply Chain Specialist for Drones & Embedded Electronics](https://feeny.ai/job/procurement-supply-chain-specialist-for-drones-embedded-electronics-se3-labs-et801x5qw2s4) — Munich, Germany - [Technical Project Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/technical-project-manager-se3-labs-munich-rbhf7x6mx544) — Munich, Germany - [Drone Assembly Working Student/ Freelancer](https://feeny.ai/job/drone-assembly-working-student-freelancer-se3-labs-undisclosed-test-site-35km-tgs4adncgynb) — Undisclosed Test Site 35km From Munich - [Drone Test & Field Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/drone-test-field-engineer-se3-labs-undisclosed-test-site-35km-from-munich-kgs4bnn46pp3) — Undisclosed Test Site 35km From Munich