Software Engineer
SAIC · Huntsville
SAIC is seeking a Software Engineer to support the eXtensible Flight System (XFS), a configurable, modular software product used to develop advanced flight displays using the Avilution XFS software. In this role, you will contribute to the design, implementation, and verification of safety-critical avionics software developed under DO-178C (DAL C) objectives. This role will be onsite in Huntsville, AL.
You will work primarily in C, with Python used for automation, tooling, and test infrastructure, in an agile environment supported by a modern CI/CD pipeline. This position is ideal for an engineer who enjoys low-level, high-reliability software development, working with modular architectures, and building robust capabilities that directly impact flight crew situational awareness and safety.
Responsibilities and Duties
Core Software Development
- Design, implement, and maintain XFS software components in C, following DO-178C DAL C processes and coding standards.
- Develop and enhance configurable, modular flight display features and associated infrastructure.
- Implement and maintain Python-based tools, scripts, and test harnesses to support development, integration, and verification activities.
Safety-Critical & Standards-Driven Engineering
- Apply DO-178C-compliant development practices, including rigorous requirements-based design, traceability, and verification.
- Contribute to the development and review of software requirements, architecture, design, and low-level implementation artifacts.
- Participate in and support software verification activities (unit, integration, and system testing) to demonstrate compliance with DO-178C DAL C objectives.
Integration, CI/CD, and Tooling
- Integrate XFS components with other flight software elements, data sources, and target platforms (e.g., real-time operating systems or embedded targets, as applicable).
- Support and improve the CI/CD pipeline to automate builds, tests, static analysis, and deployment to development/integration environments.
- Use and enhance static analysis, code coverage, data coupling, control coupling, Worst Case Execution Time analysis and other quality tools to ensure reliability and maintainability.
Agile Collaboration and Technical Leadership
- Work within an agile team (e.g., Scrum or Kanban), participating in sprint planning, backlog refinement, daily standups, reviews, and retrospectives.
- Collaborate with systems engineers, test engineers, and human-factors/UX personnel to refine requirements into implementable software features.
- Participate in peer reviews of requirements, design, code, and test cases to ensure quality, safety, and compliance.
- Provide technical guidance and mentorship to junior engineers, promoting best practices for safety-critical software development.
Documentation, Quality, and Continuous Improvement
- Produce and maintain clear technical documentation (design descriptions, interface specifications, test procedures, and reports) in support of certification and audit needs.
- Contribute to process improvement initiatives to enhance efficiency, quality, and consistency of the XFS development lifecycle.
- Investigate and resolve defects and field issues, including root cause analysis and robust corrective actions.
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