Software Integration Engineer

Merlin (NASDAQ: MRLN) is a publicly traded aerospace and defense company building a non-human pilot to deliver full-stack autonomy for any aircraft from takeoff to touchdown. The Merlin Pilot autonomy system powers a growing range of aircraft and mission profiles and has been proven through hundreds of autonomous flights from Merlin's global flight test facilities, including Kerikeri, New Zealand; Smithfield, Rhode Island; and soon, Bedford, Massachusetts. Headquartered in Boston, Merlin is expanding its organization to accelerate the development and deployment of its autonomy platform, helping customers solve some of aviation's most pressing challenges, from pilot shortages to improving flight safety. Backed by some of the world's leading investors prior to its public listing, Merlin continues to advance the certification and commercialization of autonomous flight across commercial and defense aviation.

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About You:

You are a hands-on software engineer who enjoys connecting software, simulation models, and physical hardware. You take ownership of well-defined engineering efforts, troubleshoot methodically, and collaborate with teammates to deliver reliable solutions. You are comfortable writing code, working in Linux, and testing directly with laboratory equipment.

As part of Merlin’s Virtual Test Environments (VTE) team, you will help develop and maintain hardware-in-the-loop test environments and the software that captures, displays, and replays engineering data. Working alongside our Staff Software Integration Engineer, you will help engineers exercise aircraft systems and resolve integration issues before flight.

Responsibilities:

• Develop and maintain C++ and Python software connecting aircraft avionics, simulation models, test hardware, and engineering tools.
• Implement software components and hardware interfaces within the architecture established by the Staff Software Integration Engineer, contributing to design decisions and code reviews.
• Integrate UEI PowerDNA equipment through vendor SDKs, low-level I/O APIs, and hardware abstraction layers.
• Configure and validate ARINC 429, CAN, serial, analog, and discrete interfaces using aircraft interface control documents, including signal mapping, message encoding, update rates, and error handling.
• Support real-time execution of aircraft simulation models, including periodic processing, I/O exchange, watchdogs, and performance diagnostics.
• Develop and maintain telemetry interfaces and data-processing components that collect, validate, record, and distribute data over UDP, TCP, and messaging systems.
• Contribute to asynchronous Rust services for telemetry ingestion, timestamp alignment, flight-test displays, and session recording, with technical guidance from senior engineers.
• Build operator displays and diagnostic tools using technologies such as GL Studio, React, HTML5, SQL, and web APIs.
• Build, deploy, and troubleshoot software on Linux hosts and embedded targets using established cross-compilation, packaging, systemd, and Docker workflows.
• Write unit tests, Python-based smoke tests, and hardware integration tests; help reproduce defects and add regression coverage.
• Collaborate with avionics, aircraft software, flight dynamics, and lab engineers to diagnose issues across software, networks, and connected hardware.
• Maintain code and configuration changes in Git, track work in Jira, and document interfaces, deployment steps, and troubleshooting procedures.

Qualifications:

• Proficiency developing and debugging modern C++ and Python software.
• Strong working familiarity with Linux host systems, including command-line tools, software builds, dependencies, services, permissions, networking, and diagnostics.
• Experience integrating software with physical hardware, external systems, or vendor libraries and APIs.
• Understanding of resource management, multithreading, synchronization, and error handling in C++.
• Familiarity with UDP/TCP networking and binary data formats, including byte order, message framing, and input validation.
• Familiarity with timing-sensitive software concepts such as periodic execution, buffering, latency, and watchdogs.
• Ability to interpret technical documentation and interface definitions and translate them into working software and tests.
• Experience using Git for collaborative development, automated testing, and Jira or comparable issue tracking.
• Familiarity with Docker-based application deployment.
• Willingness to learn Rust, embedded Linux deployment, and avionics interfaces with support from experienced engineers.
• Ability to work independently on assigned components, communicate progress and blockers, and seek guidance when needed.
• Ability to work regularly onsite in our Boston lab to integrate and troubleshoot physical equipment.

Nice to Have:

• Experience with UEI PowerDNA/PDNA SDKs or comparable data acquisition and avionics interface platforms.
• Familiarity with ARINC 429, CAN, and RS-232/RS-422 serial interfaces.
• Experience with embedded Linux, ARM targets, cross-compilation, CMake, Yocto SDKs, Debian packaging, or systemd services.
• Experience with Rust, particularly asynchronous programming using Tokio, serde, or axum.
• Experience integrating or troubleshooting low-level I/O APIs, device drivers, or hardware abstraction layers.
• Experience with hardware-in-the-loop testing, aircraft simulation, or integrating generated simulation models into C++ applications.
• Familiarity with telemetry systems, timestamp synchronization, IRIG time, or flight-test displays such as IADS.
• Experience with GL Studio, React and JavaScript/TypeScript, HTML5, SQL, or REST APIs.
• Experience with GoogleTest, pytest, parser fuzzing, or continuous integration using GitHub Actions.
• Familiarity with ZeroMQ, session recording, S3 storage, or simulation replay workflows.
• Aviation experience through professional work, flight simulation, or a pilot’s license.

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$130,000 - $175,000 a year

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This position is based on-site at Merlin HQ in Boston, MA.

Once you’re here, you’ll enjoy a variety of on-site perks designed to make your workday enjoyable and convenient. These include catered lunches featuring a rotating menu of delicious options, an assortment of snacks to keep you fueled throughout the day, and a selection of beverages, including coffee, tea, and other drinks, to keep you refreshed.

Our goal is to create an environment where you can thrive both professionally and personally.

Merlin Labs offers an innovative, entrepreneurial, and team-focused startup environment. We also offer a top-notch benefits package (health, dental, life, flexible paid time off, and 401k with match) and work/life integration. Being part of the Merlin team allows you to become part of a small team that supports professional development while working together to achieve our mission.

Merlin Labs is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, genetic information, sex (including pregnancy), gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, military service or obligation or disability status, or any other characteristic protected by law. All job offers are contingent upon the candidate passing background and reference checks.

At this time, we are unable to provide visa sponsorship or consider candidates who require visa transfers. Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States without the need for visa sponsorship now or in the future.

In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire.

If you require reasonable accommodation in completing an application, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, or otherwise participating in the employee selection process, please direct your inquiries to: people@merlinlabs.com

Merlin Labs does not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than directly from candidates.