Founding Engineer, Firmware/Software

About Hawkline

Hawkline is building FieldLine, a tethered aerial camera platform bringing broadcast-quality, dynamic aerial coverage to high school athletics and live events. Today, that kind of coverage exists at two extremes: SkyCam-level systems that cost more than most schools and mid-size venues will ever spend, or static analytics tools like Hudl that don't capture the game the way a live audience experiences it. We're building the gap in between: a system that's affordable, mobile, and safe enough to operate at the venues that make up the vast majority of live sports and events, but capable of the kind of coverage that's currently reserved for the top tier.

We're pre-revenue, in the hardware bring-up stage, founder-led, and building toward first flight test. This is a ground-floor opportunity to shape the core engineering of a system from the ground up, not join an existing team executing someone else's architecture.

The Role

We're looking for a founding engineer to take ownership of firmware and systems integration as we move from bench validation to a flying, field-ready Unit 1. This is a hands-on, build-things role. You'll be working directly with hardware, not just writing specs.

Core scope:

STM32-based flight/power controller firmware bring-up and validation
PX4 / ROS2 / uXRCE-DDS integration across the avionics stack
Support on high-voltage power system safety architecture and validation
Close collaboration with mechanical/electrical design as the system moves toward flight test

Who you are

Strong embedded systems background: STM32 or similar ARM Cortex-M experience preferred
Familiarity with PX4, ArduPilot, ROS2, or comparable flight-control/robotics stacks
Comfortable working in an early-stage environment with real ambiguity. This is not a role with a fully specced backlog waiting for you
Background in robotics, aerospace, defense, or UAV systems is a strong plus
Genuinely excited about building something from near-zero, not just executing a known architecture

What we offer

Meaningful equity in a company building a real, defensible technical moat (multiple patent applications in progress)
Direct influence over core technical decisions: this role sets the architecture for everything that follows
A veteran-founded, SDVOSB-eligible company with a clear path toward institutional funding
Flexible, equity-forward compensation structure appropriate to pre-seed stage, with a defined path to cash compensation tied to funding milestones

To apply / learn more: reach out directly. Happy to talk through the technical problem set and where the company is at before anything formal.