The future of defense will be decided by those who field intelligent machines at scale. At Scout AI, we’re developing Fury, the first robotic foundation model for defense, to give U.S. forces overwhelming, adaptable, and autonomous power across every domain. Fury enables human operators to command fleets of robots through natural language, and empowers those machines to sense, decide, and act together as one. This mission will ask everything of us: urgency, precision, and relentless work.
The Role
We’re looking for a Junior Firmware Engineer who is excited about working close to the hardware layer, especially bringing up and validating sensors on new platforms. This role focuses on developing low-level firmware and drivers that enable sensors to function reliably in embedded and robotics systems.
You’ll work with experienced engineers across hardware, robotics, and AI to ensure sensor data is accurate, stable, and production-ready. We’re a startup. You’ll be moving fast, context-switching daily, and helping define the culture and process as we go. This is a rare opportunity to come in early and architect the future of defense.
Responsibilities
- Develop and debug sensor drivers for embedded platforms
- Bring up new sensors (IMU, camera interfaces, LiDAR modules, environmental sensors)
- Work with hardware engineers during board bring-up and validation
- Implement and test communication protocols
- I2C, SPI, UART, CAN
- Write firmware for microcontrollers and embedded processors
- Build tools and tests to validate sensor data quality and reliability
- Troubleshoot hardware-software integration issues
- Contribute to firmware architecture and documentation
Qualifications
- Strong fundamentals in C or C++ for embedded systems
- Understanding of microcontrollers and embedded development workflows
- Familiarity with basic electronics concepts (signals, timing, debugging)
- Experience working with hardware interfaces like SPI, I2C, or UART
- Ability to read datasheets and implement drivers from documentation
- Strong debugging mindset and attention to detail
- Interest in robotics, embedded systems, or hardware-adjacent software
- Must be a U.S. Person due to required access to U.S. export controlled information or facilities
- Passion about defense of the United States and its allies
- May be expected to obtain and hold a U.S. Top Secret security clearance
Why Join Scout
- Work on the world’s most important frontier, ensuring U.S. and allied dominance in the age of intelligent machines
- Be a core part of a team building the first defense-specific robotic foundation model
- Collaborate with some of the top engineers in autonomy, AI, and national security
- See your work deployed on real systems
- Help define the future of intelligent defense systems
- Backed by Draper Associates, Booz Allen Ventures, and other top investors
Benefits
- Competitive base salary and bonus
- Meaningful equity
- Premium medical, dental, and vision plans with $0 paycheck contribution
- Competitive PTO and company holiday calendar
- Unlimited AI tokens
- Catered lunch daily and fully stocked kitchen
- EV charging
- Relocation assistance (depending on role eligibility)
The stated salary range below represents an estimated base pay only and reflects consideration of multiple compensation factors. Final salary offers may differ depending on factors including, but not limited to, relevant experience or training background, specialized skills, and business needs. Most full-time positions also include highly competitive equity awards, which form part of Scout AI's overall compensation package. In addition, Scout AI provides comprehensive, top-tier benefits to full-time employees.
Scout AI (scoutco.ai) Sunnyvale, California, USA Office
Sunnyvale, California, United States, 94089
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