Embedded Software Engineer, Motor Control & Real-Time Systems

General Matter
Los Angeles, CA

Who this role is best for

Geared toward candidates with real-time embedded systems experience and a background in motor control, comfortable with deterministic code development and hardware integration.

Best fit for

  • Candidates with real-time embedded systems experience and a background in motor control
    — “develop the real-time control software, motor drive firmware, and device drivers”
  • Individuals who have worked on safety-critical systems and can debug control loops on real hardware
    — “deep enough to implement, tune, and debug control loops on real hardware”
  • Engineers who can define system architecture and interface conventions across multiple domains
    — “define real-time architecture, driver standards, and hardware interface conventions shared across R&D, test, and production systems”

Things to consider

  • The role may require working with hardware from early prototypes through deployed systems
    — “working hands-on with hardware from early prototypes through deployed systems”
  • Strong commitment to safety and accuracy is essential for this mission-critical work
    — “Safety and accuracy matter enormously in all of it”

How to stand out

  • Highlight experience with real-time Linux and fieldbus protocols like EtherCAT and CANopen
    — “real-time Linux (e.g., PREEMPT_RT) and embedded microcontroller/DSP targets”
  • Showcase motor control firmware projects, particularly field-oriented and sensorless control
    — “implementing motor control firmware for electric motors and drives, such as field-oriented control, sensorless control”
  • Demonstrate skills in low-level driver and interface development for high-speed data acquisition
    — “write drivers and interfaces for scientific instrumentation, sensors, and data acquisition hardware for high-speed, kHz-class acquisition”
  • Emphasize your ability to own software through full deployment and validation cycles
    — “own software from development through deployment by building automated build, test, and validation infrastructure”
Pace · Fast PacedCollaboration · MediumAutonomy · MediumDecision Impact · Team

Derived from job-description analysis by Serendipath's career intelligence engine.

What success looks like

  • Highly reliable control systems
  • Optimized motor control algorithms
Typical background
Experience in embedded software development

Skills & requirements

Required

Embedded SystemsReal-time SystemsMotor ControlFieldbusDriver Development

Preferred

Safety-critical SystemsPower Electronics

Stack & domain

Embedded Software EngineeringReal-time Control SoftwareMotor Control FirmwareDevice DriversReal-time LinuxMicrocontroller/dsp TargetsMotor Control AlgorithmsFieldbus NetworksScientific InstrumentationData Acquisition HardwareProblem SolvingAttention To DetailCollaborationTechnical WritingProject ManagementNuclear EnergyReal-time SystemsMotor ControlEmbedded Systems

About the role

Original posting from General Matter via Greenhouse

About the Company

General Matter enriches uranium.

We are designing, building, and operating the world's lowest-cost enrichment services, here in the US.

In the process, we are restoring America's ability to produce nuclear fuel to power AI, advanced manufacturing and critical industries our country relies on to remain competitive.

Fuel drives the cost of advanced reactor electricity production, and enrichment drives the cost of the fuel that advanced reactors consume. Reliable, low-cost enrichment is the catalyst for the nuclear Renaissance now under way.

Our mission is to make nuclear not only the cleanest and safest source of baseload power, but also the most affordable. We believe abundant nuclear energy will lead to a post-scarcity society.

We were incubated inside Founders Fund, like Anduril and Palantir before us, and are backed by over a dozen of the world's top venture capital firms.

Our lean, world-class team of engineers and operators is applying a first-principles approach to solving the problem of nuclear fuel production.

We are a mission-driven company with a culture of urgency, accountability, and transparency.

Help us build a high-energy society by making the cleanest, safest form of baseload energy the most affordable.

About This Role

We are seeking an Embedded Software Engineer to develop the real-time control software, motor drive firmware, and device drivers that directly command test stands and production systems. This role sits where real-time embedded engineering meets motor control. You'll turn control algorithms into deterministic, fault-tolerant code that closes high-rate control loops, drives power electronics, coordinates distributed actuators over fieldbus networks, and acquires high-speed signals from scientific instrumentation. Safety and accuracy matter enormously in all of it. You will help define the real-time architecture, driver standards, and hardware interfaces of mission-critical embedded systems across R&D, manufacturing/test, and plant operations, working hands-on with hardware from early prototypes through deployed systems. If you seek high impact and are excited by fast-paced, intense, Skunkworks-style projects, we encourage you to apply to join our team.

Responsibilities

Architect and develop deterministic, safety-critical control software on real-time Linux (e.g., PREEMPT_RT) and embedded microcontroller/DSP targets, including scheduling, timing, and fault-tolerant control logic.

Define real-time architecture, driver standards, and hardware interface conventions shared across R&D, test, and production systems.

Implement and optimize motor control algorithms in embedded firmware, including field-oriented control, sensorless control, and high-rate closed-loop current and torque control.

Develop low-level drive firmware for PWM generation, synchronized ADC sampling, current and voltage sensing, and motor feedback interfaces for power electronics and inverters.

Implement estimation, monitoring, and protection functions (state and fault estimation, overcurrent and overvoltage protection) to maximize system safety and reliability.

Build and maintain industrial fieldbus masters and stacks (e.g., EtherCAT, CAN/CANopen, EtherNet/IP) for hard real-time, high-rate closed-loop control of distributed actuators, drives, and I/O.

Write drivers and interfaces for scientific instrumentation, sensors, and data acquisition hardware for high-speed, kHz-class acquisition across low-level protocols and buses (e.g., SPI, I2C, serial, USB, PCIe, Ethernet).

Own software from development through deployment by building automated build, test, and validation infrastructure, including software-in-the-loop (SIL) and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) frameworks for motor control and real-time systems.

Perform safety analyses and validate control logic to ensure deterministic behavior, stability, and functional safety under both normal and fault conditions.

Contribute to integrated system testing, commissioning, and continuous improvement of embedded software running on production equipment.

Basic Qualifications

Bachelor's degree or higher in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related STEM field.

5+ years of experience developing embedded, real-time, or low-level systems software.

Evidence of exceptional ability (prior projects, portfolio of work, completed products, etc.).

Strong, production-level experience in C, C++, or Rust.

Hands-on experience implementing motor control firmware for electric motors and drives, such as field-oriented control, sensorless control, PWM, and closed-loop current control.

Solid grounding in control fundamentals (linear systems, discrete-time control, digital filtering, and state estimation), deep enough to implement, tune, and debug control loops on real hardware.

Hands-on experience with real-time systems and hardware/software integration, with a strong understanding of deterministic timing, interrupt latency, concurrency, and device driver development.

Ability to perform trade studies and make clear recommendations from first principles, even with partial information.

Preferred Skills and Experience

Experience with power electronics, inverters, gate drivers, and current-sensing hardware, including their interaction with control firmware.

Experience with motor-control-oriented MCUs/DSPs (e.g., TI C2000, STM32, or similar) and their timer, PWM, and ADC peripherals.

Experience with model-based design workflows (MATLAB/Simulink, auto-generated code) and Python for analysis, test automation, and tooling.

Familiarity with advanced estimation and control techniques (observers, Kalman filtering, fault detection).

Experience implementing or integrating industrial fieldbus protocols and masters (e.g., EtherCAT, CANopen, EtherNet/IP, Modbus).

Experience with real-time Linux (PREEMPT_RT, Xenomai) or other RTOS for motion and process control.

Driver and kernel development experience, including bring-up of new sensors, instrumentation, and data acquisition hardware.

Low-level communication protocol debugging and electrical hardware troubleshooting, including assistance in PCBA bring-up.

Experience designing fault-tolerant, observable, and testable distributed control systems.

Background in safety-critical, high-reliability, or regulated industrial environments (e.g., nuclear, chemical, energy, aerospace, robotics, semiconductor).

Additional Requirements

Ability to work extended hours and weekends as necessary.

Equal Opportunity Employer

General Matter is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with General Matter is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.

Compensation and Benefits

The base salary range for this role is $150,000–$260,000 annually.

Compensation bands are determined by role, level, location, and alignment with market data. Individual level and base pay is determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on job-related skills, education, experience, technical capabilities and internal equity. Please note that the stated salary range is an estimate and may be adjusted based on market conditions, business needs, or other factors. In addition to base salary, for full-time hires, you may also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of stock options, and access to medical, vision & dental coverage as well as access to a 401(k) retirement plan.

Source: General Matter careers (Greenhouse)

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