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At a glance
- Employment type
- Full-time
- Location
- Dublin, Ireland
- Workplace
- On-site
- Category
- Platform / Infrastructure
What you'll be doing
Embedded Engineer- Aircraft at Manna will design, build, and maintain embedded and onboard software for aviation-grade drones. The role involves end-to-end ownership of core subsystems, collaborating with hardware and operations teams, and contributing to architectural decisions in a safety-critical environment.
- Design and build embedded and onboard software components for aircraft and supporting hardware
- Deliver complex features including design, implementation, testing, rollout, and monitoring
- Work primarily in C++ / Embedded C/C++, with Python for tooling, testing, and support systems
- Collaborate with hardware, airspace, QA, and manufacturing teams
- Participate in aircraft bring-up, debugging, and in-field issue resolution
- Design software with failure modes, fault tolerance, and observability
- Investigate and resolve complex aircraft and hardware-adjacent issues
- Contribute to architectural discussions and influence technical direction
Key requirements
Must-have
- Deep proficiency in C++ and Embedded C/C++
- Strong debugging skills across software and hardware boundaries
- Familiarity with Linux-based embedded systems
- Experience collaborating with hardware and operations teams
- Strong professional experience building embedded, robotics, or safety-critical software in production
- At least 8 years of experience in embedded systems
- Eligible to work in Ireland
Nice-to-have
- Experience with drones, avionics, or autonomous systems
- Familiarity with flight stacks (ArduPilot/PX4), ROS/ROS2, or similar platforms
- Experience with power systems, battery management, or charging firmware
- Experience with real-time systems, performance profiling, or low-level networking
- Experience with Python for tooling, testing, or automation
- Experience partnering with QA, manufacturing, or airspace teams
Experience: Senior engineer with at least 8 years of experience in embedded systems
Role signals
- Technical focus
- embedded systems, safety-critical software, hardware integration
- Leadership
- Mentoring
- Architecture / system design
- Indicated in the listing
- Hands-on vs management
- Hands-on
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Full job description
About Manna
At Manna, we’re changing how the world receives things — by taking delivery to the skies.
Our mission is simple but ambitious: to make high-speed suburban delivery affordable, green, and safe. We design and build our own aviation-grade drones that deliver food, coffee, groceries, and more — directly from local stores and vendors to people’s doors in just a few minutes.
We’re a team that Drive with Impact, are **
Safety Focused**, and knows that the best ideas come from **
Team Players** who show up as their **
Authentic Selves**. We move fast, we are passionate about what we do, and we’re always pushing a growth mindset to be better — in everything we do.
If you want to build world-changing technology with real-world impact (and have a bit of fun while doing it), you’ll love it here.
Welcome to Manna — where we deliver the future.
Team mission
The Aircraft team is responsible for the software and firmware that runs onboard Manna aircraft and supporting hardware — including flight computers, sensors, chargers, batteries, and other critical systems. This software directly affects flight safety, aircraft reliability, and fleet scalability. We work close to hardware, real operations, and real aircraft. Engineering decisions here have immediate real-world impact.
The role
As an Embedded Engineer- Aircraft on the Aircraft team, you will contribute to delivery of core subsystems within the onboard aircraft platform. You’ll design, build, and maintain embedded and onboard software, mentor other engineers, and raise the bar on reliability and safety.
This role is ideal for an experienced engineer who enjoys working close to hardware, taking end-to-end ownership, and solving hard systems problems in a safety-critical environment.
What you’ll do
- Design and build embedded and onboard software components running on aircraft and supporting hardware.
- Deliver complex features: design, implementation, testing, rollout, and monitoring.
- Work primarily in C++ / Embedded C/C++, with Python used for tooling, testing, and support systems.
- Collaborate closely with hardware, airspace, QA, and manufacturing teams to deliver safe, reliable systems.
- Participate in aircraft bring-up, debugging, and in-field issue resolution.
- Design software with failure modes, fault tolerance, and observability in mind.
- Investigate and resolve complex aircraft and hardware-adjacent issues.
- Contribute to architectural discussions and influence technical direction of the Aircraft platform.
Required experience
Deep proficiency in C++ and Embedded C/C++.
Strong debugging skills across software and hardware boundaries.
Familiarity with Linux-based embedded systems.
Experience collaborating closely with hardware and operations teams.
Strong professional experience building embedded, robotics, or safety-critical software in production.
Senior engineer with at least 8 years of experience in embedded systems.
Eligible to work in Ireland.
Nice to have
Experience with drones, avionics, or autonomous systems.
Familiarity with flight stacks (ArduPilot/PX4), ROS/ROS2, or similar platforms.
Experience with power systems, battery management, or charging firmware.
Experience with real-time systems, performance profiling, or low-level networking.
Experience with Python for tooling, testing, or automation.
Experience partnering with QA, manufacturing, or airspace teams.
Interview prep pack
Grounded in this listing. Use it to prepare examples before you apply.
Your interview focus
Based on this listing, the Embedded Engineer- Aircraft role at Manna focuses on designing, building, and maintaining embedded software for aviation-grade drones, with a strong emphasis on safety, reliability, and close hardware integration.
- Embedded C/C++ expertise·High
- Debugging across hardware/software·High
- Safety-critical systems experience·High
- Cross-functional collaboration·Medium
Only have 30 minutes?
Follow a focused preparation plan based on this job.
Start 30-minute prep
Your 30-minute plan
Review Embedded C/C++ and Linux Projects
0–8 minSpend time revisiting your most relevant embedded software projects, focusing on those using C/C++ and Linux-based systems.
Prepare Debugging and Safety-Critical Examples
8–15 minSelect and outline 2-3 strong examples of debugging complex hardware/software issues and designing for safety and reliability.
Reflect on Cross-Functional Collaboration
15–20 minIdentify specific instances where you worked closely with hardware, QA, or manufacturing teams to deliver robust solutions.
Summarize Mentoring and Leadership Experience
20–25 minList concrete examples of mentoring, coaching, or influencing technical direction in embedded systems teams.
Draft Role-Specific Questions
25–30 minPrepare thoughtful questions about the team’s processes, challenges, and technical direction to ask during the interview.
Talking points
, 6 itemsEnd-to-End Embedded Software Development
You will need to demonstrate your ability to take ownership of the full software lifecycle, from design through rollout and monitoring, especially in safety-critical environments.
Debugging Complex Systems
The role requires strong debugging skills across both software and hardware, so be ready to discuss challenging issues you've diagnosed and resolved.
Safety and Reliability in Embedded Systems
Given the aviation context, you should be able to explain how you design for failure modes, fault tolerance, and observability.
Collaboration with Hardware and Operations Teams
Success in this role depends on effective teamwork with hardware, QA, manufacturing, and airspace teams; prepare examples of cross-functional collaboration.
Experience with Linux-based Embedded Systems
Familiarity with Linux-based systems is required, so be prepared to discuss your experience configuring, developing, or troubleshooting on such platforms.
Mentoring and Technical Leadership
The role involves mentoring and influencing technical direction, so be ready to share examples of guiding teams or raising engineering standards.
What to research
, 5 itemsReview Embedded C/C++ Projects
Prepare detailed examples of embedded software you have designed and implemented, especially in safety-critical or robotics contexts.
Debugging Across Hardware/Software
Recall specific incidents where you diagnosed and resolved issues involving both hardware and software components.
Linux-based Embedded Systems
Be ready to discuss your experience with Linux in embedded environments, including configuration, driver development, and troubleshooting.
Cross-functional Collaboration
Prepare stories that demonstrate effective teamwork with hardware, QA, manufacturing, or operations teams.
Mentoring and Technical Leadership
Think of examples where you mentored engineers or influenced technical direction in embedded systems projects.
Questions to ask
, 6 itemsHow does the Aircraft team at Manna approach software safety and reliability in its drone platforms?
Why ask this? To understand the team's safety culture and engineering practices.
What are the biggest technical challenges currently facing the Aircraft team?
Why ask this? To gauge the complexity and focus areas of the role.
How do software and hardware teams collaborate during aircraft bring-up and debugging?
Why ask this? To learn about cross-functional workflows and expectations.
What is the process for rolling out and monitoring new embedded features in production aircraft?
Why ask this? To clarify expectations for deployment and operational support.
How does the team handle in-field issue resolution and post-deployment support?
Why ask this? To understand the level of hands-on involvement required after deployment.
Are there opportunities to contribute to architectural decisions or influence the technical direction of the platform?
Why ask this? To assess the scope for technical leadership and growth.
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