Job Description

We are now looking for an Autopilot Firmware Engineer to join our Nokia Drone Networks team in Espoo, Finland. You will develop and maintain mission-critical embedded software that enables safe, reliable, and scalable autonomous drone operations. In this role, you will own firmware features end-to-end—from design and implementation to verification, flight-test support, and release-quality documentation.

We are at the forefront of leading agile technologies, consistently adopting the latest advancements to strategically integrate intelligent robotics and intelligent networks into real-life projects. Our multi-cultural team fosters a dynamic, agile, and start-up-like culture. We prioritize responsiveness and flexibility, while also maintaining the capability for structured approaches to meet diverse customer needs.

• Design and implement autopilot firmware components in C/C++ (RTOS / bare-metal / embedded Linux where applicable), focusing on safety, determinism, and performance.
• Develop and maintain low-level drivers and interfaces for sensors and peripherals (e.g., IMU, GNSS, barometer, magnetometer, range sensors; PWM/CAN/UART/SPI/I2C).
• Own the debug & verification loop: create test plans, write unit/integration tests, analyze flight logs/telemetry, and drive root-cause analysis through to fix and validation.
• Collaborate tightly with systems, autonomy, and hardware teams to integrate new sensors/compute platforms, support bring-up, and improve flight robustness across real customer environments.
• Improve engineering excellence: contribute to coding standards, CI/CD for firmware, release readiness, and clear technical documentation for long-term maintainability.

Must-have:
• Fluent C/C++ skills with hands-on embedded development experience (RTOS, drivers, performance tuning, debugging).
• Solid understanding of embedded systems fundamentals (interrupts, timing, concurrency, memory constraints, hardware interfaces).
• Experience with drones, robotics, or safety-critical control systems, including practical exposure to logs/telemetry-driven debugging.
• 3–5 years of relevant professional experience in embedded firmware development.
• Fluent English (written and spoken).

Nice-to-Have:
• Familiarity with PX4/ArduPilot, MAVLink/MAVSDK, or similar robotics middleware and protocols.
• Experience with sensor calibration, navigation/estimation concepts, or flight-control related subsystems.
• Exposure to embedded Linux bring-up, device trees, or kernel/user-space interfaces.
• Security-minded development (secure boot concepts, signing, basic crypto hygiene).
• Willingness to travel occasionally to support integration and flight test activities.

Advancing connectivity to secure a brighter world.

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We act inclusively and respect the uniqueness of people. Our employment decisions are made regardless of race, color, national or ethnic origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by law. We are committed to a culture of inclusion built upon our core value of respect.

If you’re interested in this role but don’t meet every listed requirement, we still encourage you to apply. Unique backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences enrich our teams, and you may be just the right candidate for this or another opportunity.

The length of the recruitment process may vary depending on the specific role's requirements. We strive to ensure a smooth and inclusive experience for all candidates. Discover more about the recruitment process at Nokia