Embedded Software Engineer

About Us

Aquila is building the future of energy, and it's made of light.



We're a fast-growing deep tech company based in Sydney on a mission to democratise energy accessibility. How? By building the world's first wireless energy network powered by light. Think of the internet, but instead of data, we're transmitting power. Our first frontier: laser beams that keep drones flying indefinitely and factory robots charging without ever stopping.

We're backed by world-class investors who believe in what we're building, with over $7 million (AUD) in funding from Blackbird, Possible, Icehouse, Startmate and the Australian Government. 2026 is shaping up to be our biggest year yet as we commercialise our technology and raise our Series A. If you're reading this, your timing is impeccable.

We're a team of builders, engineers and dreamers solving problems no one has solved before. Everything we do is guided by five core values:

• Move at lightspeed: We test, iterate and ship fast. Speed is a feature.
• Physics over precedent: The only limits we accept are the laws of physics.
• Design THE network: We're here to build the largest energy infrastructure the world has ever seen.
• Care deeply, own fully: We operate with a founder mindset where every person drives real business outcomes with empathy and accountability.
• Laser set to max: We take calculated risks to push the frontier forward, because playing it safe won't change the world.

At Aquila, we shape roles around exceptional people. If the mission excites you but you don't tick every box below, apply anyway. We'd love to hear from you

What you'll do:

As an Embedded Software Engineer at Aquila, you'll be at the heart of building the software that delivers energy through light. This isn't firmware for a consumer gadget - it's the mission-critical control layer of a first-of-its-kind wireless energy networking platform.

You'll build and own our firmware and software stack - from low-level control systems running on microcontrollers through to high level state control and telemetry systems. This is a rare opportunity to design, test, and shape a foundational architecture being built from the ground up, in an environment unconstrained by legacy decisions or compromises.

This is an end-to-end role, covering design and implementation through to testing. Working within our small software engineering team, you will write reliable and performant software across laser alignment control systems, safety critical infringement detection systems, novel MPPT power converters, and the high level software that brings it all together. You will:

• Develop, validate, and deploy complex hard real-time embedded software on real hardware.
• Architect core middleware for communication, state-machine control, and telemetry, ensuring robust error handling across the entire stack.
• Write low-level drivers for microcontroller peripherals and communication interfaces
• Build and maintain automated test systems and CI/CD pipelines to support rapid, high-confidence iteration on real hardware.

Discover our full range of relocation jobs with comprehensive support packages to help you relocate and settle in your new location.

• Collaborate across disciplines, working with systems, hardware, optical, and mechanical engineering to refine requirements and solve real-world physics problems.
• Shape how we work by contributing to our engineering standards and best practices.
• Own outcomes, getting your hands dirty working in the lab to deliver intersectional systems across optics, lasers, and power electronics.

What you'll bring:

• A background in Computer Engineering, Mechatronics, Electronics, or equivalent industry experience.
• Solid foundation in firmware or embedded software development for real-time microcontrollers using C/C++.
• A bias for action and a hunger to learn. You're energised by problems you haven't solved before, comfortable being wrong on the way to being right, and you'd rather ship something rough and iterate than wait for the perfect plan.
• Familiarity with Go, Rust, or Python for support tooling.
• Strong familiarity and experience with low-level communication interfaces such as CAN, SPI, I2C, and UART.
• Experience with modern development workflows and tooling including CI/CD, automated testing, and version control as essential tools for building reliable systems at pace.
• We’d love to see experience in, or a genuine curiosity for, control systems, electronics, or functional safety. Whether you’re already a pro or just excited to learn how to safely bridge the gap between code and high-power lasers, you’ll find plenty of room to grow here.

Interested in relocating to Australia? Check out our comprehensive Relocation Jobs in Australia page with detailed relocation packages and benefits.

Aquila Perks & Benefits:

• Everyone is an owner. In addition to excellent base compensation, everyone owns equity in the company, so we all benefit from our hard work and future success.
• Generous paid parental leave. We offer eight weeks of parental leave above the government-allocated amount.
• Relocation budget & support. Support for interstate or overseas team members and their families (including pets!)
• Flexible working hours and location. While we often enjoy shooting lasers around in our fully decked-out laser facilities, if there are days when we can work from anywhere, then we feel free to work from anywhere!
• Generous Personal Leave. At Aquila, we recognise that sometimes you need time off to recuperate, look after your mental health, or deal with an emergency. We provide unlimited (within reason) personal leave to empower you to bring your best self to work every day, and you are always paid for days taken off as personal leave.
• We care about our people: At Aquila, we don't focus on what our people can do for us; we focus on what we can do for our people. As part of our commitment to our people, we provide an annual $1k budget for side projects, health, gizmos and gadgets you want to develop, skills you want to learn, and ways you want to grow outside work.
• Company-wide social events: offsite hiking and/or skiing through beautiful Australian landscapes, annual end-of-year celebrations, and much more!
• Great, decked-out office! An inclusive community and culture in a welcoming office with lasers, cutting-edge hardware, snacks, and actual tech you can tinker with (within the bounds of safety).

Aquila welcomes applicants from all backgrounds and has around 40% female representation on our team (which for deep tech is better than most!). Join our team and help us build an infinitely scalable energy network that powers a more abundant, limitless, and sustainable future.