Head of Embedded Software, Freeform
Metal 3D printing factories
Job no longer available
Metal 3D printing factories
21-100 employees
Job no longer available
21-100 employees
Company mission
To make the transformative power of 3D printing available to all industries at scale and unlock the future of innovation.
Role
Who you are
- 10+ years of hands-on experience architecting, developing, and implementing complex embedded software systems using C/C++/Rust
- Experience working in a high performance compute environment (FPGAs or GPUs)
- Experience in real-time embedded system design with Linux OS
Desirable
- BS, MS, or PhD in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or related field
- Formal personnel leadership experience
- Experience with high speed data acquisition and real-time closed-loop-control systems
- Experience writing software for industrial automation systems, robotics, or related hardware
- Creative thinker able to apply first-principles reasoning to solve complex problems
What the job involves
- As the Head of Embedded Software, you will be responsible for leading development efforts across our embedded ecosystem including embedded Linux, heterogeneous computing, and sensor fusion with the goal of scaling fully automated metal printing factories with advanced telemetry systems
- Provide architectural leadership for the development of a complex, highly integrated embedded system
- Serve as the primary technical architect for all software elements in the system as well as lead design, implementation, and testing efforts as an individual contributor where appropriate
- Lead system level integration and validation of design efforts
- Provide technical project management from conception to production when required by the size/scope of the project
- Facilitate effective communication and collaboration with the broader engineering team by working side-by-side with the Electrical, Mechanical, and Process engineering teams
Our take
There is a high demand for precision metal fabrication in future-focused industries such as rocketry and vehicle manufacturing. Still, legacy production techniques are too slow and inflexible to meet the requirements of rapidly changing designs in the most innovative firms. Enter Freeform Future, a company which builds metal 3D printing factories to allow manufacturers to swiftly and efficiently go from idea to mass production.
Founded by engineers with extensive experience at SpaceX, Freeform seeks to replace existing metal fabrication works - typified with heavy reliance on manual labour and legacy processes - with 3D printers and automated software technologies. Rather than needing to train a large workforce on production techniques, Freeform will be able to print almost any metal item at production scale on demand, with a turnaround time of days rather than weeks.
Though it only emerged from stealth in 2023, Freeform has some large-scale customers, including autonomous trucking firm Embark and rocket part manufacturer Ursa Major. After raising significant funding in early 2023, the company is moving from prototype to production and scaling up its operations to meet the growing demand for rapidly produced, high-quality metal components.
Steph
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
57% employee growth in 12 months
Company
Funding (last 2 of 3 rounds)
Feb 2026
$67m
SERIES B
Oct 2024
$14m
EARLY VC
Total funding: $126m
Company benefits
- Significant stock option packages
- 100% employer-paid Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance (premium PPO and HMO options)
- Life insurance
- Traditional and Roth 401(k)
- Relocation assistance provided
- Paid vacation, sick leave, and company holidays
- Generous Paid Parental Leave and extended transition back to work for the birthing parent
- Free daily catered lunch and dinner, and fully stocked kitchenette
- Casual dress, flexible work hours, and regular catered team building events
Company HQ
Hawthorne, CA
Leadership
Erik Palitsch
(Co-Founder & CEO)Previously was Propulsion Development Manager at SpaceX. Before that was a Solid Propulsion Systems Engineer for NASA.
Thomas Ronacher
(Co-Founder & President)Before co-founding Freeform, was VP Hardware Engineering at Hyperloop One and Thermal System Lead for Virgin Galactic. Prior to that was Principal Design Engineer with Seal Science and Senior Propulsion Analyst at SpaceX.
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