Senior Embedded Linux Platform Engineer

OUR VISION

When people use our technology to "bridge the gap" between the physical and digital worlds, they don’t just capture reality - they create a new one. In this new reality, they are smarter, more productive, more streamlined, and more creative - because they have the digital foundation to build the world they want to live in.

That’s what NavVis offers in all our products and services: the tools to not just map the world as it is, but to pave the way to a better future. To forge something new. Physical or digital, there is only one reality. And it’s the reality NavVis empowers people to build better. 

THE OPPORTUNITY

NavVis builds mobile mapping systems, with hardware and software designed and manufactured in Munich. The System Software turns our devices into products: it runs onboard, brings up the platform, orchestrates the sensors, runs the mapping stack in real time, and gives the operator a UI to control the capture. Every scan a customer delivers starts on the device. 

We are looking for a Senior Embedded Linux Platform Engineer for the System Software team in the Mapping and Perception (MAP) department. You own the Linux platform layer directly above the kernel: the OS lifecycle, the hardware abstraction layer and system services, library, graphics, and media integration, and integration of sensor modules.  

You work at the kernel and userspace boundary daily, in close cooperation with the Embedded Software team, which owns the bootloader, kernel drivers, and firmware beneath you. This is a platform and integration role: you read kernel code and carry kernel patches through our OS builds, but your home is the layer above, where a working kernel becomes a working product.

HOW YOU WILL MAKE AN IMPACT

• Own the OS lifecycle: bundle kernel and OS, build, adapt, package, and release Debian and Ubuntu images on amd64 and ARM, including OS updates, build and release pipelines, dual-boot, and over-the-air update mechanisms that scale with production volumes 

• Integrate at the kernel and userspace boundary: bring in modifications and kernel patches, develop the hardware abstraction layer, and integrate drivers with applications 

• Build and maintain system services: D-Bus system daemons (for example, in the clight or lightd style), platform utilities, and tooling that make the device debuggable in the field 

• Patch and integrate kernel-dependent libraries: OpenGL or Vulkan, NPU, libc, and crypto for the application layer, plus GPU vendor-specific userspace blob integration, coordinating low-level kernel work with the Embedded Software team and application-layer work with the Application team 

• Own the camera and media userspace: the V4L2 interface, image formats and controls, and OpenCV-level fixes, building on top of camera kernel drivers delivered by the Embedded Software team 

• Develop sensor software modules, for example the GNSS and GPS software module: message parsing, interfaces, NTRIP forwarding, and precise timestamping for a survey-grade mapping system, with module bring-up owned by the Embedded Software team and interface definition owned jointly with the Calibration and Sensors team 

• Support the ROS-based mapping stack: keep the C++ and Python mapping stack and its ROS nodes running reliably on the platform you own 

• Keep quality measurable: build and maintain CI pipelines, hardware-in-the-loop tests, and stress tests 

WHAT WILL HELP YOU SUCCEED IN THE ROLE

• 5+ years of professional software development for embedded Linux systems, ideally on ARM-based platforms, with strong hands-on C and C++ experience in a production codebase and solid Python for tooling, scripting, and automation 

• Fluency at the kernel and userspace boundary: reading kernel code, applying and carrying kernel patches, working with sysfs and udev, and debugging across the boundary in the field 

• Hands-on Linux image building and OS lifecycle management: Debian or Ubuntu image builds, packaging, update or OTA mechanisms, and reproducible, tested build pipelines 

• Linux userspace platform experience: system daemons, D-Bus or comparable IPC, systemd, packaging, and platform tooling 

• Integration experience in at least one of: V4L2 and camera and media pipelines; GPU or graphics stacks and kernel-dependent libraries (OpenGL, Vulkan, NPU, libc, crypto, vendor blobs); or GNSS and sensor protocol software (message parsing, forwarding, timestamping) 

• Clear communication in English, needed to coordinate kernel-boundary work with the Embedded Software, Calibration and Sensors, and Application teams 

 Would be an added benefit 

• Familiarity with ROS or comparable robotics middleware in a production C++ and Python environment 

• Experience with hardware-in-the-loop testing or performance and latency evaluation for device software 

• Experience with camera systems (bandwidth, rolling shutter, exposure and gain) and sensors in general 

• Time synchronization in sensor systems: PTP and timestamping strategies 

• Device provisioning and image-based deployment at production scale 

• Yocto or Buildroot experience, and open-source contributions (kernel, Debian or Ubuntu packaging, V4L2, Mesa, ROS) 

HOW WE WILL KNOW WE ARE A PERFECT MATCH

Your recruiting partner for this role is Rina (she/her). You can expect to go through a screening call and up to 4 rounds of interviews, where we would love to discover your passion and interests, introduce you to who we are and what drives us, and finally understand how we can potentially add value to each other's growth.

HOW WE WILL KEEP YOU SMILING

• It's important to take a break from work! We offer 30 days of paid time off per year
• Affordable access to a vast network of fitness and wellness facilities through EGYM Wellpass subsidy
• Deutschlandticket subsidy to support sustainable travel using public transport
• We offer flexible working hours and a hybrid work setup, enabling you to plan your work around your life, and not your life around work!
• We offer full visa and relocation support for international candidates
• An attractive bike leasing model through JobRad, in line with our commitment towards sustainable mobility
• A competitive compensation package that values the skills and experience you bring
• Up to 4000 EUR employee referral bonus 
• Financial support for local language classes to help you in your journey of integrating into the culture!

ABOUT US

NavVis is a technologically-focused, global leader in reality capture and digital factory solutions. Prominent manufacturers and laser scanning professionals around the world trust our ground-breaking technology, designed to capture and share the built environment as photorealistic digital twins. By bridging the physical and digital worlds, we’re helping organizations make smarter decisions and build more efficient, connected operations. With over 300 people from around 60 nationalities and offices around the globe, we’re proud to be a truly international and diverse place to work. As a scaling company, we bring together the agility, innovation, and entrepreneurial mindset of a startup with the professionalism and reliability of an established enterprise — offering our team the best of both worlds. You’ll be part of an open culture that values trust, collaboration, and transparency. We are proud of our environment where diverse talent can thrive and where feedback fosters individual growth and development. Do you share our passion for disruptive technology and want to be part of our dynamic journey? At NavVis, you’ll own your projects, bring innovative ideas to life, and have real opportunities to grow your career and be recognized for your impact. We derive our strength from our diversity.

NavVis’ unwavering commitment to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace has laid the foundation for our incredible growth. We thrive on the collective strength of our people who come from diverse backgrounds. We respect and value every experience associated with race, gender identity, sexual orientation, nationality, religion and disability. We do not discriminate on the basis of any of these, or other identities, and strongly encourage everyone to apply.

Together with you, we build NavVis!

If you need assistance at any stage of the recruiting process due to a disability, please reach out to your recruiting partner(s) for this position.