Software Engineer Internship (Embedded, Backend, Full Stack)
Posted Updated
Description
- Parallel Systems is seeking Software Engineering Interns to help build the software that runs its vehicles and the platform behind its fleet. This is a hands-on role where interns ship real work. Their code will run on prototype vehicles, test benches, or in services and tools the team and operators rely on every day
- Interns are placed on a vehicle software or backend/full-stack project based on their background and team priorities. They own a scoped project from requirements through delivery, work closely with a mentor, and see their work tested on real hardware or used by real users
- Regardless of project, interns learn how software, hardware, and vehicle data fit together and debug across those boundaries
- Contribute to a specific project scoped to team priorities. Example areas include:
- Write and test vehicle control software for braking, drivetrain, actuators, and power systems on microcontrollers or embedded Linux
- Develop and validate vehicle communication interfaces across CAN, Ethernet, SPI, I2C, or UART, including bench debugging
- Bring up onboard sensors and devices used for telemetry, health monitoring, and vehicle operation
- Build fleet and telemetry services and data pipelines that ingest, store, and serve data from vehicles in the field
- Build APIs and web applications used to monitor, dispatch, and manage vehicles
- Improve developer and test infrastructure, including CI/CD, simulation, hardware-in-the-loop testing, deployment, and observability for the software team
- Work through a structured engineering lifecycle: requirements review, design, implementation, testing, and documentation of results
- Weeks 1–2: Complete onboarding, review vehicle and software platform architecture, set up the development environment, attend lab and shop orientation, familiarize yourself with the codebase, and complete a starter task
- Weeks 3–4: Receive a project assignment, review requirements and interfaces, and begin design and debugging work with your mentor
- Weeks 5–7: Implement core project work, test on the bench or in staging, and iterate through code and design reviews
- Weeks 8–10: Integrate work onto prototype vehicles or into production systems, execute tests, investigate issues, and participate in team design reviews
- Weeks 11–12: Complete final validation and handoff, document findings and recommended next steps, and present results to the broader engineering team
- Track progress through weekly check-ins with your mentor, design and code reviews, and feedback from the broader engineering team
- Currently pursuing a degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Robotics, Mechatronics, or a related field
- Clear communication, and comfort asking questions and sharing progress early
- A track record of building software that works in the real world, not only in class assignments or simulation
- Hands-on software experience through internships, student teams, research, coursework, or personal projects
- Exposure to RTOS environments, simulation, or hardware-in-the-loop testing
- Experience from hands-on extracurricular engineering teams such as Formula SAE, Baja SAE, robotics, rocket club, solar car, autonomous systems teams, or similar
- Experience bringing up sensors, actuators, motor controllers, or other real electromechanical systems
- Experience with Rust, C, or C++ on microcontrollers or embedded Linux
- Familiarity with communication protocols such as CAN, SPI, I2C, UART, or Ethernet
- Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to debug issues across system boundaries
- Strong programming skills in at least one language such as Rust, C, C++, Python, Go, or TypeScript
- Strong documentation habits and attention to detail
- Excitement about working in a hands-on, hard-tech environment where software meets physical vehicles
- Experience building APIs, distributed services, data pipelines, or full-stack web applications
- Familiarity with databases, cloud infrastructure, containers, or CI/CD
