Senior Flight Software Engineer

Title: Senior Flight Software Engineer

Location: Remote

Salary Range: $130,000 - $175,000 USD Base + 15% Annual bonus + RSUs

Our client is seeking a Senior Spacecraft Flight Software Engineer to join the Space team. You will develop flight software that powers our spacecraft and payloads, working directly with flight hardware from driver-level code through integrated system functionality. This role offers the opportunity to directly influence mission success by architecting, implementing, testing, and optimizing software that flies on-orbit. Reporting to the Spacecraft Bus Lead, you'll contribute to critical spacecraft systems including on-board computer flight software (OBC FSW), radio communications, command & telemetry, and payload operations. This role is ideal for an engineer with proven spacecraft flight software experience who thrives in fast-paced environments and enjoys solving complex technical problems.

Responsibilities:

• Design and implement flight software in C/C++ for critical spacecraft functions including radio communications, onboard computer (OBC) systems, telemetry, command handling, payload tasking, and autonomous fault protection.
• Develop and integrate low-level embedded drivers for spacecraft subsystems across RTOS and embedded Linux platforms
• Support hardware bring-up and system integration, debugging interactions between software, processors, FPGAs, sensors, radios, and payload electronics.
• Conduct unit testing, integrated software testing, and hardware-in-the-loop verification to ensure reliability before launch.
• Build and maintain Python and C/C++ tools for ground support equipment, automated testing workflows, and data processing.
• Analyze on-orbit and ground test data to diagnose issues, validate performance, and drive continuous system improvements.
• Optimize software for Low-SWaP (Size, Weight, and Power) embedded environments, focusing on performance, efficiency, and resource utilization.
• Collaborate closely with Systems Engineering, RF, Electrical, AI&T, and Operations teams to ensure seamless multi-disciplinary integration.
• Participate in rapid development cycles, supporting design reviews, code reviews, and iterative hardware/software testing.

Requirements:

• 3+ years of spacecraft flight software development experience on RTOS or embedded Linux platforms
• Strong Proficiency in C, Python, and version control (Git).
• Proven ability to solve complex technical problems with high attention to detail and minimal oversight.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to work effectively in cross-functional engineering teams.
• B.S. degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field; or equivalent experience.

Desirable:

• Experience with spacecraft command and telemetry systems, mission operations, or satellite bus architectures
• Radio communications systems development, including software-defined radios or RF payload interfaces
• Hands-on experience with board bring-up and hardware debugging using lab equipment (oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, signal generators)
• Knowledge of embedded communication protocols such as CAN, SPI, I²C, RS-422, , or similar
• FPGA development experience, particularly with Xilinx Zynq platforms
• Linux kernel internals and driver development
• Experience with Xilinx Zynq UltraScale+, Zynq-7000, or similar SoC platforms
• Familiarity with bare-metal microcontrollers or Zephyr RTOS
• Understanding of Yocto/OpenEmbedded for ARM-based embedded Linux systems
• Experience with GitLab CI or similar Continuous Integration tools