Senior Software Engineer (Space Communications)

About Northwood

Northwood is on a mission to transform connectivity between Earth and space, bringing the benefits of space to the masses through innovations in space communications technologies. If you're passionate about building quickly and seeing your work deployed globally with real impact, we want you at Northwood.

Job Level

The level of this position will be determined based on the qualifications and experience of the successful candidate. We are open to considering candidates of varying experience levels, from mid-career to principal engineers.

Role

As a Software Engineer at Northwood, you will be pivotal in designing, implementing, and optimizing the global service that delivers connectivity to our customers. You will have ownership over key areas - ranging from control of our antenna systems to the customer APIs that enable booking time on our network. An ideal candidate is someone who likes to work across areas of responsibility and can dive deep into high priority challenges.

Northwood is a full-stack company, with software development spanning everything from manufacturing to global data transfer. We seek versatile candidates who want to contribute across multiple areas while having a solid foundation in one or two core areas of focus. Key areas of focus include-but are not limited to-the following (new team members will have the opportunity to work across these areas, they aren’t expected to own everything listed):

• Edge systems (ground station)
  • Design and implement control systems for our ground station hardware; you will write software that interacts with everything from embedded systems to RF modems.
• High bandwidth data movement
  • Architect and optimize data pipelines for efficient movement of data between ground stations and various end environments.
  • Ensure low-latency and high-throughput data distribution across different platforms, with an end goal of building Northwood’s Software Defined Wide-Area-Network (SD-WAN) capabilities.
• Cloud orchestration & distributed systems design
  • Lead the design and architecture of distributed systems which orchestrates our global ground network across both cloud and on‑premises environments.
  • Stack design & inter‑service communication: Develop the entire stack design, focusing on inter‑service communication protocols to ensure seamless integration and operation.
• API, database & front end development
  • Design and build robust APIs for customer and internal interactions.
  • Develop intuitive front‑end interfaces using modern web technologies.
  • Build a scalable data backend - integrating into ETL pipelines to help make data more actionable.
• Monitoring & alerting systems
  • Create comprehensive monitoring and alerting solutions for software and infrastructure.
  • Implement tools to ensure continuous uptime and rapid issue resolution.
• Global telemetry capabilities
  • Transform our telemetry data into actionable insights, enabling predictive diagnostics to address issues before they arise; keep our customers informed about relevant operations in real time.
• Infrastructure, security & pipelines
  • A global network requires global deployments, and Northwood is committed to building a secure, reliable, and stable pipeline. This infrastructure empowers our developers to deploy changes continuously—without the risk of disrupting the system or relying on “testing in prod.”
• Production line software & testing
  • Develop software for production line bring‑up and testing.
  • Automate testing procedures to ensure hardware and software reliability.
  • Working alongside mechanical/RF/EE/FPGA and SW engineers to ensure system correctness, performance, and reliability before leaving our manufacturing line.
• Simulation & orchestration software
  • Create simulations that model satellite and network design.
  • Create simulation tools for testing and validating system performance.
  • Design and implement software that orchestrates our global antenna network and data plane.

Basic Qualifications

• 6+ years of professional software development experience (this doesn’t have to be from a full‑time role—there are many ways to gain valuable experience, and we’d love to hear about yours - tell us about internships, projects out of the classroom, or any personal projects).
• Completed bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Math or other related major (soft‑requirement, tell us why you didn't pursue a degree, and what you've done in it's place).

Preferred Qualifications

While we don’t expect you to have every skill listed below, we do expect you to take ownership of one or more areas and drive decisions and implementations where your strengths lie.

• Programming Languages (General):
  • Proficiency in one or more of the following:
    • Rust, Golang, Haskell, C/C++
    • Open to other languages that are suitable for distributed systems and/or high‑performance computing and interested in strong opinions on the right language for various applications.
• Strong problem‑solving abilities.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills.
• Ability to work in a fast‑paced, dynamic environment.

Domain specific skills

• Distributed Systems & Cloud Computing:
  • Experience designing and implementing distributed systems.
  • Knowledge of cloud services (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud) and orchestration tools.
  • Familiarity with microservices architecture and serverless computing.
• Hardware Interaction & FPGA:
  • Experience with hardware control systems.
  • Familiarity with FPGA programming and orchestration.
  • Understanding of embedded systems development (FreeRTOS, Zephyr).
• Data Movement & Networking:
  • Proficiency in architecting data pipelines for high‑throughput environments.
  • Understanding of network programming and IP protocols.
  • Experience with high‑speed communications (10GigE+).
• API & Front‑End Development:
  • Experience building RESTful APIs.
  • Proficiency with front‑end technologies:
    • JavaScript/TypeScript.
    • Frameworks: Angular, React, or similar.
  • Knowledge of UI/UX best practices.
• Monitoring & Alerting Tools:
  • Experience with monitoring solutions (Prometheus, Grafana, ELK Stack).
  • Familiarity with alerting systems and incident response.
• Infrastructure & Security:
  • Proficiency with Infrastructure as Code tools (Terraform, Ansible).
  • Understanding of security best practices and compliance requirements.
  • Experience managing CI/CD pipelines (Jenkins, GitLab CI/CD).
• Databases & Data Processing:
  • Experience with time‑series databases (InfluxDB, TimescaleDB).
  • Proficiency with relational databases (PostgreSQL, MySQL).
  • Knowledge of data processing frameworks.
• Simulation:
  • Experience designing/implementing simulations for physical models (think satellite orbits) or network movement.
• Orchestration:
  • Experience designing/implementing orchestration engines for distributed nodes (think robotics, long‑running jobs, data pipelines, etc.).
• Testing & Automation:
  • Experience with automated testing frameworks.
  • Familiarity with production line testing software.

Compensation and Benefits

Compensation is determined by role, level, location, and alignment with market data. Individual base pay is determined case‑by‑case and may vary based on job‑related skills, education, experience, and technical capabilities. In addition to a competitive base salary, Northwood offers long‑term incentives such as company stock, stock options, cash awards, and discretionary performance bonuses. Benefits include equity, healthcare, unlimited vacation, retirement savings, and professional development opportunities.

Additional Information

To conform to the U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), you must be:

• A U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident of the U.S.
• A protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3).
• Eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Northwood is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment with Northwood is governed on the basis of merit, competence, and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability, or any other legally protected status.