Senior Software Engineer - Mission Systems

Senior Software Engineer | Mission Systems & Ground Software | LA or SF (Hybrid)

InnoForge is partnering with an ambitious, fast-growing SpaceTech company with offices in LA & SF who are developing advanced sensing technology that combines hardware, software and AI to deliver intelligence from complex physical-world data.

We're looking for a Senior Software Engineer to take ownership of the mission systems and ground software that enable sophisticated sensing platforms to operate reliably in real-world environments.

This isn't a role focused on building isolated software features. You'll be responsible for connecting flight software, ground infrastructure, data systems and operational users, taking software from initial architecture through development, deployment and live operations.

You'll work closely with engineers across Flight Software, Hardware, Systems and Science, with significant autonomy and responsibility for the systems you build.

What You'll Be Doing

• Own the design, development, deployment and ongoing operation of mission-critical software.
• Develop ground software and infrastructure supporting deployed sensing systems.
• Design APIs, data schemas, protocols and interfaces connecting flight software, ground systems and operational tools.
• Build and maintain command, telemetry, configuration and fault-handling capabilities.
• Develop services for ingesting, processing, storing and visualising operational and sensor data.
• Work across distributed software systems, Linux-based computers and connected hardware.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary engineering teams to define requirements and make architectural decisions.
• Take responsibility for testing, documentation, troubleshooting and improving operational reliability.

What We're Looking For

• 5+ years of professional software engineering experience.
• Strong Python development skills alongside experience with another backend or systems programming language.
• Proven experience owning software systems through their full lifecycle, from architecture to deployment and operation.
• Experience developing distributed systems, APIs, data interfaces and communication protocols.
• Understanding of command and telemetry systems, asynchronous services or software running on deployed hardware.
• Comfortable working within existing flight software or embedded systems architectures.
• Strong engineering judgement and the ability to work independently while collaborating across disciplines.
• A practical, hands-on approach to solving complex engineering problems.

Previous spacecraft experience would be valuable, but isn't essential. We're equally interested in engineers who have built and operated complex software systems connected to real-world hardware.

Applicants must qualify as a US Person under applicable ITAR/EAR requirements.

If you're a senior software engineer who enjoys owning complex systems, working close to hardware and taking software beyond development into real-world operations, we'd like to hear from you.

InnoForge | Helping SpaceTech & DeepTech companies hire with confidence.