Senior Flight Software Engineer (rust) Software

Senior Flight Software Engineer (Rust)

Location: Santa Barbara, California, United States; Arlington, Virginia, United States; Reston, Virginia, United States.

Compensation: $155,000 - $185,000 USD per year.

Lead development of embedded flight software in Rust for Umbra's SAR spacecraft missions.

About the Role

Umbra is an American space technology company delivering advanced systems, from sensors to spacecraft, that empower customers worldwide with unmatched access to critical information from space. Our mission is simple and ambitious: redefine space—for people, systems, and missions in every domain. Umbra's ecosystem operates through three business units: Remote Sensing (the data), Space Systems (the components), and Mission Solutions (the platforms). Together, our teams develop capabilities that deliver persistent access, resilient performance, and mission‑ready solutions, advancing U.S. space leadership while keeping the world safe and informed.

Space Systems is where Umbra turns hardware and software designs into on‑orbit realities; developing, implementing and iterating mission‑ready core technology, while simultaneously advancing the next generation of our own satellite constellation. Space Systems is vertically integrated across the satellite architecture, thus the team designs, builds, and tests an array of critical components and subsystems, including power systems, communications, control systems, deployment hardware, avionics, and payloads, as well as the flight software, firmware and digital design solutions to support the entire hardware stack. Our focus is on first principles engineering, and our mandate is simple: it has to work when it counts. Every bolt, board, and binary is proven on our own SAR constellation, ensuring flight‑proven reliability where failure is not an option.

We are seeking a Senior Flight Software Engineer, with expertise in the Rust programming language, to take an active role in the development and delivery of embedded flight software specifically tailored for Umbra missions. In this pivotal role, you will be tasked with a range of critical responsibilities, including but not limited to the formulation and specification of software requirements, the comprehensive design of robust software architecture, and the actual writing and implementation of code. You will take lead responsibility for the essential processes of system integration and testing, ensuring that all components function seamlessly together. In addition to your core development responsibilities, you will also be expected to provide expert guidance and mentorship in various aspects of software design, code development, and peer code reviews. Your role will include oversight of thorough documentation practices and the meticulous integration of the flight software with flight hardware, which encompasses conducting tests to ensure reliability and performance. The ideal candidate shows ownership, is a solution‑driven problem solver, an exceptional communicator, and possesses a strong systems‑thinking mindset. Your contributions will be vital to the success of our missions, driving innovation and excellence in software engineering within our team.

This position is based on‑site in either our Santa Barbara/Goleta, CA office, Arlington, VA office, or Reston, VA office.

Key Responsibilities

• Drive yourself and all of your team to become better software engineers.
• Collaborate with a cross‑disciplinary engineering team to design, develop, and maintain reliable, fault‑tolerant flight and payload software.
• Architect and implement software to meet high‑level system requirements, while managing interfaces with multiple spacecraft subsystems, ground systems and hardware.
• Develop command and control software for spacecraft flight operations, payloads, and peripheral electronics.
• Contribute to and lead test campaigns, from unit‑level testing to automated system and subsystem‑level testing.
• Create and maintain detailed documentation for software operation and interfaces with other system components.
• Present high level technical concepts simply and clearly to non‑technical audiences.
• Take on additional professional duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Expertise in the Rust programming language.
• Experience in developing embedded flight software for space missions.
• Proficiency designing robust software architecture and managing system integration.
• Strong background in unit and system level testing for flight software.
• Ability to mentor peers and provide code reviews.
• Excellent documentation skills and understanding of flight hardware integration.
• Solution‑driven problem solver with strong systems‑thinking mindset.
• Exceptional communicator capable of explaining complex concepts to non‑technical audiences.