Senior Flight Software Engineer

Building satellites is one thing. Commanding and controlling them once they are in orbit is another. We are working with a high growth American aerospace and defence communications company that designs, manufactures and tests advanced communication systems and satellites entirely in US facilities. This is a business scaling fast, with more customer demand across government, defence and commercial aerospace than they can currently handle. Their flagship satellite programme launches its first mission in October this year, with 8 launches secured through 2029. It is one of the largest, most powerful LEO satellites being built. They are now looking for a Senior Flight Software Engineer II to join their Internal Missions team. This is a small team building a new satellite system from the ground up, where you will work alongside senior and principal engineers while also mentoring and growing more junior spacecraft engineers. What you'll be doing: Writing embedded C code from scratch for real-time command and control of the satellite Working within the NASA cFS (Core Flight System) framework Developing software to monitor, test and control spacecraft subsystems including attitude, command and data handling, navigation, thermal and power Owning software design from initial architecture and block diagrams through requirements definition, implementation, code review and validation Hands-on development and troubleshooting of software systems and hardware, including motors and power distribution units Working closely with GNC, hardware and mission operations teams Supporting software-in-the-loop and hardware-in-the-loop testing Analysing code for efficiency, stability and scalability, and supporting software quality assurance Assessing third-party and open-source software for use across the platform Providing post-production and in-orbit customer support What we're looking for: 6+ years of industry experience in spacecraft software development, a Master's degree counts as two years, in a BS, MS or PhD in Software or Computer Engineering Strong hands-on C programming, C++/Python or other aerospace context languages also valued) Experience with changing requirements and fast iteration cycles Strong understanding of space missions from concept through flight and disposal Familiarity with spacecraft mission design including events, pointing modes, maneuver planning, sequencing and operations Experience with spacecraft failure investigation, root cause analysis and recovery, both in test and on-orbit Experience with design for reliability, spaceflight redundancy, and fault detection, identification and recovery Experience with communication protocols such as TCP/IP or UDP for software-in-the-loop and hardware-in-the-loop development Experience interfacing a variety of open-source software to create an integrated system Familiarity with software release, revisioning and configuration management processes, defect tracking tools and peer review Excellent understanding of multi-threaded applications and resource management Excellent written and verbal communication skills Nice to have: Experience with NASA cFS specifically, or JPL F' or similar commercial space software frameworks CubeSat or SmallSat experience across LEO, MEO or GEO Hands-on experience with spacecraft instrumentation, subsystems and test labs Prior team leadership experience on a space software programme Experience with ground system software engineering for space missions Familiarity with continuous integration, test and delivery systems Broader embedded systems experience across C and C++ Experience with network security Be part of a confirmed, launching mission, not a roadmap promise Small team structure with genuine ownership and mentorship from senior and principal engineers Full-time employment includes company stock options and a generous benefits package covering health, dental, vision, HSA, FSA, life, disability and retirement plans Please note: due to US Government Space Technology Export Regulations, applicants must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, conditional resident, asylee or refugee, or otherwise eligible to obtain the required authorisations from the U.S. Department of State. #J-18808-Ljbffr