Head of Software (Platform)

Location

Torrance, CA

Employment Type

Full time

Department

Engineering

Compensation

• $200K – $270K • Offers Equity

Compensation at Northwood Space is based on role, level, location, and alignment with market data. Individual base pay is determined on a case‑by‑case basis and may vary depending on job‑related skills, education, experience, and technical expertise. In addition to base salary, Northwood Space offers long‑term incentives such as company stock options and discretionary performance bonuses. Benefits include equity, comprehensive health care, flexible vacation, retirement savings plans, and opportunities for professional development.

About Northwood:

Northwood is a modern space infrastructure company focused on connecting space and Earth. The world runs on space. Space will run on Northwood. Our global ground network ensures that missions ranging from national security, to global connectivity, to disaster response can unlock their full potential and operate every day without fail.

Role

As Head of Software, you will be responsible for executing Northwood’s digital roadmap to connect Earth and space. You will own and integrate Northwood’s core backend software, infrastructure, networking, and embedded systems, spanning cloud services, ground systems, and low-level software running close to the hardware. This is a player‑coach role: you set technical direction, lead execution, and stay hands‑on to ensure mission‑critical systems are delivered reliably and on aggressive timelines.

Responsibilities

• Own the architecture and technical direction of Northwood’s core software stack, including backend APIs, infrastructure, networking, and embedded software
• Plan, prioritize, and execute complex, cross‑functional software projects in close collaboration with hardware and operations teams
• Lead, mentor, and grow a high‑performing software team across backend, infrastructure, and embedded domains
• Build and maintain strong engineering foundations, including tooling, CI/CD, deployment, and operational processes
• Ensure systems are scalable, reliable, secure, and observable in production
• Stay hands‑on as needed to design, debug, and deliver critical systems

Basic Qualifications

• 7–10+ years of professional software engineering experience, including ownership of production systems
• Demonstrated experience leading teams and delivering complex, mission‑critical software

Nice to Have

• Startup experience
• Aerospace or mission‑critical systems experience
• Experience with Linux internals, networking, or distributed systems
• Experience with C/C++ or Rust
• Strong background across backend systems, infrastructure, and low‑level or embedded software

Additional Information

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

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.

Compensation Range: $200K - $270K