Head of Flight Software

Head of Flight Software - Lead Software Development for Next-Generation Spacecraft Systems

Los Angeles, CA | On-site

Opportunity Summary

Join an early-stage space company developing advanced spacecraft and in-space mobility systems designed for complex orbital and national security missions. This role will lead the flight software function across vehicle development, owning the architecture, execution, integration, and long-term direction of embedded and real-time software systems supporting spacecraft operations. Working closely with the founding team and cross-functional engineering leadership, you will oversee the development of core flight software infrastructure spanning avionics integration, mission management, telemetry, communications, health monitoring, and fault management. This is a highly hands-on leadership role for someone capable of driving technical direction while remaining deeply involved in implementation, testing, and system-level integration.

About Us

We are a venture-backed aerospace startup focused on building advanced spacecraft platforms and propulsion technologies for demanding commercial and defense applications. The company is led by engineers and operators with deep experience across launch, spacecraft, and advanced hardware development. The team operates with a strong emphasis on speed, technical ownership, and iterative hardware execution.

Job Duties

• Lead architecture, development, and execution of the company’s flight software systems across current and future vehicle programs
• Own the full flight software lifecycle including design, implementation, testing, validation, deployment, and operational support
• Develop real-time embedded software supporting mission management, command and telemetry, health monitoring, fault handling, and vehicle operations
• Drive software integration efforts across avionics, RF systems, propulsion interfaces, sensors, and onboard computing hardware
• Lead development of software frameworks, state machines, communication layers, and operational logic for flight systems
• Oversee hardware-in-the-loop testing, system bring-up, debugging, and vehicle integration activities
• Implement and optimize networking and communication protocols including Ethernet, UDP, multicast, and related interfaces
• Collaborate closely with hardware, avionics, GNC, and systems engineering teams to support full vehicle development and mission readiness
• Establish software development processes, testing standards, documentation practices, and configuration management workflows
• Support technical planning, roadmap development, and scaling of the flight software organization over time
• Mentor and help grow future software engineering team members as the company expands

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical field
• 5+ years of professional software development experience, with significant ownership of embedded or real-time systems
• Demonstrated experience leading development of complex software projects from architecture through deployment
• Strong programming experience with C/C++ and Python
• Experience developing embedded software for aerospace, robotics, autonomous systems, or other safety-critical applications
• Strong understanding of real-time operating environments, memory management, scheduling, and low-level system interactions
• Experience working directly with avionics hardware, microcontrollers, and integrated vehicle systems
• Ability to lead technical decision-making across software architecture and system integration efforts
• Experience debugging complex embedded systems and driving root cause analysis activities
• Strong communication skills with the ability to operate effectively in fast-paced, highly collaborative startup environments

Preferred Experience

• Prior experience leading or managing flight software or embedded systems teams
• Spacecraft, launch vehicle, autonomous systems, or defense hardware experience
• Familiarity with GNC software integration and mission operations concepts
• Experience with Rust, Grafana, or related tooling
• Experience supporting software qualification, certification, or compliance efforts
• Hardware-in-the-loop testing and integrated vehicle validation experience
• Startup experience with rapid hardware and software iteration cycles
• Experience scaling software infrastructure and engineering processes within growing technical organizations

Why Join Us

• Opportunity to lead a critical engineering function at an early-stage aerospace company
• Direct ownership over spacecraft flight software architecture and execution
• Highly collaborative environment with experienced aerospace founders and technical leadership
• Ability to shape technical direction, team structure, and long-term software strategy
• Exposure to full vehicle development, testing, and mission operations
• Equity participation and significant long-term growth opportunity

Compensation Details

$180,000 - $230,000

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