Senior Principal Software Engineer - TS/SCI

Senior Principal Software Engineer - TS/SCI

Based out of our headquarters in Long Beach, CA, we are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Senior Principal Software Engineer to serve as the Chief Software Engineer for a major constellation program. In this pivotal role, you will lead the design, development, and delivery of scalable, reliable, and mission-critical software systems for space-based applications. With expertise in flight software, embedded systems, and ground software systems, you will collaborate with systems teams, software engineers, and stakeholders to ensure mission success. If you have a passion for aerospace and defense, hold an active TS/SCI clearance, and thrive in fast-paced environments, this is your opportunity to make a tangible impact on national security and space exploration.

What You'll Get To Do:

• Lead Software Architecture Design: Define and evolve the end-to-end software architecture for flight and ground systems, ensuring scalability, reliability, security, and mission success.
• Develop Flight Software: Design application software for spacecraft operating within Real-Time Operating Systems (RTOS) such as VxWorks, or embedded Linux, including hardware drivers for spacecraft sensors and actuators such as IMUs, Star Trackers, and Reaction Wheels.
• Build Ground Software Systems: Architect and deploy web-based ground software platforms for spacecraft operations, integrating flight and ground systems to support diverse mission profiles.
• Test and Validate Systems: Develop unit tests within a Continuous Integration (CI) framework and collaborate with hardware-in-the-loop test engineers to verify combined software and hardware functionality.
• Collaborate and Lead: Provide technical direction and mentorship to engineering teams, act as a trusted advisor to leadership, and partner with stakeholders to align software systems with mission requirements.
• Support On-Orbit Operations: Ensure software performance in harsh environments and contribute to mission-critical operations.

Qualifications You'll Bring As Senior Principal Software Engineer:

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, computer science, or a related technical discipline.
• 15+ years of professional software development experience, including embedded systems and ground software.
• Proven expertise in architecting scalable and reliable software systems for aerospace or defense applications.
• Proficiency in C and C++ for embedded software development and python for testing.
• Experience with both DIO and AIO (Digital and Analog Inputs and Outputs).
• Experience with integrating hardware, including implementing ICDs, and debugging.
• Experience with deriving the Flight Software architecture from the electrical design including reading a master ICD list and/or schematics.
• Experience with RF ground to space communication.
• U.S. citizenship is required, due to program requirements
• Active TS/SCI clearance is required

These Qualifications Would Be Nice To Have:

• Advanced degree in aerospace engineering, computer science, or a related field.
• Strong systems-level thinking with the ability to balance technical trade-offs across performance, security, and maintainability.
• Experience developing software and drivers with CAN/CAN-FD, SpaceWire, and/or UDP/TCP protocols.
• Experience leading teams and working with program management to plan out work and staffing.
• Expertise in microservice architectures, distributed systems, and modern web frameworks such as FastAPI.
• Full-stack development experience, including:
• • Backend: Golang, and/or Rust.
  • Frontend: Typescript and Angular.
  • Database: InfluxDB, PostgreSQL, or equivalent.
• Familiarity with CCSDS standards, including Space Packet Protocol, COP-1, and CFD.
• Experience designing software for autonomous vehicles operating in harsh environments, such as satellites or autonomous vehicles.
• Expertise in Git-based workflows, CI/CD pipelines, and Kubernetes orchestration.
• Understanding of modern authentication/authorization frameworks (e.g., OAuth).