Software Architect

This is a Contract to Hire position based in Houston, TX.

About the role

The Software Architect leads the definition and realization of robust, real-time, safety-critical flight software architectures for autonomous space vehicles. This role provides technical leadership across the full software lifecycle, from requirements and architectural definition through implementation, integration, verification, and release of real-time embedded solutions. The architect collaborates closely with multidisciplinary teams to ensure that flight software meets stringent mission-critical and safety standards, while driving best practices in software design, documentation, and agile project management. This is a hands-on technical leadership position without direct people management responsibilities.

Responsibilities

• Define flight software architectures that enable robust, real-time, safety-critical software systems for autonomous space vehicles.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to elicit, refine, and define software requirements, architectures, and detailed designs.
• Lead verification activities to ensure that all software products meet defined requirements and applicable safety-critical standards.
• Oversee the development of fault-tolerant flight software responsible for overall command and control of an autonomous space vehicle.
• Guide efforts to design, implement, and integrate real-time embedded software components for flight control systems.
• Oversee the creation and execution of unit tests to validate software components and ensure code quality.
• Lead validation activities using Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) environments to verify real-time embedded solutions under realistic conditions.
• Drive the release of real-time embedded software solutions, ensuring they are reliable, maintainable, and aligned with mission requirements.
• Lead and contribute to technical documentation, including software architecture descriptions, detailed design documents, and verification plans.
• Communicate project progress, status, technical risks, and potential issues clearly and proactively to stakeholders and leadership.
• Implement and maintain agile project management methodologies throughout the project lifecycle to ensure effective planning, tracking, and delivery.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to development teams, influencing design decisions and best practices without direct line management responsibility.

Skills

• Experience in mission-critical software development, with a focus on safety-critical or high-reliability systems.
• Proven experience defining and implementing software architectures for embedded or flight software systems.
• Strong experience in real-time embedded systems, including system design, analysis, development, implementation, and integration.
• Hands-on experience with flight control systems or flight software for aerospace or spacecraft applications.
• Expert-level proficiency in C and C++ for embedded and real-time software development.
• Experience with real-time operating systems (RTOS) in embedded environments.
• Demonstrated expertise in software architecture design for safety-critical or mission-critical applications.
• Extensive experience in end-to-end software development, including requirements, design, coding, integration, and verification.
• Ability to lead verification activities and ensure compliance with safety-critical software standards.
• Strong communication skills to effectively convey technical information, project status, and risks to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Experience applying agile project management methodologies in software development projects.

Pay

The pay range for this position is $80.00 - $95.00 per hour.

Benefits

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital insurance
• 401(k) Retirement Plan – Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available
• Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents)
• Short-term and long-term disability
• Health Spending Account (HSA)
• Transportation benefits
• Employee Assistance Program
• Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation, or Sick Leave)

Schedule

This is a fully onsite position in Houston, TX.