Software Engineer, Level 3 — Space Resources Program

Responsibilities

• Own the design, implementation, and verification of assigned real-time systems and test infrastructure software components (e.g., command handling, telemetry, mode/state management, timing/synchronization, device control, health monitoring, sensor integration).
• Develop test infrastructure software to enable robust, real-time, safety-critical operation of multiple subsystems working in parallel.
• Implement and verify fault management behaviors for your scope (limit checks, safe responses, retries/timeouts, watchdog patterns, degraded modes) aligned to system hazards and mission objectives.
• Deliver configuration-controlled software releases including unit/integration tests, as-built notes, and release documentation.
• Develop and maintain ground software for commanding, telemetry ingest/display, data archiving, and operator tooling, with an emphasis on reliability and repeatability for continuous operations.
• Support end-to-end connectivity and compatibility testing; produce test reports and operator procedures for your scope.
• Interface with broader software teams to evaluate existing mission and product architectures and aid in the selection of appropriate software architectures.
• Collaborate with hardware, systems, and quality assurance teams to align software functionality with requirements and perform hardware integration, ensuring robust and safe end-to-end functionality.
• Stand up and improve Hardware-In-the-Loop (HIL) benches and automated regression suites; integrate avionics, instruments, and automated subsystems to enable end-to-end verification.
• Lead troubleshooting at the hardware/software interface; perform root-cause analysis on significant anomalies and drive corrective actions to closure with cross-functional partners.
• Contribute to the design, implementation, and integration of advanced algorithms, leveraging AI/ML where appropriate, to support and accelerate autonomy, process optimization, and anomaly detection within safety-critical systems.
• Develop or integrate state estimation, planning, and decision-making algorithms to support autonomous and robotic subsystems operating in dynamic physical environments.
• Develop and maintain software requirements, acceptance criteria, and interface control documents (ICDs) for owned components; ensure traceability to higher-level system requirements and ConOps.
• Contribute to the software V&V plan and verification matrix; execute verification, document results, and support gated reviews and change control with audit-ready artifacts.
• Produce technical documentation for software architecture, design, and verification plans.
• Ensure compliance with industry safety and certification standards for critical systems.
• Operate in an agile rhythm: provide estimates, support sprint planning and backlog grooming, communicate progress and risks, and coordinate dependencies across systems, GNC, avionics, mission ops, and quality/mission assurance.
• Participate in and help raise the bar for code reviews, coding standards, branching/release practices, and test/coverage expectations; mentor junior engineers through reviews and lab support.
• Provide input to project managers to help plan, track progress, and adjust scope to meet software goals.
• Continuously learn and integrate new technologies and methodologies to enhance development processes and product capabilities.

Requirements

• B.S. degree or higher in computer science, computer engineering, electrical engineering, robotics engineering, aerospace engineering, mathematics, physics, or a related field.
• 5+ years of professional experience delivering embedded, robotics, and/or mission/safety-critical software.
• Proficiency in C/C++ (embedded/RTOS/Linux) and Python (tools/automation); strong experience with Git and collaborative development workflows.
• Hands-on and theoretical understanding of software and computational science principles, concepts, algorithms, and engineering beyond tool use.
• Demonstrated experience with real-time embedded software development concepts (e.g., concurrency, timing, determinism) and robust error handling.
• Demonstrated ability to integrate and debug across software, firmware, and hardware boundaries, and to lead root-cause investigations within your scope.
• Experience developing or integrating state estimation and planning algorithms for autonomous or robotic systems.
• Familiarity with the practical considerations of deploying autonomy in physical systems (sensing, actuation, real-time constraints, failure recovery).
• Experience working in a structured environment with requirements, interfaces, verification planning, and test evidence.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills; able to present technical rationale and risk trade-offs for peer and senior review, and receptive to the input of others.
• An internal drive to deliver high-quality results, with the ability to seek out requirements and propose solutions.
• Must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum.

Qualifications

• M.S. degree in computer science, computer engineering, electrical engineering, robotics, aerospace engineering, mathematics, physics, or a related field.
• Experience with simulation-in-the-loop or digital twin approaches for system validation.
• Applied experience with real-time operating systems and/or bare-metal embedded systems, including software design, development, and verification.
• Embedded systems software experience (command/telemetry frameworks, time synchronization).
• Bonus for experience with automated test systems, factory automation, or industrial control integration.
• Experience building and operating HIL benches and automated regression in CI/CD; familiarity with static/dynamic analysis and code quality tooling.
• Experience implementing or validating fault management approaches informed by hazard analysis, FMECA, or FDIR concepts.
• Experience with robotic middleware or messaging frameworks for modular, distributed system communication (e.g., DDS, pub-sub architectures, or equivalent).
• Familiarity with secure communications practices and/or implementing cybersecurity controls for mission/ground systems.
• Understanding of control logic implementations and the ability to determine which tools are appropriate for a given problem.
• Experience with data acquisition systems, measurement theory, and instrumentation and control systems.
• Experience debugging low-level (platform and driver) code and/or auto-generated code.
• Experience with application performance monitoring and analysis.
• Experience using artifact management tools such as DOORS or Jama.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, vision, basic and supplemental life insurance, paid parental leave, short and long-term disability, 401(k) with a company match of up to 5%.
• Education Support Program.
• Stock Options for all regular employees (working at least 20 hours/week).
• Paid Time Off: Up to four (4) weeks per year based on weekly scheduled hours, and up to 14 company-paid holidays.