Lead Flight Software Engineer

Space Kinetic is a dual use space technology startup building a completely new architecture for space operations – one that brings the advantages of proliferated drone technology (low-cost, operationally flexible, attainable, distributed) to space missions while reducing the ecosystem's reliance on consumable fuel. In a world where many companies are focused on incrementally improving the status quo,  we are focused on creating something entirely different – an architecture underpinned by new first principles to meet the opportunities and challenges of the third space age head-on.  Our goal is to move away from one-to-one space architectures – where each satellite in a constellation has one (or a small # of) primary payloads attached to the bus -- and unlock a ‘one-to-many’ system, where each satellite has a large number of payloads which can be deployed from their host spacecraft at high velocities without firing a thruster.

This is not a role for someone looking for a traditional 40-hour work week. Space Kinetic is building ambitious, first-of-its-kind technology, and that requires urgency, ownership, and a high level of commitment to changing the foundational assumptions for everything we do in space.

What You’ll Do:
The Lead Flight Software Engineer will be required to work in a fast-paced prototyping environment with an aggressive schedule toward flight and should have experience and a general understanding of spaceflight payloads. In this position, you will be responsible for low-level and high-level software in Space Kinetic’s products through all phases of the development process.  As a Lead, you will be responsible for software designs from concept through production, including product roadmaps, block diagrams, detailed design and coding, analysis, test and qualification. The Lead Software Engineer will serve as the technical leader for the development, integration, and validation of Space Kinetic's electromechanical system. This role is responsible for the architecture, design, and implementation of mission-critical software that enables spacecraft control, autonomy, communication, and safety. The ideal candidate possesses deep experience in embedded real-time systems, software reliability, and spacecraft operations.

• Lead the design and development of space Kinetic flight software architecture, including guidance, navigation, control (GNC), telemetry, command, and fault management systems.
• Define software requirements, interfaces, and verification strategies in coordination with systems, electrical, and mission engineering teams.
• Develop robust, real-time, and fault-tolerant software using C/C++ and/or Rust in embedded or RTOS environments.
• Perform software design reviews, code reviews, and verification activities to ensure safety, reliability, and performance compliance with space flight standards (e.g., NASA NPR, ECSS, DO-178C).
• Mentor and guide software engineers through technical leadership, code quality enforcement, and system-level integration.
• Support spacecraft-in-the-loop, hardware-in-the-loop (HIL), and flight simulation testing environments.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of software development processes, tools, and best practices across the engineering organization.
• Participate in mission readiness reviews, anomaly resolution, and on-orbit software updates and maintenance.
• Experience with simulation environments and ground software integration.
• Excellent leadership, collaboration, and communication skills across multidisciplinary teams.
• Strong problem-solving ability and technical judgment under mission-critical constraints.
• Passion for advancing space technologies and contributing to successful missions.

What It Takes:

• Bachelor of Science (BS) or Master of Science (MS) degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or Computer Engineering.
• 5 - 10 years of experience developing embedded or real-time software for space, aerospace, robotics, or mission-critical systems.
• Proven experience leading software development through all phases of the system lifecycle—from requirements through flight operations.
• Strong proficiency in C/C++, with working knowledge of Python or scripting languages for automation and testing.
• Familiarity with RTOS, bare-metal programming, or Linux-based embedded systems.
• Deep understanding of software reliability, deterministic timing, concurrency, and resource management in constrained environments.
• To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder).
• Applicants selected will be subject to a security investigation and may need to meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information; Ability to maintain or obtain a Government Security Clearance is required.

What We’d Love:

• Experience with flight software frameworks (e.g., NASA cFS, F’ FPrime, or custom architectures).
• Familiarity with model-based systems engineering (MBSE) and interface control documentation.
• Knowledge of space communication protocols (CCSDS, SpaceWire, MIL-STD-1553, etc.).

• The position is onsite at our headquarters in El Segundo, CA. Domestic travel may be required (up to ~20% of the year).