Principal Flight Software Engineer

Astro Digital Inc.
Littleton, CO, United States
22 days ago

Role details

Contract type
Permanent contract
Employment type
Full-time (> 32 hours)
Compensation
$170,000.0 - $230,000.0
Working hours
Regular working hours
Job source

Tech stack

Software Applications Configuration Management Linux Revision Control Systems Linux-Powered Devices Software Engineering Systems Architecture Systems Integration Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) Software Organization Multithreading Git
+2 more
Information Technology C++14

Job description

We are seeking a highly experienced Principal Flight Software Engineer to join our team developing mission-critical software for satellite systems. In this role, you will serve as both a senior individual contributor and technical leader for the development of spacecraft flight software. You will be responsible for architecting, designing, implementing, validating, and sustaining mission-critical application software that operates onboard spacecraft throughout all phases of a mission lifecycle. This individual will provide technical leadership across multiple programs, influence engineering strategy, mentor team members, and establish software development best practices while remaining hands-on with system architecture, code development, and integration., * Design, develop, test, and deploy flight software for spacecraft and hosted payloads including for command and telemetry processing, power control, thermal management, communications, fault management, onboard autonomy, mission sequencing, and payload operations

  • Implement software using modern C++ for real-time, multi-threaded Linux applications
  • Serve as the technical authority for spacecraft flight software architecture, design, implementation, and validation
  • Establish software development standards, coding guidelines, verification processes, and engineering best practices
  • Mentor and develop flight software engineers, fostering technical excellence and engineering rigor

Requirements

  • Bachelor’s degree in Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or related field
  • 14+ years of experience in spacecraft flight software development
  • Strong understanding of real-time, multi-threaded systems and hardware/software integration
  • Expert-level proficiency with modern C++ (version 17 or later)
  • Expert knowledge of communication standards and protocols (e.g. RS422/485, TCP, UDP, SLIP, CCSDS)
  • Experience with Linux device drivers and board support packages
  • Experience with software development lifecycle, configuration management, and version control tools (e.g., Git)
  • Strong communication and organizational skills
  • Work out of the Denver area or San Jose area, * Experience with a variety of flight software frameworks
  • Experience with ASI’s MAX Flight Software
  • Experience with spacecraft operations
  • Experience leading technical teams, This position requires the ability to lift and move objects weighing up to 20 Lbs. Occasional standing, walking, bending, and reaching may be required.

Benefits & conditions

7815 Shaffer Parkway, Littleton, CO 80127 Hybrid work $170,000 - $230,000 a year, Pulled from the full job description

  • Health insurance
  • Paid time off
  • Stock options, Astro Digital employees are provided with a comprehensive benefits package that includes company stock options, healthcare, 401k retirement plan, and PTO. The range of possible compensation for this role is $170k-$230k annually, depending on candidate experience, alignment, and location.

About the company

Astro Digital designs, builds, and operates a diverse range of small satellite systems supporting space-based turnkey missions for several business applications, including earth observation, communications, in-orbit demonstrations, risk reduction, science, and exploration. Astro Digital is headquartered in Littleton, Colorado with 100+ employees and infrastructure around the globe.

Apply for this position

This job is hosted externally. Click below to view the full posting and apply.

Apply on www.indeed.com

Good distractions

Talks and stories from around this role — technically off-topic, practically not.

52 sec

Running persistent Linux environments directly on Windows

Ben Breard Ben Breard · WWC 2025

6:21 min

Investigating push inefficiencies with upstream Git experts

Jonathan Creamer · Coffee With Developers

1:19 min

Advancing autonomous driving capabilities with specialized software talent

Katrin Lehmann Katrin Lehmann +1 · Coffee With Developers

3:55 min

Demonstrating .NET installation on Debian and Azure Linux

Silvano Coriani Silvano Coriani · Europe 2026 Virtual

56 sec

Favorite git commands and the importance of patch commits

Eileen Uchitelle Eileen Uchitelle +1 · Coffee With Developers

1:39 min

Speaker introduction and software engineering background

Daniel Raniz Raneland · LIVE

Videos

See all

Related articles

See all