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# Distributed Systems Software Engineering Lead

- **Company:** Cowboy Space Corp.
- **Location:** San Carlos, CA, United States
- **Experience:** Expert
- **Salary:** $175,000.0 - $225,000.0
- **Contract:** Permanent contract
- **Skills:** C (Programming Language), C++ (Programming Language), Cloud Computing, Code Review, Databases, Distributed Systems, Fault Tolerance, Hardware-In-The-Loop Simulation, Python (Programming Language), Real-Time Operating Systems, Software Engineering, Verification and Validation (Software), Information Technology, Data Pipelines
- **Published:** May 13, 2026
- **Apply:** https://www.indeed.com/viewjob?jk=a7d44eeb364dbd6f

## About the Role

Do you have experience in Team management?, * Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.

 * 2+ years of experience as a software development lead
 * 5+ years of experience as an distributed systems software engineer, particularly for aerospace or satellite applications.
 * Proficiency in Python, C, C++, and/or Rust.
 * Experience with building cloud infrastructure.
 * Knowledge of Linux-based (embedded) systems.
 * Strong knowledge of networking stacks, data pipelines, and databases
 * Strong problem-solving skills and ability to work in a fast-paced environment., * 5+ years of experience as the lead of a distributed services development team, particularly for aerospace or satellite applications
 * Experience with constellation management and orbital tasking and simulation
 * High-performance compute system deployment experience
 * Familiarity with satellite communication protocols and telemetry processing.

## Description

The Distributed Systems Software Engineering Lead at Cowboy Space Corp. will lead a software team in developing and maintaining real-time constellation management and compute tasking architecture. This role is responsible for the overall quality, reliability, and fault tolerance of the ground systems software infrastructure across satellite control, power beaming operations, compute cloud management, and ground receiver systems. You will grow and manage and mentor a team of software engineers to establish development standards, conduct architecture and code reviews, and ensure robust software practices that support Cowboy Space Corp's space-based power transmission and orbital compute platforms.

Responsibilities:

 * Team Lead: Lead ground software team developing mission-critical constellation and compute management software stack through mentorship, performance management, and career development.
 * Project Management: Plan and coordinate code releases, including task breakdowns, sprint management, timeline tracking, and communication to program stakeholders.
 * Architecture: Design and lead distributed systems for fault-tolerant and high-performance operations for mission-critical operations.
 * Cloud and Orbita Cloud Infrastructure: Lead, design, and development of real-time scheduling systems, data pipelines, collision avoidance systems, and high-performance compute services.
 * Testing & Simulation: Work with hardware and test teams to build software-in-the-loop (SITL) and hardware-in-the-loop (HITL) environments for software validation of on orbit maneuvers and constellation health.


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