Lead Flight Software Engineer

About the role

Space Kinetic is a cleared , venture-backed startup focused on addressing urgent national security priorities. Our goal is to deliver a suite of asymmetric capabilities for space superiority and missile defense leveraging our proprietary electromechanical deployment system, which enables the rapid deployment of low-cost payloads through space without firing a thruster. Space Kinetic is currently assembling its TRL-5 prototype. Our goal is to leverage this platform to provide the United States with a new tool for securing the space domain & catalyzing the emerging space economy.

Responsibilities

• 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.).
• *Our vision is unique, and so is the team we're building. If you're driven to succeed in this role, even if your background doesn't fully align with every qualification, we want your application.
• Where You'll Be:
• The position is onsite at our headquarters in El Segundo, CA. Domestic travel may be required (up to ~20% of the year).

Benefits

Additional Information

A New Paradigm For Space Operations.

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