Senior Software Engineer (Scheduling SME)

Umbra is an American space technology company delivering advanced systems, from sensors to spacecraft, that empower customers worldwide with unmatched access to critical information from space. Our mission is simple and ambitious: redefine space—for people, systems, and missions in every domain. Umbra’s ecosystem operates through three business units: Remote Sensing (the data), Space Systems (the components), and Mission Solutions (the platforms).Together, our teams develop capabilities that deliver persistent access, resilient performance, and mission-ready solutions, advancing U.S. space leadership while keeping the world safe and informed.

About the Team

Remote Sensing – The Data

Remote Sensing is where Umbra got its start, and our agile Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) constellation remains the most capable on the market. We transform satellite data into real-world, actionable insights that strengthen U.S. national security and intelligence, support disaster response, and advance scientific discovery. Our team delivers data at scale with unmatched quality, persistence, and the speed and responsiveness our partners demand.

If you want to work on cutting-edge space technology that’s redefining what’s possible in remote sensing, you belong here at Umbra.

About the Job

We are seeking a hybrid Scheduling Subject Matter Expert & Software Engineer to join our Ground Software Scheduling Team. This role is ideal for someone who combines deep knowledge of mission planning and scheduling with strong software engineering skills and a bias toward action. You will help keep the “north star” in focus for our scheduling system, ensuring our engineering team builds the right things in the right way. At the same time, you’ll contribute directly to the codebase, helping us hit deadlines and deliver scalable, automated scheduling capabilities that power Umbra’s growing satellite constellation.

Our aim is to hire this position to work in either our Santa Barbara/Goleta, CA office or Arlington, VA office. However, we are open to considering remote candidates who are an exceptional fit.

Key Responsibilities

• Act as the domain authority for spacecraft and mission scheduling, ensuring the engineering team captures essential operational realities and industry best practices.
• Contribute directly to the development of scheduling software by designing, writing, reviewing, and maintaining production code.
• Translate scheduling concepts, constraints, and algorithms beyond requirement docs into working, reliable systems.
• Provide forward-looking guidance to anticipate operational challenges and scale our scheduler for more missions and higher automation.
• Evaluate and help adopt modern scheduling methodologies, tools, and frameworks for satellite operations.
• Participate in architectural reviews and long-term strategy discussions, balancing vision with delivery deadlines.
• Bring a startup/product mindset, pushing through analysis paralysis and helping the team make pragmatic tradeoffs that keep work moving.

Requirements

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in Aerospace Engineering, Systems Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field.
• 8+ years of total relevant professional experience; with at least 4+ years in mission planning, scheduling, or other complex resource allocation domains (e.g., aerospace, defense, logistics, or large-scale operations).
• Hands-on software engineering skills, including experience writing production-quality code.
• Expertise in scheduling algorithms, resource allocation, and constraint- or heuristic-based planning.
• Ability to bridge domain expertise and engineering execution, aligning theory with implementation.
• Strong communication skills to clearly articulate scheduling needs and tradeoffs to diverse stakeholders.

Desired Qualifications

• Direct experience in scheduling spacecraft (individual or constellation).
• Experience with Python, FastAPI, and event-driven microservices (Kafka preferred).
• Familiarity with general web development practices (REST APIs, authentication, cloud-hosted systems, database-backed applications).
• Familiarity with optimization techniques in both the software and scheduling domains.
• Comfort with DevOps, CI/CD, Data Engineering, and modern software practices.
• Strong analytical skills and the ability to anticipate and design for evolving operational requirements.
• Current security clearance, or the ability/willingness to obtain one.

Benefits

• Flexible Time Off, Sick, Family & Medical Leave
• Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, LTD, STD (