Senior Flight Software Engineer

Capella Space stands at the forefront of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite technology and signal intelligence. We provide customers in governments, academia, and commercial sectors with reliable information that enables unparalleled understanding of the world. Our mission is centered on delivering timely and reliable Earth imagery, supporting diverse applications in defense & intelligence, disaster response, energy, environmental monitoring and more. Utilizing cutting-edge technology, Capella Space designs, manufactures and operates an advanced constellation of SAR imaging satellites. Our market-leading SAR satellites are complemented by an unmatched data infrastructure and automated ordering and delivery platform for fast, reliable insights where and when customers need it most. 

Recognized for our technological prowess, Capella Space was honored as one of the 10 most innovative companies in Space in 2023 by FASTCOMPANY. Capella Space is an internationally trusted Earth Observation data provider, working closely with the U.S. Space Systems Command, U.S. Space Force, NASA, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, U.S. National Reconnaissance Office, the Canadian Government and more to make unclassified, high-resolution SAR data more accessible.  

What Makes Capella Unique?

Capella Space is a highly collaborative team environment, providing an opportunity to work with some of the brightest minds in the space industry, though no prior space experience is needed.  We’re looking for people excited about tackling seemingly impossible challenges, learning new skills and concepts, and helping each other achieve success. Our mission and our products are meant to understand the whole world and help everyone in it - regardless of race, creed, or any other distinction. We encourage you to bring your unique perspective to help make us stronger, including applications from those who are traditionally underrepresented in tech. 

The Flight Software team is responsible for writing, maintaining, and improving the software that runs on board the Capella satellite constellation. We support every phase of the development process from initial design through spacecraft decommissioning: we prepare for satellite launches, maintain spacecraft on-orbit, and develop new capabilities to enhance how customers collect and access Earth imagery. The team’s focus is on software and system architecture, maintaining and improving a fully-autonomous, rapid-response satellite system.

About the Role & Team

As a software engineer on the Flight Software team, you will be writing the software that runs our satellite fleet in space! You will interact daily with other software engineers, FPGA developers, electrical engineers, and various other subsystem owners to develop, maintain, and implement new features for the spacecraft software. You will have a demonstrable track record of working with complex systems, understanding systems architecture, and setting the engineering development plan making complex radar technologies easy to use.

Responsibilities 

• Lead designs, development, and maintenance of flight software for satellite systems, ensuring adherence to industry best practices.
• Spearhead collaboration efforts with hardware, FPGA, and ground software engineers to establish and maintain seamless integration between hardware and software components.
• Drive code review processes, offering insightful feedback and mentoring junior engineers to enhance overall code quality and team efficiency.
• Architect and implement unit and integration testing strategies to fortify the reliability and resilience of the software system.
• Drive to document the software and lead cross-training initiatives to empower team members with a deep understanding of the software architecture and functionality.
• Act as a subject matter expert in troubleshooting and resolving complex software issues, leveraging technical experience to address challenges and minimize impact.
• Take ownership of the software development life cycle, from requirement analysis to deployment planning and execution.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, computer engineering, electrical engineering, or related field of study and of 8+ years of relevant experience, or equivalent.
• Proven ability to lead and support software design through all lifecycles, including initial schematic review, architectural tradeoffs, preliminary and detailed design, implementation, integration, and testing.
• Extensive experience in working with real-time embedded systems, encompassing both hardware and software with a focus on high level application design.
• Hands on experience developing, testing, and debugging hard real-time software (bare-metal or RTOS).
• Proficiency i