Location: San Carlos, CA or Seattle, WA (on-site)The RoleWe're looking for a Senior Flight Software Engineer to own the software that flies on our spacecraft. You'll be responsible for the payload flight software-written in Rust-spanning attitude and pointing state machines, on-board command handling, and telemetry and data storage. Today this work is distributed across several engineers; we need a senior technical owner to unify the architecture, set the patterns and conventions the team builds on, and drive the software toward a near-term on-orbit demonstration.
Responsibilities- Serve as the technical lead and owner for payload flight software, from architecture through on-orbit operations
- Design, develop, and test flight software in Rust for attitude and pointing state machines, command handling, and telemetry/data storage
- Define the software architecture, coding patterns, and conventions adopted across the flight software team
- Establish and uphold the bar for flight-quality software: determinism, fault tolerance, testability, and safe behavior under failure
- Design and implement fault detection, isolation, and recovery (FDIR) behaviors at the software level
- Build and maintain automated test infrastructure, including simulation and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing
- Collaborate closely with GNC, avionics, electrical, and systems engineers to define interfaces and system behavior
- Support spacecraft integration, environmental test campaigns, and launch and early-orbit operations
- Investigate anomalies across hardware/software boundaries, perform root cause analysis, and drive fixes to closure
- Mentor engineers on the team and review designs and code to raise overall software quality
- Help drive the team toward a near-term on-orbit demonstration, making pragmatic scope and risk tradeoffs along the way
Basic Qualifications- 5+ years of experience (or equivalent practical experience) developing flight software or software for other high-reliability, safety-critical systems
- Experience with software that has flown on orbit, or equivalent deployment experience demonstrating judgment about what flight-quality software requires
- Strong systems programming skills in Rust, C, or C++, with willingness to work primarily in Rust
- Experience with real-time and embedded systems, including resource-constrained and fault-tolerant designs
- Experience designing and implementing state machines, command/telemetry handling, or similar spacecraft software functions
- Experience with hardware/software integration and testing on real hardware
- Demonstrated ability to lead technically: setting architecture, establishing conventions, and mentoring other engineers
Preferred Qualifications- Bachelor's or advanced degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field
- Prior experience as a technical lead or architect for a spacecraft flight software effort
- Production Rust experience, particularly in embedded or systems contexts
- Experience with attitude determination and control or pointing systems from the software side
- Experience with FDIR design, redundancy management, and autonomous fault response
- Experience building simulation, software-in-the-loop, and hardware-in-the-loop test environments
- Experience supporting launch, commissioning, and on-orbit operations, including anomaly investigation
- Familiarity with radiation effects and other space-environment considerations for software design
- Experience thriving in fast-paced, high-ownership startup environments with rapid iteration cycles
Compensation and Benefits:The salary range for this position is
$200,000 - $250,000 annually. The actual base salary offered will depend on factors such as job-related skills, experience, qualifications, and internal equity.
- Equity in Cowboy Space Corp.
- Employees and their eligible dependents may enroll in medical, dental, and vision insurance
- 401(k) retirement savings plan
- Paid time off
- 10 paid holidays per calendar year
- Paid parental leave
- Relocation assistance if applicable
- Daily lunch in the office and a fully stocked kitchen with beverages and snacks
ITAR Requirements- Export Control Requirement: To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), applicants must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about ITAR here.
DisclaimerThis job description is a summary of the primary duties and responsibilities of the job and position. It is not intended to be a comprehensive or all-inclusive listing of duties and responsibilities. Contents are subject to change at Cowboy Space Corp.'s discretion.
