Ground Software Engineer

Lawrence Harvey

$101K — $160K *
Aerospace & Defense
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Experience building production software for complex backend or distributed systems.
  • Background in aerospace, robotics, or autonomous systems.
  • Experience designing or building ground software that interfaces with flight software is desirable.
  • Strong programming skills in Rust, C++, Go, or Python.
  • Understanding of distributed systems, networking, APIs, and software architecture.
  • Senior candidates should have experience leading system design and technical direction.

Responsibilities

  • Design and develop mission-critical ground software for spacecraft communication.
  • Build scalable backend systems for telemetry, command & control, and mission operations.
  • Develop software closely integrated with flight software and vehicle systems.
  • Collaborate with multidisciplinary engineering teams for end-to-end capabilities.
  • Contribute to software architecture, reliability, testing, and operational tooling.

Benefits

  • Engage in technology that advances the commercial space industry.
  • Join a rapidly expanding company backed by esteemed investors and government partnerships.
  • Experience an engineer-first culture with top-tier technical talent.
  • Enjoy high ownership opportunities with minimal red tape.
  • Create software vital to real-world missions and innovative aerospace programs.
Full Job Description
You'll join an engineer-first culture where small, highly talented teams own complex technical problems from concept through deployment. Engineers are trusted to make meaningful architectural decisions, move quickly, and spend the vast majority of their time building software that directly supports real missions-not navigating layers of process.

The team is tackling challenges that few organizations in the world are working on today, with technology that has both immediate national security applications and enormous long-term commercial potential.

The Ground Software team builds the systems that communicate with spacecraft and power mission operations. You'll develop the software responsible for command and control, telemetry, mission planning, and the infrastructure that connects operators with vehicles in orbit.

Working closely with flight software, infrastructure, and mission operations teams, you'll help build highly reliable distributed systems where performance and correctness directly impact mission success.

Whether you're an experienced engineer looking to own major architectural decisions or an early-career engineer with aerospace or robotics experience, you'll have the opportunity to work on software that operates at the intersection of distributed systems, networking, and space technology.

What You'll Do
  • Design and develop mission-critical ground software used to communicate with spacecraft.
  • Build scalable backend systems supporting telemetry, command & control, and mission operations.
  • Develop software that integrates closely with flight software and vehicle systems.
  • Partner with multidisciplinary engineering teams to deliver end-to-end capabilities.
  • Contribute to software architecture, reliability, testing, and operational tooling.

We're Looking For
  • Experience building production software for complex backend or distributed systems.
  • Background in aerospace, robotics, autonomous systems, aviation, or other highly engineered environments.
  • Experience designing or building ground software or systems that interface with embedded or flight software is highly desirable.
  • Strong programming skills in Rust, C++, Go, Python, or similar languages (Rust experience is a plus).
  • Strong understanding of distributed systems, networking, APIs, and software architecture.
  • Senior engineers should have experience leading system design and technical direction.

Nice to Have
  • Ground station or mission operations experience.
  • Flight software integration.
  • Satellite communications, telemetry, or command & control systems.
  • Fault-tolerant distributed systems.

Why Join?
  • Work on technology that is pushing the boundaries of the commercial space industry.
  • Join a rapidly growing company backed by top-tier investors and major government partnerships.
  • Engineer-first culture with exceptional technical talent.
  • High ownership, minimal bureaucracy, and the opportunity to shape critical systems from the ground up.
  • Build software that directly supports real-world missions and cutting-edge aerospace programs.

Compensation
  • Engineer II: $101,000 - $160,000
  • Senior: $139,000 - $201,000
  • Staff: Up to $236,000
  • Bonus
  • Equity
  • Comprehensive benefits package

Please note: Due to the nature of this work, applicants must be U.S. Citizens and eligible to obtain a security clearance.

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