Head of Flight Software - Lead Software Development for Next-Generation Spacecraft SystemsLos Angeles, CA | On-site
Opportunity SummaryJoin an early-stage space company developing advanced spacecraft and in-space mobility systems designed for complex orbital and national security missions. This role will lead the flight software function across vehicle development, owning the architecture, execution, integration, and long-term direction of embedded and real-time software systems supporting spacecraft operations. Working closely with the founding team and cross-functional engineering leadership, you will oversee the development of core flight software infrastructure spanning avionics integration, mission management, telemetry, communications, health monitoring, and fault management. This is a highly hands-on leadership role for someone capable of driving technical direction while remaining deeply involved in implementation, testing, and system-level integration.
Job Duties- Lead architecture, development, and execution of the company's flight software systems across current and future vehicle programs
- Own the full flight software lifecycle including design, implementation, testing, validation, deployment, and operational support
- Develop real-time embedded software supporting mission management, command and telemetry, health monitoring, fault handling, and vehicle operations
- Drive software integration efforts across avionics, RF systems, propulsion interfaces, sensors, and onboard computing hardware
- Lead development of software frameworks, state machines, communication layers, and operational logic for flight systems
- Oversee hardware-in-the-loop testing, system bring-up, debugging, and vehicle integration activities
- Implement and optimize networking and communication protocols including Ethernet, UDP, multicast, and related interfaces
- Collaborate closely with hardware, avionics, GNC, and systems engineering teams to support full vehicle development and mission readiness
- Establish software development processes, testing standards, documentation practices, and configuration management workflows
- Support technical planning, roadmap development, and scaling of the flight software organization over time
- Mentor and help grow future software engineering team members as the company expands
Qualifications- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical field
- 5+ years of professional software development experience, with significant ownership of embedded or real-time systems
- Demonstrated experience leading development of complex software projects from architecture through deployment
- Strong programming experience with C/C++ and Python
- Experience developing embedded software for aerospace, robotics, autonomous systems, or other safety-critical applications
- Strong understanding of real-time operating environments, memory management, scheduling, and low-level system interactions
- Experience working directly with avionics hardware, microcontrollers, and integrated vehicle systems
- Ability to lead technical decision-making across software architecture and system integration efforts
- Experience debugging complex embedded systems and driving root cause analysis activities
- Strong communication skills with the ability to operate effectively in fast-paced, highly collaborative startup environments
Preferred Experience- Prior experience leading or managing flight software or embedded systems teams
- Spacecraft, launch vehicle, autonomous systems, or defense hardware experience
- Familiarity with GNC software integration and mission operations concepts
- Experience with Rust, Grafana, or related tooling
- Experience supporting software qualification, certification, or compliance efforts
- Hardware-in-the-loop testing and integrated vehicle validation experience
- Startup experience with rapid hardware and software iteration cycles
- Experience scaling software infrastructure and engineering processes within growing technical organizations
Compensation Details$180,000 - $230,000
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