Loft Orbital Solutions

Onboard Software Engineer - Hyperdrive

Loft Orbital Solutions • $155K — $225K *
Aerospace & Defense
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 5+ years of software engineering experience, proficient in C/C++ (C++11 or newer) and Python.
  • Familiarity with version control systems such as Git.
  • Experience with continuous integration tools (e.g., GitLab-CI, Jenkins).
  • Knowledge of build systems (e.g., Make, CMake).
  • Experience with library management and ABI/API version control.
  • Understanding of distributed architecture and networking protocols (UDP, TCP, IP).
  • Proficient in developing multi-threaded applications.

Responsibilities

  • Design, implement, and refine software driving impactful features from concept to delivery.
  • Review code, providing feedback and ensuring adherence to development standards.
  • Design and implement thorough unit tests for all relevant code.
  • Utilize version control systems to manage code effectively.
  • Contribute to software architecture through design proposals and collaborative reviews.
  • Enhance software development processes and design standards.
  • Coordinate with teams on software release and distribution processes.

Benefits

  • 100% company-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance for employees and dependents.
  • Flexible Spending (FSA) and Health Savings (HSA) Accounts with employer contribution to HSA.
  • 100% employer-paid Life, AD&D, Short-Term, and Long-Term Disability insurance.
  • Flexible Time Off policy with 12 paid holidays and additional sick leave.
  • 401(k) plan and equity options available.
  • Daily catered lunches and snacks.
  • International team collaboration opportunities with teams in France.
  • Comprehensive paid parental leave for both primary and secondary caregivers.
  • Inclusive fertility healthcare and support through Carrot Fertility.
  • Social events and celebrations, along with relocation assistance when applicable.
Full Job Description
Wanna join the adventure?

Loft's Onboard Software group provides the on-orbit software that powers our core products. This is responsible for monitoring and control of major space program elements, including:
  • Flight Products computational environments (including physical and virtual processors);
  • Interfaces with external equipment (imagers, RF, ISL); and
  • Interfaces with the spacecraft bus.

Hyperdrive is the common platform powering every onboard service across our spacecraft.
The team builds the core capabilities other onboard services need to run mission logic-from interactions and housekeeping to events, automated fault detection and recovery, and lifecycle management.
By making complex spacecraft software consistent, observable, and resilient, Hyperdrive helps teams move faster while keeping missions safe in orbit.

About this role:

  • Design, implement, and refine software with a high degree of ownership, driving impactful features from concept through delivery while ensuring robustness and reliability.
  • Review code, provide clear feedback, and enforce adherence to established development processes, style guides, and design standards to maintain consistency and quality across the codebase.
  • Design and implement unit tests for both self-authored and peer-authored code.
  • Utilize version control systems to create feature branches, push code, and merge approved code into production branches.
  • Contribute to the onboard software architecture through design proposals and collaborative review
  • Participate in the review and enhancement of software development processes and design standards.
  • Coordinate with downstream teams on the release, distribution and adoption of latest releases.
  • In addition to responsibilities within onboard software, you'll have the opportunity to directly be involved in operating our on-orbit fleet of satellites.


Must Haves:

  • 5+ years' software engineering experience, using programming languages including C/C++ (C++11 or newer) and Python.
  • Experience with version control systems such as Git
  • Experience with continuous integration tools (e.g., GitLab-CI, Jenkins).
  • Experience with build systems (e.g., Make, CMake).
  • Experience with library management and ABI/API version control.
  • Understanding of distributed architecture.
  • Familiarity with networking protocols (e.g., UDP, TCP, IP) and POSIX standards.
  • Experience in developing multi-threaded applications.


Nice to Haves:

  • Familiarity with additional programming languages, such as Go or Rust.
  • Experience with embedded Linux operation, including Yocto, device trees, systemd, and Linux on ARM platforms.
  • Proficiency with unit test frameworks (e.g., pytest, Googletest, Unity)
  • Experience with middleware framework (gRPC, ZMQ/NATS, etc.)
  • Experience with containerization technologies (Docker, K3S, systemd-nspawn)


Some of Our Awesome Benefits:

  • 100% company-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance option for employees and dependents
  • Flexible Spending (FSA) and Health Savings (HSA) Accounts offered with an employer contribution to the HSA
  • 100% employer paid Life, AD&D, Short-Term, and Long-Term Disability insurance
  • Flexible Time Off policy for vacation and sick leave, and 12 paid holidays
  • 401(k) plan and equity options
  • Daily catered lunches and snacks
  • International exposure to our team in France
  • Fully paid parental leave; 14 weeks for primary caregiver and 10 weeks for secondary caregiver
  • Carrot Fertility provides comprehensive, inclusive fertility healthcare and family-forming benefits with financial support
  • Off-sites and many social events and celebrations
  • Relocation assistance when applicable


$155,000 - $225,000 a year

State law requires us to tell you the base compensation range for this role, which is $155,000- $225,000 per year. This is determined by your education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities. The salary range for this role is intentionally wide as we evaluate individuals based on their unique experience and abilities to fit our needs. Most importantly, we are excited to meet you, and see if you are a great fit for our team. What we can't quantify for you are the exciting challenges, supportive team, and amazing culture we enjoy.

*Research shows that while men apply to jobs where they meet an average of 60% of the criteria, women and other underrepresented people tend to only apply when they meet 100% of the qualifications. At Loft, we value respectful debate and people who aren't afraid to challenge assumptions. We strongly encourage you to apply, even if you don't check all the boxes.

About Loft Orbital Solutions

Loft Orbital Solutions is a space infrastructure company that provides end-to-end satellite missions as a service. The company was founded in 2017 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California. Loft Orbital Solutions offers a range of services, including satellite design, launch, and operations, as well as data processing and analysis. The company has partnerships with several satellite manufacturers and launch providers, including SpaceX and Blue Origin.
Learn more about Loft Orbital Solutions
Size
10 employees
Industry
Founded
2017

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