Senior Software Engineer - Test Infrastructure

Loftorbital; Toulouse; On-site; EUR 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Up to 35 days PTO and flexible hours

Health and life insurance

Lunch vouchers

Cross-office travel Toulouse/SanFrancs

Relocation assistance to Toulouse

Job summary

Loft Orbital is seeking a Test Infrastructure Engineer to design, build, and maintain advanced testbeds that mirror spacecraft systems. You will create HIL environments and EGSE interfaces to validate software and hardware before launches, while collaborating across systems, software, and operations teams.

You will drive automation with Python, Docker, and CI tooling, enabling scalable testing across our global sites in Toulouse and Golden, CO.

Qualifications

• 2+ years working with Linux systems, including configuration, debugging, and system-level troubleshooting.
• Strong understanding of networking fundamentals (OSI layers, packet analysis, TCP/IP and UDP).
• Hands-on experience with embedded systems or low-level hardware (Raspberry Pi, microcontrollers, etc).
• Proficiency in Python for building test automation frameworks, device drivers, or test orchestration tools.
• Experience containerizing applications with Docker.
• Familiarity with CI tools (e.g., Jenkins, GitLab CI, Buildkite, CircleCI) and integrating test pipelines.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, deploy, and maintain high-fidelity Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) testbeds that emulate spacecraft systems, sensors, and communication links.
• Design, build, deploy, and maintain Electrical Ground Support Equipment (EGSE) interfacing with space vehicles for Validation and Verification before launch campaigns.
• Develop tools and frameworks to simulate faults, edge cases, and mission scenarios that are hard to reproduce with physical hardware.
• Collaborate with systems, software, hardware, and operations teams to evolve test requirements and integrate feedback.
• Maintain and extend test infrastructure to support CI pipelines with realistic system-level tests.
• Troubleshoot complex system issues spanning software, embedded hardware, networking, and configuration.

Skills

Linux systems

Networking fundamentals

Embedded systems

Python

Tools

Docker

Jenkins

GitLab CI

Buildkite

CircleCI

Job description

Wanna join the adventure?

At Loft Orbital, we have just successfully launched multiple satellites that we fly and operate ourselves. With these satellites in orbit and a wave of exciting missions launching soon, we are scaling up quickly as a global company.

We are looking for a Test Infrastructure Engineer to join the team building and maintaining Loft’s test infrastructure internationally across our Golden, CO and Toulouse, France sites.

About this role:

As a Test Infrastructure Engineer, you will primarily help design, develop, and deploy our test infrastructure and the tools for automating both our hardware and software testing, which will help us scale as a company. Sitting between the spacecraft and all the other teams, you will have a big impact in ensuring that every element of our satellite works without any bugs. We are looking for engineers with a product mindset, who have a good understanding of embedded systems, networking, data exchange protocols, and experience with setting up software infrastructures. Additionally, we are looking for someone who is:

• Able to work independently with some guidance. People owning their work is important to us!
• Able to wear multiple hats as needs arise. We are a small company disrupting an entire industry!
• Not afraid to get out of their comfort zone to explore and learn. Technologies are evolving at rapid rates, and we must stay relevant!

Key responsibilities include:

• Design, build, deploy, and maintain high-fidelity Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) testbeds that emulate spacecraft systems, sensors, and communication links.
• Design, build, deploy, and maintain Electrical Ground Support Equipment (EGSE) that interfaces with space vehicles under Assembly, Integration & Tests, allowing Validation and Verification of spacecrafts and their software before their launch campaigns.
• Develop tools and frameworks that allow teams to simulate faults, edge cases, and mission scenarios that are difficult or costly to reproduce with physical hardware alone.
• Work closely with systems, software, hardware, and operations teams to understand evolving test requirements and integrate feedback into the platforms.
• Maintain and extend test infrastructure to support continuous integration (CI) pipelines, ensuring every code change is validated with realistic system-level tests.
• Troubleshoot complex system issues spanning software, embedded hardware, networking, and system configuration.

Our culture at Loft Orbital promotes collaboration and ownership among our developers, fostering efforts hand in hand with other teams, internally and externally.

Must Haves:

• 2+ years working with Linux systems, including configuration, debugging, and system-level troubleshooting.
• Strong understanding of networking fundamentals (OSI layers, packet analysis, data exchange protocols like TCP/IP and UDP).
• Hands‑on experience with embedded systems or low‑level hardware (Raspberry Pi, Arduino, microcontrollers, or similar).
• Proficiency in Python (3.9+) for building test automation frameworks, device drivers, or test orchestration tools.
• Experience containerizing applications with Docker.
• Familiarity with at least one modern CI tool (e.g., Jenkins, GitLab CI, Buildkite, CircleCI) and integrating test pipelines.

Nice to Haves:

• Experience designing or automating complex HIL/SIL testbed, signal conditioning, fault injection, or hardware emulation.
• Experience with “Infrastructure-as-Code” systems, specifically NixOS.
• Familiarity with networking simulation tools (e.g., network emulators, virtual switches) for testing data flows under realistic mission constraints.
• Interest or experience with hardware test automation frameworks (e.g., custom Python-based test rigs).
• Master’s degree in Computer Science or a similar field.

Some of Our Awesome Benefits:

• Equity, we want you to have an active role in our success
• Up to 35 days of Paid Time Off (vacations & RTT ) and flexible working hours, we want you to be at your best
• Health and life insurance, we care about your health
• Lunch Vouchers, because let’s be honest, we love food! (we even have a slack channel about it #loft-gourmand)
• Cross-office travel opportunities between San Francisco, Colorado, and Toulouse to learn from our differences
• Company and team off-sites and many other events to work & celebrate together
• Relocation assistance to Toulouse when applicable

Who We Are Loft: Space Made Simple.

Founded in 2017, Loft provides governments, companies, and research institutions with a fast, reliable, and simple way to deploy missions in orbit. We integrate, launch, and operate spacecraft, offering end-to-end missions as a service across Earth observation, IoT connectivity, on-orbit AI, national security missions, and more. Leveraging our existing space infrastructure and an extensive inventory of satellite buses, Loft is reducing years-long integration and launch timelines to months. With more than 30 missions flown, Loft’s flight heritage and proven technologies enable customers to focus on their mission objectives. With a growing fleet on track to reach 30 satellites by 2027, we are scaling up quickly across our offices in San Francisco, CA | Golden, CO | and Toulouse, France to meet accelerating demand for space infrastructure. As an international company your resume will be reviewed by people across our offices so please attach a copy in English.

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