Lead Flight Software Engineer

NewOrbit Space; Reading; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Private health insurance

Relocation support

Visa sponsorship

Hybrid work model

Job summary

NewOrbit Space in Reading, UK is seeking a senior flight software engineer to lead the team that owns the spacecraft's real-time control software. You will design, implement, and test flight software on RTOS or Embedded Linux, and drive end-to-end validation from simulation to on-orbit operations.

You will own the onboard stack, integrate subsystems via I2C/SPI/UART/CAN/SpaceWire, build autonomous FDIR, and push code through CI/CD for reliable OTA updates.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in flight software development for spacecraft or similar embedded systems.
• Experience building production embedded or real-time systems in C/C++ and/or Rust.
• Strong knowledge of real-time scheduling, interrupts, and resource constraints.
• Hands-on hardware integration via I2C/SPI/UART/CAN/SpaceWire.
• Ability to own systems end-to-end from requirements to operations.
• Experience with CI/CD, testing, and debugging in space-grade environments.

Responsibilities

• Lead the flight software engineering team – recruit, coach, and direct the work.
• Own the on-board flight-software stack – design, implement and test real-time C/C++ on RTOS or Embedded Linux.
• Integrate subsystems end-to-end – define ICDs and build drivers/middleware.
• Build spacecraft behaviors & autonomy – mode management, sequencing, and autonomous FDIR.
• Deliver reliable real-time performance – concurrency, timing, CPU/memory budgets, observability.
• Build verification infrastructure – SIL/HIL test harnesses, simulations, telemetry analysis.
• Ship code from review to orbit – CI/CD, support integration and launch ops, OTA updates.
• Work across disciplines – collaborate with avionics, AOCS, comms and mission teams.

Skills

Flight software development

Real-time C/C++

RTOS / Embedded Linux

System integration

CI/CD and testing

Observability and debugging

Tools

CI/CD tooling

HIL/SIL test harnesses

Embedded Linux tools

Job description

At NewOrbit Space, our mission is to engineer the lowest orbiting satellites on Earth to rapidly advance global connectivity and insight.

We are currently building satellites that can operate at an altitude of just 200 km - one-third that of conventional satellites.

Role

• You’ll lead the team that owns the software that makes the spacecraft behave: real-time control flows, autonomy, mode management, FDIR, and the core flight applications that coordinate every subsystem.

• You’ll design and implement robust flight-software services on RTOS or Embedded Linux - turning mission requirements into deterministic, testable software - then take it from simulation all the way to launch and on-orbit operations.

• You’ll ensure our VLEO satellites stay safe and productive with strong fault tolerance, clean observability, and rapid iteration through over-the-air updates.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the flight software engineering team – recruit, coach, and direct the work of a team of software engineers to deliver the flight software elements of a novel spacecraft to operate in VLEO.

• Own the on-board flight-software stack – design, implement and test real-time C/C++ on RTOS or Embedded Linux

• Integrate subsystems end-to-end – define ICDs and build drivers/middleware over I2C/SPI/UART/CAN(-FD)/SpaceWire (as applicable).

• Build spacecraft behaviors & autonomy – implement mode management, sequencing, and autonomous FDIR for safe and productive operations.

• Deliver reliable real-time performance – manage concurrency, timing, CPU/memory budgets, and observability under tight constraints.

• Build verification infrastructure – prototypes, SIL/HIL test harnesses, simulations, and telemetry analysis tooling to validate designs early.

• Ship code from review to orbit – push through CI/CD, support integration and launch ops, and deliver secure over-the-air updates.

• Work across disciplines – collaborate with avionics, AOCS, comms and mission teams to trade compute, power, thermal, storage and link budgets.

Key Requirements

• 5+ years’ experience in development of flight software for spacecraft, including experience in leading engineers with flight software deliverables.

• Proven experience in building production embedded or real-time systems in C/C++ and/or Rust on RTOS or Embedded Linux for space systems.

• Strong grasp of real-time software: scheduling, interrupts, concurrency primitives, determinism, and designing for constrained CPU/memory.

• Proven ability to build reliable, testable systems: unit/integration testing, simulation-first development, HIL validation, and disciplined debugging.

• Hands-on experience integrating with hardware via common interfaces (I2C, SPI, UART, CAN(-FD), GPIO, etc.) and practical lab debugging.

• Solid software engineering fundamentals: architecture, code review, static analysis, CI/CD, configuration management, and observability/logging.

• Ability to own systems end-to-end: from requirements and design through implementation, verification, operations support, and iterative improvement.

Nice-to-haves

• Experience with spacecraft flight software frameworks, (e.g., cFS, F´, or building lightweight component-based equivalents).

• Familiarity with autonomy and fault management patterns for radiation/SEUs, watchdog strategies, redundancy, and safe-mode design.

• GNC/AOCS-adjacent experience: sensor/actuator pipelines, control-loop integration, estimation/filters, timing analysis.

• Digital-twin / simulator / SIL-HIL experience for end-to-end behavior validation and regression testing.

• On-orbit operations know-how: commissioning flows, anomaly response, telemetry triage, and OTA update strategies.

Why NewOrbit Space?

• Pioneering Space Technology – You'll contribute to launching groundbreaking technology into space. Your work on our revolutionary ion propulsion system and ULEO satellite platform will redefine satellite operations and disrupt traditional LEO operations.

• Unmatched Ownership and Impact – You'll experience a level of ownership that's rare in the space industry. You will participate in the full lifecycle of satellite technology.

• Equity and Competitive Salary – You'll receive not just a competitive salary but also company ownership stakes. Your dedication and hard work are rewarded with a share in the technology you help build, ensuring you're a part of our collective success.

• Comprehensive Benefits Package –Including private health insurance with dental and optical coverage, annual healthcare check-ups etc.

• Hybrid Work - A hybrid setup with one dedicated remote day per week.

• Visa Sponsorship & Relocation Support - We provide a relocation package and sponsor your visa if you’re joining us from abroad.