Senior Spacecraft Flight Software Engineer

Space Machines Company; Botany; On-site; GBP 75,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity (ESOP)

Job summary

Space Machines Company is building a first-in-class spaceflight software platform. You will own firmware from requirements to hardware validation, interfacing with HW teams to ensure seamless OBC integration and subsystem bring-up for high‑reliability spacecraft systems.

Role focuses on embedded C/C++, FPGA integration, embedded Linux (Yocto), and end-to-end software lifecycle including testing and CI/CD in a fast-growing space tech startup.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in CS/CE or related field with 5+ years software development experience.
• Embedded firmware development in C/C++ for microcontrollers or SoCs (ARM Cortex-M, RTOS/bare-metal).
• BSP bring-up and hardware-software integration across hardware interfaces.
• SoC clocking, resets, memory map, and peripheral configuration.
• Integrating FPGA fabric IP with software and processor interfaces.
• Ability to read schematics/datasheets and infer software implications.
• Debugging across hardware/software boundary using JTAG/SWD and analyzers.
• Collaborating with hardware engineers and vendors to reflect software needs.
• Embedded Linux experience with Yocto or similar, building/upbringing distributions.
• Full lifecycle engineering: derive requirements, automated tests; Git, CMake, Python.

Responsibilities

• Firmware development for spacecraft control units and subsystems.
• Hardware interfacing: align in-house OBC firmware with hardware changes.
• Subsystem integration: bring up and validate multiple subsystems.
• Core flight software: telemetry, command uplink, health monitoring, CAN/RS-422/485, Ethernet.
• Track upstream software, patch defects, maintain internal mirrors.
• Design functional system architecture from spacecraft requirements.
• Ground segment interface and end-to-end validation.
• Maintain CI/CD automation for software builds.

Skills

Embedded firmware development in C/C++

BSP bring-up

SoC processor subsystem configuration

FPGA fabric IP integration

Reading schematics and datasheets

Hardware/software debugging

Collaboration with hardware engineers

Embedded Linux (Yocto)

Git, CMake, Python

Full lifecycle engineering

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or related technical field

Tools

Yocto

Git

CMake

Python

Job description

Space Machines Company is building a first-in-class spaceflight software platform. You will own firmware from requirements to hardware validation, interfacing with HW teams to ensure seamless OBC integration and subsystem bring-up for high‑reliability spacecraft systems.

Role focuses on embedded C/C++, FPGA integration, embedded Linux (Yocto), and end-to-end software lifecycle including testing and CI/CD in a fast-growing space tech startup.