Senior Spacecraft Ground Software Engineer

Segment (Twilio); Auckland; On-site; NZD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Rocket Lab in Auckland is seeking a Senior Software Engineer – Spacecraft Ground Operations to drive mission-critical ground software for spacecraft ranging from LEO to interplanetary missions. Join our Space Systems team in shaping operations for the next generation of satellites.

You will build full-stack applications, support live missions, lead Scrum activities, and mentor junior engineers while collaborating across disciplines to deliver reliable software for space missions.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Software Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or similar.
• Minimum 5 years of professional software engineering experience.
• Strong Python backend and TypeScript frontend capabilities.
• Experience with Docker, Kubernetes, SQL, and Linux.

Responsibilities

• Develop mission-critical ground software for spacecraft command and data handling, automation, and visualization.
• Build full-stack web applications including database schema design, back-end services, front-end interfaces, and machine-to-machine communications.
• Support live spacecraft operations with on-call technical expertise during critical mission phases.
• Architect scalable ground software systems adaptable to diverse mission requirements.
• Lead Scrum activities, conduct code reviews, approve software architectures, and mentor junior engineers.

Skills

Python (async backend)

TypeScript (Angular/React/Vue)

SQL & RDBMS

Docker & Kubernetes

Cloud experience

Linux

Unit / integration testing

Agile Scrum leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in Software Engineering/CS/EE

Tools

REST APIs

CI/CD pipelines

Job description

Rocket Lab in Auckland is seeking a Senior Software Engineer – Spacecraft Ground Operations to drive mission-critical ground software for spacecraft ranging from LEO to interplanetary missions. Join our Space Systems team in shaping operations for the next generation of satellites.

You will build full-stack applications, support live missions, lead Scrum activities, and mentor junior engineers while collaborating across disciplines to deliver reliable software for space missions.