Autonomous Satellite Software Engineer (Equity)

Array Labs; Redwood City (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading aerospace technology firm in California seeks an experienced engineer to develop automation solutions for satellites and ground stations. The role requires a Bachelor’s degree and experience in engineering, with strong skills in programming, Docker, and cloud platforms. Candidates will work on mission planning software and must meet ITAR requirements. The salary range is $150,000 to $300,000 annually, reflecting the high level of expertise sought.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience in engineering or related field.
• Familiarity with cloud platforms and containerization technologies.
• Experience with automated test execution pipelines.

Responsibilities

• Build and implement automation solutions for satellites.
• Develop and maintain mission planning software.
• Design systems to manage asynchronous data streams.

Skills

Experience developing autonomous systems

Understanding of Docker containers

Strong programming skills in Python

Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure)

Familiarity with RESTful API design

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering or computer science

Tools

AWS

Docker

Gitlab

PostgreSQL

Job description

Array Labs builds advanced radar systems to help humanity understand and respond to changes across the physical world.

We’re launching a coordinated fleet of radar satellites to create a high-resolution 3D map of the Earth – updated in real time – enabling faster, smarter decision-making for government and commercial organizations supporting disaster response, infrastructure resilience, and mission-critical geopolitical intelligence.

We design and build our satellites end-to-end, producing the world’s most advanced earth observation satellites. Our fleet will deliver unprecedented levels of accuracy, coverage, and responsiveness to power critical insights precisely where they’re needed most.

Responsibilities:

• Responsible for building and implementing automation solutions for spacecraft and ground station for operating swarms of coordinated imaging satellites
• Implement controllers developed by GNC engineers to plan and execute satellite maneuvers, including orbit corrections and station-keeping, to optimize satellite positions and performance.
• Develop and maintain mission planning software that integrates mission design, operational concepts, and flight hardware requirements
• Design and implement systems to manage asynchronous data streams, integrating real-time information to generate and upload new decisions and schedules
• Design architecture concepts considering spacecraft coordination, payload and system budget capabilities, data collection requirements, autonomy, and mission operations
• Implement automation and algorithms for precise orbit determination of Array Labs and GNSS satellites
• Evolve and implement models to characterize vehicles and satellite systems propulsion, power, precision, navigation, timing, and tracking requirements
• Optimize schedules to maximize imagery opportunities based on imaging priorities and system capabilities

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, computer science or a related field, with 3+ years of experience
• At least two of the preferred skill and experiences listed
• Experience developing autonomous systems and integrating them into larger operational frameworks.
• Understanding of how to create, configure, and manage Docker containers
• Experience with continuous integration systems and automated test execution pipelines (Gitlab preferred).
• Strong programming skills in languages such as Python, C++, or Rust.
• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure) and containerization technologies (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes).
• Familiarity with database systems and CRUD operations in database management, preferably PostgreSQL and TimescaleDB
• Familiarity with RESTful API design and implementation
• Experience with physics-based software packages and/or model-based digital engineering tools

Preferred Skills and Experience:

• Knowledge of precision orbit determination methods
• Familiarity with FreeFlyer, STK GMAT, and/or custom-developed equivalent
• Familiarity with satellite dynamics, including orbit determination, attitude control systems, and station-keeping maneuvers.
• Experience with flight software and embedded systems
• Experience setting up automated hardware in the loop (HIL) test benches
• Familiarity with satellite mission operations and/or Ground Station as a Service providers
• Experience with geospatial, remote sensing, 3D data, and/or digital signal processing techniques (e.g. SAR and optical satellite imagery, LiDAR point clouds).

ITAR Requirements:

• To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

Equal Opportunity Employer:

• Array Labs is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions are made on the basis of merit, competence, and job qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by gender, color, race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, religion, age, gender identity, veteran status, disability status, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.

$150,000 - $300,000 a year

Interview Process

We will conduct interviews via Google Meet; the typical process takes around 2-4 weeks to complete from start to finish.

Hiring and Compensation Strategy

Our hiring and compensation strategy is simple:

1) find uncommonly good people

2) pay them uncommonly well

You can anticipate competitive pay, with high flexibility between salary and equity-based compensation.

Why Join Array Labs?

Array Labs is launching a constellation of satellites to create the first high-resolution, real-time, three-dimensional model of Earth. Our next-generation satellite technology will offer image quality 60x greater than traditional techniques, profoundly expanding humanity’s ability to understand and respond to events on a global scale.

In forging an affordable, accessible, accurate representation of Earth, our work has the potential to transform the face of dozens of fields, including autonomy, telecommunications, disaster relief, gaming, climate science, defense and construction.