Backend Engineer - Mission Operations Services

jobs.frontdoordefense.com - Jobboard; Golden (CO); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Loft Orbital is seeking a Backend Engineer to join our Mission Operations Services team in Golden, Colorado. You will design and develop backend tools for satellite operations, working closely with various teams. Candidates should have solid Python experience, along with knowledge in Docker and API design.

This hands-on role offers the opportunity to engage with live spacecraft operations and contribute to essential mission tools.

Qualifications

• Solid Python development experience in a production environment.
• Experience with Docker and container‑based development.
• Hands‑on experience with backend web development frameworks.
• Proven API design skills.

Responsibilities

• Design and build backend tools for operations.
• Handle commands and telemetry across multiple satellite buses.
• Write production backend code in Python.
• Collaborate with flight and integration teams.
• Support internal users of Cockpit by improving APIs.

Skills

Python development

Docker

Backend web development frameworks

API design skills

Tools

Django

Flask

FastAPI

Postgres

Kubernetes

InfluxDB

Job description

Backend Engineer - Mission Operations Services

Location: Golden, Colorado, United States; San Francisco, California, United States

Compensation: $140,000 - 190,000 USD / year

About The Role

Loft Orbital is looking for a Backend Engineer to join our Mission Operations Services (MOS) team. MOS owns the backend services that let Loft operators and customers command, monitor, and automate our satellite fleet through Cockpit, our mission control system. You’ll help build and scale the microservices that sit between ground and flight software, turning high-level intent into safe, reliable on-orbit operations.

You’ll work across multiple satellite platforms and collaborate closely with backend, flight software, embedded systems, test, and satellite operations teams. This is a hands‑on engineering role where you’ll both build new systems and help debug live missions. We also offer SatDevOps training, so you don’t just write the tools – you actually use them to operate spacecraft.

If you’re excited about building backend systems that directly control satellites – and you like the idea of both shipping code and helping fly missions – we’d love to hear from you.

About This Role

• Design and build backend tools for operations: services that power passes, autopilots, activities, and day-to-day satellite operations.
• Handle commands and telemetry across multiple satellite buses and ground segment providers, with a strong focus on safety, robustness, and observability.
• Write production backend code in Python, owning services end-to-end from design and implementation through deployment and maintenance.
• Collaborate with flight software, embedded software, integration and test, and space infrastructure teams to integrate new satellite buses and capabilities into Cockpit.
• Support internal users of Cockpit (operators, test engineers, solutions engineers) by improving APIs, workflows, and debugging tools.
• Have the opportunity to take part in spacecraft operations through SatDevOps rotations, occasionally helping investigate anomalies and supporting real-time incident response when needed.

Must Haves

• Solid Python development experience in a production environment.
• Experience with Docker and container‑based development.
• Hands‑on experience with backend web development frameworks (e.g., Django, Flask, FastAPI, etc.).
• Proven API design skills (designing, documenting, and maintaining HTTP/GraphQL/REST‑style APIs).

Nice to Haves

• Experience with Django and/or GraphQL.
• Strong database fundamentals and practical experience (e.g., Postgres, time‑series DBs).
• Exposure to Kubernetes in production.
• Familiarity with InfluxDB / TimescaleDB or other time‑series systems.
• Background in mission‑critical, distributed, or real‑time systems (space or otherwise).