Director of Flight Software Engineering Software

Front Door Defense; Burlingame, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 218,000 - 274,000; Full time

Job summary

Xona is seeking a Director of Flight Software Engineering to own the onboard software architecture for the Pulsar constellation. You will lead the embedded flight software team, oversee system-level verification, and ensure reliable delivery from requirements to launch and on-orbit operations.

You will partner with systems, avionics, payload, GNC, and ground segments to define roadmaps, promote engineering excellence, and scale software across hundreds of satellites in a high-reliability space

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in CS/Engineering or related field.
• 10+ years software engineering experience incl embedded, real-time, or high-reliability systems.
• 3+ years people leadership managing software engineers or technical leads.
• Experience leading software architecture and delivery for complex systems (aerospace preferred).
• Hands-on with CI/CD, configuration management, and automated testing.

Responsibilities

• Lead and grow the Flight Software team across the Pulsar constellation.
• Define and evolve the flight software architecture, interfaces, and development roadmap with cross-functional teams.
• Own end-to-end delivery: requirements decomposition, design, implementation, testing, HIL validation, and launch/on-orbit support.
• Build a high-performing organization through hiring, coaching, and culture of ownership and cross-functional collaboration.
• Establish and improve software development practices that scale with constellation growth and over-the-air update needs.
• Drive quality, reliability, and process maturity to reduce risk and cost and meet program commitments.
• Partner with senior leadership on technology strategy, long-term roadmaps, and resource planning.

Skills

Embedded RTOS experience

Software architecture leadership

CI/CD pipelines

Unit/integration testing

People management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science/Engineering

Tools

CI/CD tooling (e.g., Jenkins)

Configuration management

Automated testing frameworks

Job description

Director of Flight Software Engineering

Own end-to-end flight software architecture and delivery for the Pulsar constellation

Location: Burlingame, California

Compensation: $218,000 - 274,000 USD / year

About The Role

Director Of Flight Software Engineering

Xona is the navigational intelligence company bringing real-time, centimeter-level certainty to any device, anywhere on Earth. With Pulsar – the world's most advanced PNT satellite infrastructure in Low Earth Orbit – Xona will offer a future-proof, backwards-compatible global positioning system optimized for absolute precision, superior power, and robust protection.

As Director of Flight Software Engineering, you will own the architecture, delivery, and team that powers the onboard software for the Xona satellite bus and the growing Pulsar constellation. You will lead embedded flight software development, system-level verification & validation, and the processes that enable reliable, scalable software across hundreds of satellites. This is a high-impact leadership role at the intersection of real-time embedded systems, constellation-scale operations, and high-reliability space software.

What You'll Own

• Lead and grow the Flight Software team (embedded developers + verification & validation engineers) responsible for the scalable onboard software architecture running across the Pulsar constellation.
• Define and evolve the flight software architecture, interfaces, and development roadmap in close partnership with systems, avionics, payload, GNC, and ground segment teams.
• Own end-to-end delivery: requirements decomposition, design, implementation, unit/integration testing, hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) validation, and support through launch and on-orbit operations.
• Build a high-performing organization through hiring, coaching, individual development plans, and a culture of ownership, technical excellence, and cross-functional collaboration.
• Establish and continuously improve software development practices (configuration management, CI/CD, unit testing, code quality, documentation) that scale with constellation growth and over-the-air update needs.
• Drive quality, reliability, and process maturity - measuring team output against program commitments and implementing improvements that reduce risk and cost.
• Partner with senior leadership on technology strategy, long-term roadmap recommendations, and resource planning for current and future satellite programs.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related STEM field (or equivalent practical experience; additional years of relevant experience may substitute for formal education)
• 10+ years of professional software engineering experience, including significant time in embedded, real-time, or high-reliability systems
• 3+ years of people leadership experience managing software engineers or technical leads (hiring, performance management, career development)
• Demonstrated experience leading software architecture and delivery for complex systems (aerospace, automotive, defense, or similar domains preferred)
• Hands-on background with modern software practices, including CI/CD pipelines, configuration management, and automated testing

Preferred Qualifications

• 5+ years developing or leading embedded/flight software in aerospace or space systems
• Direct experience taking satellite or spacecraft software from early design through launch and on-orbit operations
• Experience architecting or managing software for multi-satellite fleets, including over-the-air updates, fault management, and constellation-scale operations
• Familiarity with real-time operating systems (RTOS), space flight software frameworks (e.g., cFS, F´, or similar), C/C++, and hardware/software integration & test environments
• Track record of building high-reliability processes and cultures in fast-moving hardware/software organizations
• Ability to drive consensus across multi-disciplinary teams and influence technical and program decisions at the senior leadership level

For U.S. Roles: To comply with U.S. Government space technology export regulations, applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the United States (i.e. Green Card holder), or other protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3).

For U.K. Roles: To comply with U.K. regulations, this role requires Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) checks, and successful candidates must be eligible to obtain UK Security Clearance (SC).

For Canada Roles: Successful candidates must obtain and hold a security clearance at the reliability status level, and pass security assessment for the Canadian Controlled Goods Program (CGP) and ITAR.

We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.