Director, Space Software Engineering & Mission Systems

University of Colorado Boulder; Boulder (CO); On-site; USD 214,000 - 265,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation assistance

Job summary

University of Colorado Boulder’s LASP is seeking a Senior Software Engineering Department Manager to lead a 63-person department delivering flight and ground software for space missions. The role reports to the Deputy Director for Technology and shapes the department's direction, practices, and culture.

You will oversee hiring, development, and evaluation of engineers and student staff, establish performance expectations, and set technical direction for flight and ground software.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, engineering, or a related field.
• 12+ years of software engineering experience, including 6+ years on space mission embedded flight software or ground software (supporting mission operations and/or science data processing).
• 5+ years supervising software engineers, including hiring, evaluating, and developing staff.

Responsibilities

• Lead the LASP Software Engineering Department through its functional leads; develop them as technical and people managers.
• Establish department-wide performance expectations and manage outcomes; build a positive, productive, and healthy department culture.
• Set technical direction for flight software on instruments and spacecraft and for mission ground software: command and control, planning and scheduling, science data processing, telemetry analysis and display, web applications, ground support equipment, and simulation.
• Own LASP's software development processes, tailored to each mission's classification, sponsor, and scope.
• Modernize how LASP designs, builds, and verifies software, including responsible AI-assisted development.
• Set software development strategy, roadmaps, and reuse plans across LASP.
• Shape proposals and new missions with software approaches, staffing, and cost inputs.
• Partner with project managers, mission assurance, and scientists in a matrix organization.
• Other duties as assigned.

Skills

Software engineering

Leadership

Flight software

Education

Bachelor's degree in computer science, engineering, or related field

Job description

University of Colorado Boulder’s LASP is seeking a Senior Software Engineering Department Manager to lead a 63-person department delivering flight and ground software for space missions. The role reports to the Deputy Director for Technology and shapes the department's direction, practices, and culture.

You will oversee hiring, development, and evaluation of engineers and student staff, establish performance expectations, and set technical direction for flight and ground software.