Flight Software Engineer

Astrion; New Mexico; Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Astrion is seeking a Flight Software Engineer to support small satellite flight software development for the Air Force Research Laboratory at Kirtland AFB. The role targets mid- to senior-level engineers with embedded/flight software experience for spacecraft or real-time systems.

The position offers hybrid work (Kirtland AFB, NM) with U.S. remote eligibility and requires U.S. citizenship for a DoD Secret clearance; occasional travel up to 10% if remote.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5+ years of professional software development experience.
• Experience developing embedded or flight software in C or C++.
• Experience with satellite bus or payload software development.
• Familiarity with spacecraft subsystems and interfaces (power, comms, data handling, ADCS).
• Experience with real-time operating systems.
• Hardware/software integration or low-level driver development.
• Experience with scripting languages such as Python, Perl, or similar.
• Strong problem-solving and debugging skills.
• Ability to produce secure, maintainable, high-quality code.
• Comfortable working in small, agile engineering teams.
• Effective communicator with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Self-directed and adaptable in a research and development environment.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, test, and maintain embedded flight software for small satellite bus systems.
• Execute tasking from the satellite AI&T lead.
• Coordinate with other flight software engineers and subsystem teams.
• Implement best practices for code quality, maintainability, and cybersecurity.
• Develop and maintain technical documentation, including interface specifications and user guides.
• Participate in unit testing, code reviews, and system validation.

Skills

C/C++ development

Embedded/flight software

RTOS experience

Scripting (Python/Perl)

Problem-solving

Secure, maintainable code

Agile teamwork

Communication with stakeholders

Self-directed in R&D

Education

Software Engineering

Computer Science

Electrical Engineering

Aerospace Engineering

Tools

VxWorks

RTEMS

Job description

Overview

Flight Software Engineer

LOCATION: Hybrid (Kirtland AFB, NM), Remote U.S. eligible

JOB STATUS: Full-time

CLEARANCE: U.S. Citizenship, DOD Secret Clearance

TRAVEL: 10% (if remote)

Astrion is seeking a Flight Software Engineer to support small satellite flight software development for the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) at Kirtland Air Force Base.

This engineer will contribute to the design, development, and testing of satellite bus software supporting experimental and research missions. The role is ideal for a mid- to senior-level software engineer with experience developing embedded or flight software for spacecraft or other real-time systems.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS / SKILLS

Education:

• Software Engineering
• Computer Science
• Electrical Engineering
• Aerospace Engineering

• Minimum 5+ years of professional software development experience
• Experience developing embedded or flight software in C or C++
• Experience with satellite bus or payload software development
• Familiarity with spacecraft subsystems and interfaces (power, communications, command and data handling, ADCS, etc.)
• Experience working with real-time operating systems
• Experience with hardware/software integration or low-level driver development`li>
• Experience with scripting languages such as Python, Perl, or similar
• Strong problem-solving and debugging skills
• Ability to produce secure, maintainable, high-quality code
• Comfortable working in small, agile engineering teams
• Effective communicator with both technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Self-directed and adaptable in a research and development environment

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS / SKILLS

• Experience with the VxWorks real-time operating system
• Experience with other embedded real-time systems such as RTEMS
• Master’s degree in a relevant technical field

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Design, develop, test, and maintain embedded flight software for small satellite bus systems
• Execute tasking from the satellite Assembly, Integration, and Test (AI&T) lead
• Coordinate with other flight software engineers and subsystem teams
• Implement best practices for code quality, maintainability, and cybersecurity
• Develop and maintain technical documentation, including interface specifications and user guides
• Participate in unit testing, code reviews, and system validation

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