Flight Software Engineer

ACE Partners; Torrance (CA); On-site; USD 225,000 - 275,000; Full time

Job summary

ACE Partners in Torrance, CA seeks a founding Flight Software Engineer to define and own the flight software architecture for a seed-stage space startup. You will tackle GN&C, autonomy stacks, and integration with radiation-hardened hardware, delivering robust embedded code for real-world space operations.

The role demands deep C/C++Experience on RTOS, bare metal, or embedded Linux, with hands-on board bring-up, drivers, and bootloaders. On-site, equity upside, US person required.

Qualifications

• 5+ years writing embedded flight software that has flown.
• Deep C/C++ on RTOS, bare metal, or embedded Linux.
• Board bring-up, drivers, bootloaders – hardware/software boundary work.
• Fault tolerance in radiation environments: watchdogs and scrubbing.
• Hands-on coder, not a V&V reviewer.

Responsibilities

• Define flight software architecture for the system.
• Own integration of hardware/software stacks and bring-up on the flight computer.

Skills

Embedded flight software

C/C++

RTOS

Bare metal

Embedded Linux

Board bring-up

Device drivers

Radiation-tolerance

Job description

Flight Software Engineer - Space Startup, Torrance, CA

Up to $250K base + equity | On-site | US person required

We're hiring a founding flight software engineer for a seed-stage space company in Torrance. Founders are ex-SpaceX.

The mission

Space domain awareness and contested space operations. Proximity operations, formation flying, autonomous manoeuvring, and deorbiting uncooperative spacecraft. The target doesn't know you're coming, you don't know its exact geometry, it may be tumbling, and there's no ground station in the loop.

Two vehicles launch this year and become the on-orbit test bed.

The role

The architecture isn't defined. You'd define it.

COTS hardware today, with make-versus-buy decisions as the company matures. Flight software, GN&C and autonomy are three separate stacks - this is pure FSW.

What we are looking for

• 5+ years writing embedded flight software that has flown
• Deep C/C++ on RTOS, bare metal, or embedded Linux
• Board bring-up, drivers, bootloaders - comfortable at the hardware/software boundary
• Fault tolerance in a radiation environment: watchdogs, scrubbing, designing for the reset rather than preventing it
• Someone who sits down and codes. Not a V&V reviewer.

The trade, honestly

Seed stage. Salary sits at a premium to a Series D company and the upside is in the equity - ISO options, five-year vest, one-year cliff, and everyone gets it.

On-site, five days, Torrance. Relocation assistance available. US person required - no sponsorship, no exceptions.