Flight Software Engineer – Orbital Return Vehicles

Outpost; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 220,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k) with company match

Daily lunch stipend

Pet-friendly office

Paid time off + holidays

Equity

Job summary

Outpost is hiring a Software Engineer to design, build, and test flight and ground software for the company''s Earth return vehicles. You''ll work across avionics, GN&C, and test teams, owning software from design through flight, and you''ll develop tools and infrastructure for testing, telemetry, and operations.

The role emphasizes real-time/embedded software, CI/CD pipelines, and robust testing practices in a fast-paced aerospace environment with mission-driven teammates.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related field or equivalent experience.
• 3+ years of professional software development experience.
• Strong proficiency in C++, Python, or similar languages used in flight or embedded software.
• Experience with real-time or embedded systems is a plus.
• Understanding of software development best practices: version control, testing, code review.
• Ability to work cross-functionally with avionics, GN&C, and test teams.
• Strong problem-solving skills in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and test flight and ground software for the return vehicle.
• Support software integration with avionics and GN&C systems.
• Build tools and infrastructure to support vehicle testing, telemetry, and data analysis.
• Debug and resolve software issues during integration, test, and flight operations.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to define software requirements.
• Support flight readiness reviews and mission operations as needed.

Skills

Bachelor's degree/equivalent

3+ years experience

C++/Python

RTOS/embedded systems

Software development best practices

cross-functional collaboration

problem solving

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/SE

Tools

CI/CD pipelines

Test automation

Job description

Outpost is hiring a Software Engineer to design, build, and test flight and ground software for the company''s Earth return vehicles. You''ll work across avionics, GN&C, and test teams, owning software from design through flight, and you''ll develop tools and infrastructure for testing, telemetry, and operations.

The role emphasizes real-time/embedded software, CI/CD pipelines, and robust testing practices in a fast-paced aerospace environment with mission-driven teammates.