Ground Software Engineer

Lawrence Harvey Search & Selection; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 235,000; Full time

Job summary

Lawrence Harvey Search & Selection is sourcing for a Ground Software Engineer II / Senior Ground Software Engineer in Playa Vista, Los Angeles. The role focuses on spacecraft command and control, telemetry, mission operations, and integration with flight software.

You will own projects end-to-end, work across software and hardware boundaries, and contribute to a growing ground software platform with real vehicles and missions.

Qualifications

• Strong software fundamentals and hands-on coding ability.
• Experience in aerospace, aviation, drones, robotics, or complex physical systems.
• Distributed, networked, or hardware-integrated software systems experience.
• Ability to design, test, and operate highly reliable software.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain software to command, monitor, test, and operate spacecraft.
• Develop telemetry processing, command handling, data distribution, and mission operations.
• Integrate ground software with flight software, spacecraft hardware, and external ground infrastructure.
• Design reliable software for real-time, mission-critical operations.
• Own projects from architecture to deployment, including testing and integration.
• Diagnose issues spanning software, networking, hardware, and vehicle interfaces.
• Collaborate with flight software, avionics, test, and operations engineers.
• Shape architecture and technical direction of the growing ground software platform.

Skills

Software engineering

Hands-on coding

Aerospace experience

Distributed systems

Networking

Systems thinking

Security clearance

Tools

Rust

C++

Python

Job description

Ground Software Engineer II / Senior Ground Software Engineer

Location: Playa Vista, Los Angeles — 5 days onsite

Compensation: $120,000–$235,000 base + bonus + equity

Eligibility: U.S. citizenship required

The CompanyA well-funded aerospace company in Los Angeles is developing an advanced spacecraft platform designed for high-tempo, mission-critical operations. Following a recent leadership promotion and continued platform expansion, the company is adding two engineers to its Ground Software team: one at the Engineer II level and one at the Senior level.

RoleYou will build the software responsible for communicating with spacecraft and connecting flight systems with the broader ground infrastructure. This is a hands‑on engineering position spanning spacecraft command and control, telemetry, mission operations, system integration, and operator-facing tools. You will work closely with flight software, avionics, and operations teams to develop reliable systems supporting real vehicles and missions.

• Build and maintain software used to command, monitor, test, and operate spacecraft
• Develop systems for telemetry processing, command handling, data distribution, and mission operations
• Integrate ground software with flight software, spacecraft hardware, and external ground infrastructure
• Design reliable software capable of supporting real-time, mission-critical operations
• Own projects from initial architecture through implementation, integration, testing, and deployment
• Diagnose complex issues spanning software, networking, hardware, and vehicle interfaces
• Collaborate closely with flight software, avionics, test, and operations engineers
• Help shape the architecture and technical direction of a growing ground software platform

What We’re Looking For

• Strong software engineering fundamentals and hands‑on coding ability
• Experience in aerospace, aviation, drones, robotics, or another complex physical‑systems environment
• Experience building distributed, networked, or hardware‑integrated software systems
• Ability to design, test, and operate software with a high degree of reliability
• Strong systems thinking and comfort working across software and hardware boundaries
• U.S. citizenship and the ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance

For Senior candidates

• Experience architecting or owning significant portions of a ground software system
• Direct experience integrating ground systems with flight software
• Proven ownership of complex software from design through operational deployment
• Ability to influence architecture and mentor other engineers

For Engineer II candidates

• Professional experience in aerospace, robotics, distributed systems, or embedded‑adjacent software
• Evidence of meaningful technical ownership and the ability to learn complex systems quickly
• Exposure to telemetry, command‑and‑control systems, networking, simulation, or hardware integration

Highly Desirable

• Experience with spacecraft ground systems or mission control software
• Rust experience
• C++ or Python experience
• Real‑time telemetry, command systems, networking, or time‑series data
• Hardware‑in‑the‑loop or software‑in‑the‑loop testing
• Experience supporting live vehicle, flight, or robotic operations

This position is fully onsite in Playa Vista, Los Angeles.