Head of Flight Software & Satellite Onboard Systems

Xona; Burlingame (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Xona in Burlingame, California seeks a Director of Flight Software Engineering to own the onboard software architecture for the Xona satellite bus and Pulsar constellation. You will lead embedded flight software development, system-level verification & validation, and scalable software processes across hundreds of satellites.

This high-impact leadership role combines real-time embedded systems expertise with constellation-scale operations, software quality focus, and cross-functional

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in relevant STEM field
• 10+ years of professional software engineering experience in embedded, real-time, or high-reliability systems
• 3+ years of people leadership experience
• Demonstrated experience leading software architecture and delivery for complex systems
• Hands-on background with CI/CD, configuration management, and automated testing

Responsibilities

• Lead and grow the Flight Software team (embedded developers + verification & validation engineers) for the Pulsar constellation
• Define and evolve the flight software architecture, interfaces, and development roadmap with systems, avionics, payload, GNC, and ground teams
• Own end-to-end delivery: requirements decomposition, design, implementation, unit/integration testing, HIL validation, and launch support
• Build a high-performing organization through hiring, coaching, and career development
• Establish software development practices (CM, CI/CD, unit testing, code quality, documentation) at scale
• Drive quality, reliability, and process maturity to reduce risk and cost
• Partner with senior leadership on technology strategy and long-term roadmap

Skills

Embedded systems

Real-time software

Leadership

CI/CD

Software architecture

Education

Bachelor's degree in STEM field

Tools

cFS

F'

RTOS

HIL

Job description

Xona in Burlingame, California seeks a Director of Flight Software Engineering to own the onboard software architecture for the Xona satellite bus and Pulsar constellation. You will lead embedded flight software development, system-level verification & validation, and scalable software processes across hundreds of satellites.

This high-impact leadership role combines real-time embedded systems expertise with constellation-scale operations, software quality focus, and cross-functional