Lead Automation Engineer – Optical Ground Stations

Azora; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 130,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous equity

Competitive healthcare

401(k)

Unlimited PTO

Job summary

Azora is seeking a lead automation engineer to build the automation backbone for its optical ground stations. You will own autonomous pass scheduling, calibration routines, health monitoring, and fault recovery across a growing global network.

You will define the automation architecture and lead a small team of engineers. The role requires a strong background in Python and systems languages, hardware interfaces, and delivering reliable, 24/7 automation.

Qualifications

• BS/MS in Computer Science, Robotics, Electrical/Mechatronics Engineering or related field.
• 5+ years building automation or control software for physical systems.
• Strong programming skills in Python and at least one systems language (C++, Rust, or Go).
• Experience with hardware interfaces and protocols: serial, Ethernet/IP, Modbus, CAN.
• Proven track record delivering automation systems to 24/7 operation.

Responsibilities

• Architect and implement end-to-end automation for ground station operations: target acquisition, pass execution, weather-driven decision-making, and safe-state recovery.
• Develop hardware control software for telescopes, gimbals, weather sensors, and optical bench instrumentation.
• Build automated calibration, self-test, and BIT routines to keep stations operational without on-site staff.
• Design monitoring, alerting, and remote diagnostics infrastructure across distributed sites.
• Define interfaces between site-level automation and the network-level scheduler/orchestration layer.
• Establish software engineering practices for CI/CD, hardware-in-the-loop testing, simulation environments, and release management.
• Build, lead and mentor a small team of automation and controls engineers as the ground network scales.

Skills

Python

Systems languages

Hardware interfaces

Education

BS/MS in Computer Science, Robotics, Electrical/Mechatronics Engineering

Tools

Git

CI/CD

RTOS

Job description

Azora is seeking a lead automation engineer to build the automation backbone for its optical ground stations. You will own autonomous pass scheduling, calibration routines, health monitoring, and fault recovery across a growing global network.

You will define the automation architecture and lead a small team of engineers. The role requires a strong background in Python and systems languages, hardware interfaces, and delivering reliable, 24/7 automation.