Lead Uplink Software Engineer – DSN & SDRs

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory; Pasadena (CA); On-site; USD 171,000 - 215,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental, vision plans

Paid time off and flexible schedule

Retirement plans and financial well‑be

Job summary

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, CA, is hiring a Software Engineer (Uplinks Systems) to design, implement, and sustain real-time uplink software for DSN. The role interfaces with FPGA hardware, SDRs, and high-rate data paths, requiring strong C++/Python skills and hands-on lab experience.

You will lead a small team, define verification strategies, and collaborate across DSN complexes worldwide, supporting critical mission milestones with robust software delivery.

Qualifications

• Experience leading or mentoring software teams.
• Experience with hardware‑interfacing software and FPGA‑based systems.
• Proven ability to design and verify real-time software with timing and data integrity requirements.
• Strong communication and collaboration across interfaces.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, test, and ship uplink software iterations.
• Mentor a small software/test team and manage dependencies.
• Own software interface to FPGA and hardware, define boundaries with project.
• Develop signal processing and SDR interfacing for uplink systems.
• Define verification strategy and build automated tests.
• Maintain release schedules balancing milestones and resources.

Skills

C++

Python

Software-hardware interfacing

FPGA

DSP/Signal processing

Real-time systems

CI/CD (Jenkins/GitHub Actions)

Data communication (PCIe/Ethernet)

Team leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science/Engineering

Master's degree in related discipline

PhD in related discipline

Tools

USRP UHD

RFNoC

Git

Docker

Kubernetes

Job description

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, CA, is hiring a Software Engineer (Uplinks Systems) to design, implement, and sustain real-time uplink software for DSN. The role interfaces with FPGA hardware, SDRs, and high-rate data paths, requiring strong C++/Python skills and hands-on lab experience.

You will lead a small team, define verification strategies, and collaborate across DSN complexes worldwide, supporting critical mission milestones with robust software delivery.