Mission Operations Software Engineer

Engg; Long Beach (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Relativity Space is building the Mars 2028 mission with advanced operations software. As a Software Engineer - Operations, you will design and build tools to command, monitor, and coordinate the spacecraft, its science instruments, and communications systems.

This hands-on role sits at the intersection of software and spacecraft operations, emphasizing ownership, cross-team collaboration, and rigorous testing to ensure safe, reliable missions and scalable data pipelines.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related field.
• 3+ years of software engineering experience, preferably with mission operations or safety-critical systems.
• Strong Python or equivalent language skills.
• Experience designing automated test suites (unit/integration/regression).
• Experience defining external interfaces or APIs (ICDs, schemas, protocols).
• Comfort working cross-functionally with engineers, operators, and external partners.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement operations software for spacecraft commanding tools.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with mission operations, GN&C, flight software, instrument, and ground systems teams.
• Build automated test suites and validation frameworks for commanding, telemetry, and data dissemination.
• Define and document interfaces (ICDs, APIs, data formats) for external stakeholders.
• Automate tooling for commanding, telemetry visualization, anomaly investigation, and data pipelines.

Skills

Python

Software engineering

API design

Cross-functional teamwork

Testing automation

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related field

Job description

Relativity Space is building the Mars 2028 mission with advanced operations software. As a Software Engineer - Operations, you will design and build tools to command, monitor, and coordinate the spacecraft, its science instruments, and communications systems.

This hands-on role sits at the intersection of software and spacecraft operations, emphasizing ownership, cross-team collaboration, and rigorous testing to ensure safe, reliable missions and scalable data pipelines.