Mission Software Engineer II: Ground Systems for Space Ops

Varda Space Industries, Inc.; El Segundo (CA); On-site; USD 144,000 - 184,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, Vision insurance

Parental leave

Relocation assistance

Stock options

401(k) with employer match

Job summary

Varda Space Industries is seeking a Mission Software Engineer II to own and enhance the ground segment software used for spacecraft operations. You will work across telemetry, command, data distribution, and mission control interfaces in a hands-on capacity.

The role emphasizes real-time data handling, CI/CD, and infrastructure-as-code, with collaboration across avionics, RF/ground systems, and mission ops teams in a dynamic start-up environment.

Qualifications

• BS in computer science, math, physics, engineering or equivalent technical experience in safety critical software.
• 3+ years of experience in the development of spacecraft or similar safety critical software.
• Expertise with development in Python, along with a strong understanding of the language concepts.
• Strong systems fundamentals: concurrency, networking, performance, reliability.
• Experience building real-time data acquisition, scaling, and distribution services - low-latency messaging, time-series and relational stores.
• Hands-on experience with CI/CD, dependency/build systems, and infrastructure-as-code.
• End-to-end observability experience: logging, metrics, tracing.
• Docker/Kubernetes; release management, phased rollouts, and operational readiness for controlled networks.

Responsibilities

• Own Ground Segment Services: Develop and maintain high-reliability services for telemetry ingestion, scaling, distribution, and commanding.
• Mission Control Interfaces: Deliver operator-grade UIs and dashboards that optimize ops time and reduce cognitive load.
• Simulation and Test Automation: Build tools to run flight software simulations, device emulators, and scenario-based automated tests enabling fast, safe iteration.
• Build the Mission Platform: Design, implement, and productionize software for mission and ground software teams; CI/CD pipelines and infrastructure-as-code.
• Deployments Across Environments: Create robust deployment patterns for lab benches, test stands, and mission networks; safe rollout/rollback strategies.

Skills

Python

CI/CD

Real-time data

Docker/Kubernetes

Observability

Concurrency

Networking

Performance

Education

Bachelor's degree in computer science / engineering or equivalent

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

Ansible

NiceGUI

Job description

Varda Space Industries is seeking a Mission Software Engineer II to own and enhance the ground segment software used for spacecraft operations. You will work across telemetry, command, data distribution, and mission control interfaces in a hands-on capacity.

The role emphasizes real-time data handling, CI/CD, and infrastructure-as-code, with collaboration across avionics, RF/ground systems, and mission ops teams in a dynamic start-up environment.