Senior Flight Software Architect — Space Systems

Linuxconfig; Long Beach, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 210,000 - 324,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity grant

Stock purchase plan

Medical plans

Dental & vision

401(k) with match

Paid time off

EV charging

Onsite fitness center

Merchandise discount

Job summary

Rocket Lab, headquartered in Long Beach, CA, seeks a Principal Flight Software Engineer to advance flight software for Space Systems programs. You will design, implement, and test software destined to run on RTOS/embedded Linux aboard spacecraft, with on-orbit testing opportunities and direct impact on missions.

You will lead junior developers, collaborate across disciplines, and participate in critical reviews (PDR/CDR) while maintaining robust testing in CI environments and supporting on-orbit

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering or equivalent in software, computer, electrical or aerospace fields.
• 12+ years of demonstrated embedded software development experience.
• Proficiency in Rust, C++, and C languages.
• Experience with RTOS or Embedded Linux.
• Experience leading junior software developers and cross-disciplinary collaboration.
• Active security clearance OR ability to obtain and maintain one.
• U.S. citizenship is required for program considerations.

Responsibilities

• Develop applications to run on RTOS and/or embedded Linux.
• Create hardware drivers for IMUs, star trackers, reaction wheels and other sensors/actuators.
• Develop and maintain unit tests within a Continuous Integration framework.
• Collaborate with hardware-in-the-loop test engineers for integrated validation.
• Work with systems and embedded engineers to develop and validate requirements.
• Participate in design reviews (PDR/CDR) and code reviews.
• Assist with on-orbit flight operations and testing.

Skills

Rust

C++

C

Leadership

Security clearance

US citizenship

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering

Tools

RTOS

Embedded Linux

CAN/CAN-FD

UDP/TCP

Job description

Rocket Lab, headquartered in Long Beach, CA, seeks a Principal Flight Software Engineer to advance flight software for Space Systems programs. You will design, implement, and test software destined to run on RTOS/embedded Linux aboard spacecraft, with on-orbit testing opportunities and direct impact on missions.

You will lead junior developers, collaborate across disciplines, and participate in critical reviews (PDR/CDR) while maintaining robust testing in CI environments and supporting on-orbit