Senior Flight Software Engineer

Capella Space; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Capella Space, now part of IonQ’s space business, operates a SAR satellite constellation providing all-weather imagery worldwide. As a Flight Software Engineer, you will write the software that runs our satellite fleet in orbit, collaborating daily with EE, FPGA, and ground software engineers to design, build, and evolve flight code.

You will bring a demonstrable track record with complex, safety-critical systems and strong systems-architecture judgment, helping shape the team’s engineering

Qualifications

• Open to strong mid-level through senior-level embedded software engineers (5+ years).

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and maintain flight software for a growing satellite constellation.
• Collaborate with EE, FPGA, and ground software engineers to ensure seamless integration between hardware and software.
• Lead code reviews and mentor teammates with constructive, high-standard feedback.
• Write and maintain unit and integration tests to ensure robustness and reliability of the software.
• Develop software documentation and provide cross-training to other team members

Skills

Embedded software

Flight software

Job description

IonQ, Inc. [NYSE: IONQ] is the world’s leading quantum platform and merchant supplier - delivering integrated quantum solutions across computing, networking, sensing, and security. IonQ’s newest generation of quantum computers, the IonQ Tempo, is the latest in a line of cutting-edge systems that have been helping customers and partners including Amazon Web Services, and AstraZeneca achieve 20x performance results and accelerate innovation in drug discovery, materials science, financial modeling, logistics, cybersecurity, and defense. In 2025, the company achieved 99.99% two-qubit gate fidelity, setting a world record in quantum computing performance.

Headquartered in College Park, Maryland, IonQ has operations in California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Washington, Italy, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Our quantum computing services are available through all major cloud providers, while we also meet the needs of networking and sensing customers across land, sea, air, and space. IonQ is making quantum platforms more accessible and impactful than ever before.

Capella, an IonQ company, spans national security, advanced sensing, and next-generation compute to deliver secure, mission-ready intelligence. Capella’s culture is built on collaboration, rigorous engineering, and a shared commitment to delivering solutions that strengthen global stability and security. Team members work side-by-side with some of the most innovative minds in space systems, quantum-enabled technologies, and mission-critical operations.

Capella values curiosity, resilience, and a willingness to tackle hard problems with precision and creativity. Capella welcomes and encourages applicants whose perspectives are historically underrepresented in technology, national security, and aerospace. No prior space experience is required. Diverse viewpoints strengthen Capella’s ability to innovate and deliver meaningful impact for partners worldwide.

Location:

This role can be based at our Louisville, CO or San Francisco office with the option to work a few days a week remotely.

Experience Level:

Open to strong mid-level through senior-level embedded software engineers (5+ years).

Travel:

Up to 5%

Job ID:

1729

The Role

Capella Space now part of IonQ’s space business operates one of the world’s most capable commercial synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite constellations, delivering all-weather, day-and-night imagery to government and commercial customers around the globe. As IonQ builds the physical infrastructure for the world’s first quantum-secured space network, spanning satellite operations and free-space optical communications, the Flight Software team is what keeps that constellation flying every day.

As a Flight Software Engineer, you will write the software that runs our satellite fleet in orbit, working daily alongside FPGA developers, electrical engineers, and other subsystem owners to design, build, and evolve flight code. You’ll bring a demonstrable track record with complex, safety-critical systems, strong systems-architecture judgment, and the experience to help shape the team’s engineering roadmap, turning sophisticated radar technology into software that is reliable and easy to operate.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and maintain flight software for a growing satellite constellation.
• Collaborate with EE, FPGA, and ground software engineers to ensure seamless integration between hardware and software.
• Lead code reviews and mentor teammates with constructive, high-standard feedback.
• Write and maintain unit and integration tests to ensure robustness and reliability of the software.
• Develop software documentation and provide cross-training to other team members