Senior Ground Software Engineer — Real-Time Telemetry & Data

Fortastra; Torrance (CA); On-site; USD 218,000 - 248,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Unlimited PTO

Comprehensive Healthcare

Equity

401(k)

Social events

Job summary

Fortastra is seeking a Sr. Ground Software Engineer to own the ground control software, data infrastructure, and data visualization tools that support flight operations and ground testing.

You will design, implement, and maintain telemetry pipelines and analytics that enable engineers to monitor spacecraft in real time and reconstruct post-flight data. You will collaborate across the ground stack from data ingestion to user-facing analysis, working closely with the Flight Software team to ensure

Qualifications

• B.S. in CS/Engineering, or related field.
• Experience in ground software, mission operations, or telemetry/command systems.
• Experience building data infrastructure: databases, time-series stores, streaming pipelines, or message buses.
• Experience building data visualization and analysis tools for engineers.
• Proficiency in Python, C++, Go, or Rust.
• Experience with space systems (rovers, satellites, etc.).
• Strong networking and real-time/high-throughput data handling.
• Experience with cloud-based ground systems or mission control software.
• Exposure to DevOps and automated testing pipelines.
• Comfort using agentic AI tools in development workflow.
• Ability to work independently in small teams.
• On-site work only.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop ground control software for commanding and monitoring spacecraft during flight operations and ground tests.
• Own data infrastructure that ingests, stores, and serves high-rate telemetry and test data reliably and at scale.
• Build data visualization and analysis tools that give engineers real-time and post-test insight into system behavior.
• Develop telemetry pipelines that handle both live streaming data and large historical datasets, with disciplined attention to reliability and data integrity.
• Work with flight software and avionics engineers to define command and telemetry interfaces that minimize risk and simplify integration.
• Build tooling that accelerates data review, anomaly detection, and post-test reconstruction.
• Support real-time operations during tests and flights, including console roles as needed.
• Generate and maintain clear documentation for ground software systems and interfaces with disciplined revision control.
• Collaborate with test and integration teams to ensure ground systems are buildable, testable, and serviceable, and support floor activities such as test setup and data verification.
• Identify and resolve issues related to data flow, system observability, and interactions between ground software and other spacecraft and test infrastructure

Skills

Python

C++

Go

Rust

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/Engineering or related field

Tools

Databases

Streaming pipelines

Job description

Fortastra is seeking a Sr. Ground Software Engineer to own the ground control software, data infrastructure, and data visualization tools that support flight operations and ground testing.

You will design, implement, and maintain telemetry pipelines and analytics that enable engineers to monitor spacecraft in real time and reconstruct post-flight data. You will collaborate across the ground stack from data ingestion to user-facing analysis, working closely with the Flight Software team to ensure