Senior / Principal Flight Software Engineer - Spacecraft Payloads

EVONA; Albuquerque (NM); On-site; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

EVONA is seeking a Senior/Principal Flight Software Engineer to own payload flight software from architecture through integration and on-orbit operations. The role is highly hands-on, working close to hardware and influencing software practices as the company scales.

You will design, develop and test flight software for advanced spacecraft payloads, collaborating across disciplines to ensure mission readiness and robust fault handling in a fast-growing space technology environment in

Qualifications

• 5+ years developing embedded, real-time, distributed or mission-critical software.
• Strong C++ and/or Rust.
• Experience architecting and testing complex embedded software.
• Comfortable working across the hardware/software boundary.
• Experience troubleshooting systems involving software, electronics, communications, sensors or other hardware.
• Ability to take significant technical ownership and operate effectively in a small engineering team.
• Strong communication skills when working with internal teams, spacecraft vendors and external partners.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop flight software for advanced spacecraft payloads.
• Own architecture across command & control, telemetry, data handling, health monitoring, fault protection and autonomous operations.
• Develop primarily in C++ and/or Rust within Linux environments.
• Lead payload-to-spacecraft software integration with vendors and external partners.
• Define software interfaces, ICDs, timing requirements, communications and data flows.
• Develop SIL/HIL test environments, automated test frameworks and flight-software verification infrastructure.
• Collaborate with electronics, sensors, communications systems and payload hardware during integration and testing.
• Support spacecraft-level integration, environmental testing and mission-readiness activities.
• Participate in commissioning and on-orbit operations, including telemetry analysis and updates.
• Work with electrical, optical, RF, controls, systems, mechanical and mission-operations engineers.

Skills

C++

Rust

Embedded software

Real-time systems

Software architecture

Test automation

Flight software

Linux

Hardware boundary

Team ownership

Tools

cFS

F Prime

SpaceWire

CAN

UART

Ethernet

TCP/IP

Job description

Senior / Principal Flight Software Engineer - Spacecraft Payloads

Early-Stage Space Technology Company

I’m working with a rapidly growing space technology company developing advanced spacecraft payload systems for both commercial and government missions.

They’re looking for an experienced Flight Software Engineer to take significant ownership of payload flight software - from architecture and development through spacecraft integration, verification, commissioning and ultimately on-orbit operations.

This is a broad, highly hands-on position for someone who wants to work close to the hardware and have genuine influence over how flight software is built as the company scales.

What you'll be doing

• Design and develop flight software for advanced spacecraft payloads
• Own architecture across command & control, telemetry, data handling, health monitoring, fault protection and autonomous operations
• Develop primarily in C++ and/or Rust within Linux environments
• Lead payload-to-spacecraft software integration, working directly with spacecraft vendors and external engineering partners
• Define software interfaces, ICDs, timing requirements, communications and data flows
• Develop SIL/HIL test environments, automated test frameworks and flight-software verification infrastructure
• Work directly with electronics, sensors, communications systems and payload hardware during integration and testing
• Support spacecraft-level integration, environmental testing and mission-readiness activities
• Participate in commissioning and on-orbit operations, including telemetry analysis, anomaly resolution and flight-software updates
• Work closely with electrical, optical, RF, controls, systems, mechanical and mission-operations engineers
• Help establish flight-software architecture, development standards and engineering practices as the organization grows

What they're looking for

• 5+ years developing embedded, real-time, distributed or mission-critical software
• Strong C++ and/or Rust
• Experience architecting and testing complex embedded software
• Comfortable working across the hardware/software boundary
• Experience troubleshooting systems involving software, electronics, communications, sensors or other hardware
• Ability to take significant technical ownership and operate effectively in a small engineering team
• Strong communication skills when working with internal teams, spacecraft vendors and external partners

Particularly relevant experience

Any combination of the following would stand out:

• Spacecraft or payload flight software
• cFS, F Prime or similar flight-software frameworks
• Ethernet, CAN, UART, SpaceWire, CCSDS or TCP/IP
• Command and telemetry systems
• Fault detection, isolation and recovery FDIR
• Autonomous spacecraft or robotic systems
• Complex sensors, optical systems, RF systems or scientific payloads
• SIL / HIL / processor-in-the-loop testing
• Spacecraft integration and environmental test campaigns
• Ground systems and mission operations
• Spacecraft commissioning or on-orbit support
• High-reliability / fault-tolerant software

Why consider it?

This is an opportunity to join a small space company at a stage where you can have genuine ownership rather than inheriting a mature software stack.

You’ll be involved across the full lifecycle: