Senior / Principal Flight Software Engineer - Spacecraft Payloads

EVONA; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

EVONA is seeking a Principal Flight Software Engineer to own the software architecture for spaceflight payloads. This senior, hands-on role involves leading the flight software lifecycle across embedded systems, RTOS, and Linux, with a focus on deterministic, timing-critical code.

You will collaborate across hardware interfaces, sensors, actuators and FPGA electronics, drive verification through SIL/HIL testing, and guide bring-up and mission readiness for spacecraft programs.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of professional software experience, including embedded or real-time systems.
• Strong C/C++ skills with hands-on technical leadership.
• Experience across embedded hardware interfaces and debugging across processors.
• Experience in spaceflight or mission-critical embedded environments is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Develop software architecture for flight software from the ground up.
• Own full lifecycle of flight software development.
• Design and implement spacecraft telemetry, command & control, and state management.
• Lead SIL/HIL testing and automated verification.
• Collaborate across processors, electronics, interfaces, and hardware.

Skills

Embedded C/C++

RTOS

Embedded Linux

Flight software architecture

Fault detection & recovery

Deterministic / timing-critical

Hardware interfaces & debugging

Processor bring-up

SIL / HIL testing

Tools

FPGA

Job description

Principal Flight Software Engineer – Spacecraft & Payloads

I’m supporting an early-stage aerospace company developing advanced spacecraft payload technology and looking for a Principal Flight Software Engineer to help build the software architecture from the ground up.

This is a senior, hands-on role for someone who wants ownership across the full flight software lifecycle.

You’ll work across:

• Embedded C/C++
• RTOS and embedded Linux
• Spacecraft flight software architecture
• Command & control, telemetry and state management
• Fault detection and recovery
• Device drivers and hardware interfaces
• Deterministic / timing-critical software
• Sensors, actuators and FPGA-based electronics
• SIL / HIL testing and automated verification
• Processor bring-up and hardware/software debugging
• Spacecraft integration, environmental testing and mission readiness

The role requires someone who understands more than just software — you should be comfortable debugging across processors, electronics, interfaces and physical hardware.

They’re looking for 10+ years of professional software experience, including significant embedded or real-time systems work, with strong C/C++ and hands-on technical leadership.

Direct space experience is highly valuable, but engineers from other complex, mission-critical embedded environments are also of interest.