Senior Software Engineer, Front End

Trueanomalyinc; California (MO); On-site; USD 160,000 - 275,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, Dental, Vision benefits

401K

Parental Leave

Flexible work hours/location

Generous stock options

Job summary

True Anomaly in California is seeking a dedicated Senior Front End Software Engineer to enhance our complex spacecraft modeling software. This role demands ownership of frontend features, architectural guidance, and mentoring of junior engineers.

Ideal candidates have 7+ years of experience, expertise in React and modern JavaScript, and a strong testing philosophy. The position is fully onsite, offering a competitive salary range of $160,000 to $275,000 plus comprehensive benefits.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of software development experience.
• Expert-level command of modern TypeScript/JavaScript.
• Deep expertise in modern React and performance optimization.
• Proven experience with component libraries and design systems.
• Fluency with API design and debugging integration issues.

Responsibilities

• Own and deliver complex web-based frontend features end-to-end.
• Drive architectural direction for frontend systems.
• Proactively identify and address technical debt.
• Mentor junior and mid-level engineers through constructive code review.
• Collaborate with product, design, and backend engineers for technical decisions.

Skills

HTML/CSS

TypeScript

JavaScript

React

Vitest

RESTful services

gRPC

WebSocket

Git

Education

Degree in Software Engineering, Math, Physics or related fields

Job description

Space is a warfighting domain. True Anomaly seeks those with the talent and ambition to build the technology that secures it.

OUR MISSION

True Anomaly delivers decisive capabilities for space superiority. We build autonomous spacecraft, advanced payloads, mission software, and space-based interceptors — enabling the U.S. and its Allies to secure the space environment and counter threats from the ultimate high ground.

OUR VALUES

• Be the offset. We create asymmetric advantages with creativity and ingenuity.
• What would it take? We challenge assumptions to deliver ambitious results.
• It’s the people. Our team is our competitive advantage and we are better together.

YOUR MISSION

Software is the central nervous system for True Anomaly’s engineering and product thesis. Software bridges the gap between military objectives, theoretical astrodynamics and the human and autonomous control of spacecraft and ground systems in time and space. True Anomaly is seeking a dedicated Senior Front End Software Engineer to contribute to the continuing evolution of our complex spacecraft modeling and simulation software.

This is a high-autonomy, high-accountability role. You'll own entire feature domains from conception to production, drive architectural decisions that affect the entire frontend surface, and set the standard for code quality that junior and mid-level engineers will follow. You won't wait to be assigned work, you'll identify what needs to be done, propose solutions, and drive them to completion. When you see tech debt, you'll flag it, scope it, and champion the work to address it. When patterns aren't serving us, you'll propose better ones and lead their adoption.

You do not need to have experience building space ground systems or experience in aerospace. You’ll have ownership of challenging, greenfield problems and a chance to fundamentally impact the outcome of future conflict (and the future of the company), all while enjoying world-class benefits including platinum healthcare, flexible work hours/location, highly competitive compensation and a generous stock options package.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Own and deliver complex 2D and 3D web-based frontend features end-to-end, from technical design through production deployment and iteration.
• Drive architectural direction for frontend systems, establishing patterns and conventions that scale across the team and codebase.
• Proactively identify and address technical debt, performance bottlenecks, and opportunities for refactoring.
• Set the quality bar through rigorous code review, championing testing practices, and writing code that serves as a reference implementation for the team.
• Mentor and elevate junior and mid-level engineers through pairing, design discussions, and constructive code review that teaches, not just approves.
• Collaborate as a technical partner with product, design, backend engineers, QA, space operators, and astrodynamics algorithm engineers—contributing to system-wide architectural decisions.
• Ship efficiently and iteratively, breaking complex work into well-scoped increments while maintaining a bias toward completion over perfection.
• Document decisions and patterns, ensuring the team's collective knowledge grows and onboarding becomes easier over time.

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE IN THIS ROLE

• You see a PR from a junior engineer that works but violates codebase conventions—you don't just approve it; you take the time to explain the patterns and why they matter.
• You notice a component is being copy-pasted across the codebase—you propose and implement an abstraction, then document when and how to use it.
• You're assigned a feature and the requirements are ambiguous—you proactively clarify with product and design, propose a technical approach, and share it with the team before diving into implementation.
• You see downtime as an opportunity, not a break—you're the kind of engineer who notices the flaky test everyone's been ignoring and decides to finally fix it.
• You disagree with an architectural decision—you articulate your concerns constructively, propose alternatives with tradeoffs, and commit fully once a decision is made.
• You're thinking beyond your current ticket—you're aware of how your work fits into the broader product roadmap and technical direction, and you surface risks or opportunities early.

QUALIFICATIONS

• 7+ years of software development experience.
• Expert-level command of HTML/CSS and modern TypeScript/JavaScript, including nuanced understanding of performance implications and browser internals.
• Deep expertise in modern React, including advanced patterns (compound components, render props, custom hooks architecture), state management strategies, and performance optimization techniques.
• Strong testing philosophy and hands-on experience with Vitest, React Testing Library, and end-to-end testing frameworks, you understand what to test, not just how.
• Proven experience designing and evolving component libraries, design systems, and CSS architecture at scale.
• Fluency with gRPC, RESTful and WebSocket-based services, including debugging integration issues and contributing to API design discussions.
• Comfort operating across the stack when needed, you can read backend code, understand infrastructure constraints, and collaborate effectively with backend engineers.
• Track record of working in Git-based workflows with high standards for commit hygiene, PR quality, and collaborative review processes.
• U.S. Citizen and eligible for DoD Secret or TS/SCI clearance.

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

• A strong engineering background in school and/or work experience ideally in Software Engineering, Math, Physics, or other related fields.
• Experience as a technical lead or primary frontend architect on a product with real users and production constraints.
• Experience building and shipping complex, data-dense applications with demanding performance requirements (large datasets, real-time updates, complex visualizations).
• Deep experience with Three.js, React Three Fiber, or other web-based 3D libraries, including performance profiling and optimization.
• Experience in UI/UX design collaboration and tools like Figma, you can speak the language of design and advocate for engineering constraints.
• Practical space industry experience.
• Strong collaboration and communication skills that let

COMPENSATION

• Base Salary: $160,000 - $275,000
• Equity + Benefits including Health, Dental, Vision, HRA/HSA options, PTO and paid holidays, 401K, Parental Leave.

Your actual level and base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: job-related knowledge and skills, education, location, and experience.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

• Work Location: This is a fully onsite role. Candidates must be based in or able to commute to our Denver or Long Beach office daily.
• Work environment: the work environment; temperature, noise level, inside or outside, or other factors that will affect the person's working conditions while performing the job.
• Physical demands: the physical demands of the job, including bending, sitting, lifting and driving.

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

True Anomaly is committed to equal employment opportunity on any basis protected by applicable state and federal laws. If you have a disability or additional need that requires accommodation, please do not hesitate to let us.