Senior Software Engineer (remote Sensing) Software

Front Door Defense; Santa Barbara (CA); On-site; USD 155,000 - 185,000; Full time

Job summary

Front Door Defense is looking for a Senior Software Engineer to join our Remote Sensing team, focusing on backend services for autonomous satellite operations. This role involves designing and maintaining software systems that ensure effective mission planning and control. Candidates should have extensive experience in software engineering, especially within backend systems.

The position is primarily based in Santa Barbara, California, although remote options are available. This is an excellent opportunity to work on cutting-edge technology in the space sector.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of software engineering experience.
• Strong background in backend services and software systems.
• Experience with APIs and cloud platforms.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop scalable software systems.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams for end-to-end solutions.
• Ensure system uptime and performance.

Skills

Software development

Backend services

API development

System reliability

Cloud computing

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

Git

Docker

Kubernetes

Job description

Senior Software Engineer (remote Sensing)

Lead backend services for autonomous satellite operations and mission planning.

Location: Santa Barbara, California, United States; Arlington, Virginia, United States; Reston, Virginia, United States

Compensation: $155,000 - 185,000 USD / year

Job Tags: Software

About The Role

Senior Ground Software Engineer

Umbra is an American space technology company delivering advanced systems, from sensors to spacecraft, that empower customers worldwide with unmatched access to critical information from space. Our mission is simple and ambitious: redefine space— for people, systems, and missions in every domain. Umbra's ecosystem operates through three business units: Remote Sensing (the data), Space Systems (the components), and Mission Solutions (the platforms). Together, our teams develop capabilities that deliver persistent access, resilient performance, and mission‑ready solutions, advancing U.S. space leadership while keeping the world safe and informed.

About the Team

Remote Sensing – The Data

Remote Sensing is where Umbra got its start, and our agile Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) constellation remains the most capable on the market. We transform satellite data into real‑world, actionable insights that strengthen U.S. national security and intelligence, support disaster response, and advance scientific discovery. Our team delivers data at scale with unmatched quality, persistence, and the speed and responsiveness our partners demand.

If you want to work on cutting‑edge space technology that's redefining what's possible in remote sensing, you belong here at Umbra.

About the Job

We are seeking a Senior Ground Software Engineer to join our Remote Sensing software organization and help expand our capacity to design, build, and maintain the critical systems that support our autonomous satellite operations. This engineer will contribute to software systems across our mission planning, scheduling, command, control, and communications domains, partnering with product owners and multidisciplinary engineering teams to develop and operate the services that enable spacecraft operations at scale.

In this role, you will take ownership of key backend services alongside our existing engineers, helping distribute operational responsibility, improve system resiliency, and accelerate delivery across multiple mission‑critical product areas.

This position is based on‑site in either our Santa Barbara/Goleta, CA office, Arlington, VA office, or Reston, VA office (coming soon).

Key Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and maintain reliable, scalable, and secure software systems that support satellite mission planning, scheduling, command, control, and communications.
• Take shared ownership of critical production services, reducing single‑threaded dependencies and improving operational resilience.
• Contribute to architectural decisions and influence system design with a focus on reliability, scalability, maintainability, and security.
• Collaborate with cross‑functional teams, including operations, platform engineering, and flight software, to deliver end‑to‑end solutions.
• Participate in on‑call rotations and ensure system uptime, performance, and operational excellence.
• Develop and maintain APIs, backend services, and data workflows that support autonomous satellite operations.
• Continuously improve observability, testing, deployment, and operational processes.