Senior Software System Engineer

The Exploration Company; California; On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

The Exploration Company seeks a Senior Software System Engineer to support flight software certification for the Nyx program. You will work in a V&V focused team interfacing with system engineers, software developers, and certification bodies.

You should have strong C++/Python experience, and knowledge of requirements tracing and software certification processes. This role is in California with a collaborative, fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• Experience with safety-critical or highly regulated software systems in aerospace.
• Strong understanding of requirements management, V&V, test and certification processes.
• Background in flight software frameworks and modern C++.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to V&V and IV&V activities to ensure flight software meets requirements.
• Support requirements management and tracing with full traceability from system to software artifacts.
• Prepare and review documentation for software certification and NASA Safety Reviews.
• Interpret, tailor, and apply formal standards.
• Interface with internal Product Assurance.
• Collaborate with system engineers and software teams to resolve issues.
• Develop and maintain software functional design baseline.
• Plan software testing of the integrated mission.
• Engage in software design and test discussions using C++ and Python.

Skills

C++

Python

V&V

Requirements tracing

Software certification

Embedded development

Real-time systems

Flight software

Tools

CI/CD Systems

Build systems

Spacecraft software frameworks

Job description

Here at The Exploration Company, we are building spacecrafts for humanity.

We are seeking a highly motivated and experienced Senior Software System Engineer to support the certification activities of the flight software for the Nyx program. You will work in a dedicated team focused on verification & validation (V&V), software certification, requirements tracing, test planning and system engineering interfacing. In this role, you will collaborate closely with software development teams, system engineering, certification bodies, and safety authorities. You will work in a fast-paced, collaborative environment where cross-functional integration is essential.

Key Responsibilities

• Contribute to V&V and IV&V activities to ensure that flight software meets functional, performance, and safety requirements


• Support requirements management and tracing, ensuring full traceability from system-level requirements to software implementation, test and verification artifacts


• Prepare and review documentation required for software certification and NASA Safety Reviews


• Interpret, tailor, and apply formal standards


• Interface with internal Product Assurance


• Collaborate daily with system engineers and software development teams to resolve technical issues and clarify requirements


• Develop and maintain software functional design baseline


• Plan software testing of the integrated mission


• Use your understanding of C++ and Python to meaningfully engage in software design and test discussions

What we would love to see from you

• Experience working on safety-critical or highly regulated software systems (preferably in aerospace)


• Solid understanding of requirements management, V&V, test and certification processes


• Strong technical background in software engineering, with practical experience in flight software frameworks and modern C++


• Experience with real-time systems, embedded development, or spacecraft software


• Familiarity with software testing methodologies and simulation tools


• Excellent cross-disciplinary communication and collaboration skills


• Focus on detail, quality, and testing


• Familiarity with agile and modern development practices

Nice to have

• Familiarity with standards such as SSP 50808, NASA-NPR-7150.2, NASA-STD-8739.8B, RCC319, ECSS-Q-ST-80C


• Prior work on human-rated spaceflight programs


• Experience with model-based system engineering


• Experience with CI/CD systems and build systems

Why you should join us!

What makes us special here at The Exploration Company and why we think you will enjoy working here is:

• We’re Agile - we make decisions fast whilst keeping our goals and systems in mind


• We’re Open and Collaborative - we are transparent about risks and obstacles, so that we can cooperate to overcome them


• We have a lot of Fun - we refuel our energy knowing we are democratising space. It’s a wonderful and rare opportunity, are YOU up for the challenge?

The Exploration Company is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, colour, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status or disability status. Relocation assistance is provided for those willing to relocate including visa sponsorship where applicable.