Software Engineer (Portal)

Northwood Space; Torrance (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Northwood Space in Torrance, CA is seeking a Software Engineer focused on control systems for Phased Array antennas. You will design, implement, and optimize the global service that delivers connectivity to customers, owning areas from antenna system control to high-rate data processing.

The ideal candidate has experience across API design, distributed systems, DSP, and hardware integration, plus strong programming skills in Rust, C/C++, Python, and Go.

Qualifications

• Candidates should have hands-on experience with software for control systems and high-rate processing.
• Experience designing APIs and data pipelines for distributed, real-time systems.
• Strong programming skills in Rust/C/C++/Go/Python/Java and comfort with cloud and containerized environments.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and optimize the global service delivering connectivity to customers.
• Own areas from antenna system control to high-rate data processing and simulations.
• Collaborate across teams on API design, data movement, and fault handling.
• Develop software simulations for testing and verification of complex systems.

Skills

Rust

C

C++

Go

Python

Java

Problem-solving

Communication

Collaboration

Fast-paced work

Math maturity

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/CE/EE/Math/Physics or related

Tools

RESTful APIs

Protocol Buffers

gRPC

PostgreSQL

MySQL

RabbitMQ

MQTT

Redis Pub/Sub

AWS

Azure

Google Cloud

Docker

Kubernetes

Job description

About Northwood

Northwood is a modern space infrastructure company bringing the benefits of space to the masses through advanced communications technology. We are building a global network of phased array and parabolic ground stations that enable real-time, reliable communication for satellite missions such as national security, global connectivity, and disaster response. With a vertically integrated approach, Northwood designs, builds, and rapidly deploys scalable systems that power the next generation of space missions. If you like solving complex challenges and seeing your work deployed around the world with real impact, Northwood is the place to do it.

Role

Northwood is looking for a Software Engineer focusing on control systems for our Phased Array antennas. As a Software Engineer at Northwood, you will be pivotal in designing, implementing, and optimizing the global service that delivers connectivity to our customers. You will have ownership over key areas ranging from control of our antenna systems to high-rate data processing. An ideal candidate is someone who likes to work across areas of responsibility and can dive deep into high-priority challenges.

We seek versatile candidates who want to contribute across multiple areas while having a solid foundation in a few core areas of focus. These areas of focus include (but are not limited to) the following:

• Algorithms for antenna calibration and localization

• Algorithms for beamforming and antenna pointing

• Digital signal processing on high-rate data streams

• Telecommunications systems

• Multi-antenna orchestration

• Fault detection, isolation, and recovery (FDIR) systems

• API, Database, and Inter-Process Communication (IPC) design

• Software simulations for test and verification

Basic Qualifications

• 3+ years of professional software development experience. This doesn’t have to be a full-time role. There are many ways to gain valuable experience, and we’d love to hear about yours; please tell us about internships, projects out of the classroom, or any personal wo.

• A bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Math, Physics, or other related discipline. This is a soft-requirement; if you didn’t pursue a degree, tell us why and what we've done in its place.

Preferred Qualifications

While we don’t expect you to have every skill listed below, we do expect you to take ownership of one or more areas and drive decisions and implementations where your strengths lie.

• Programming Languages (General): Rust, C, C++, Go, Python, Java

• Strong problem-solving abilities

• Excellent communication and collaboration skills

• Ability to work in a fast-paced, dynamic environment

• High mathematical maturity

Domain specific skills

APIs and Inter-Service Communication:

• Experience in building RESTful APIs

• Experience with Protocol Buffers and/or gRPC

Antenna Systems

• Knowledge of the physics of Phased Arrays and beamforming

• Familiarity with spatial filtering and adaptive beamforming methods

Data Movement and Networking:

• Proficiency in architecting data pipelines for high-throughput environments

• Understanding of network programming and IP protocols

• Experience with high-speed communications (10/25/100G Ethernet)

Databases and Data Processing:

• Proficiency with relational databases (PostgreSQL, MySQL)

• Knowledge of publish/subscribe architectures and technologies (RabbitMQ, MQTT, Redis Pub/Sub, etc.)

Distributed Systems and Cloud Computing:

• Experience designing and implementing distributed systems

• Knowledge of cloud services (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud) and orchestration tools

• Familiarity with microservice architectures

Hardware Interaction and FPGAs:

• Experience with hardware control systems

• Familiarity with FPGA programming and orchestration

• Understanding of embedded systems development

Parallel Systems

• Experience writing multithreaded systems

• Knowledge of synchronization primitives, including mutexes, semaphores, and message passing queues

• Experience with asynchronous programming

Signal Processing

• Knowledge of signal processing mathematics, particularly digital signal processing (e.g., Discrete Fourier Transforms, Filtering, Quantization, etc.)

• Experience implementing signal processing routines on real systems

Simulation

• Experience designing/implementing simulations for physical models (think satellite orbits) or hardware systems

Telecommunications:

• Knowledge of modulation schemes and modems

• Knowledge of error correction and coding schemes, including linear block codes, convolutional codes, and Reed-Solomon codes

Testing and Automation:

• Experience with automated testing frameworks

• Familiarity with production line testing software

Additional Information

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.

Northwood Space is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Northwood Space is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.

If you need a reasonable accommodation as part of your application for employment or interviews with us, please let us know at [e-mail]