Software Engineer - RFGL Systems

Spire; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 130,500; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

NYSP—Name Your Satellite Program

Launch Attendance

Generous Time Off Policy

Education Assistance Program

Employee Stock Purchase Program (ESPP)

Family Leave

Fitness Reimbursement

Healthy snacks & beverages

Job summary

Spire Global is hiring a Software Engineer to join the US-focused RFGL/SIGINT product team. You will deploy and maintain production RFGL software on AWS, build data pipelines, and develop observability tools necessary for mission‑critical space systems.

The role emphasizes production reliability and collaboration with a senior engineer in a regulated environment. Ideal candidates have 2–5 years of software experience, strong Python, Linux skills, and a customer‑focused mindset.

Qualifications

• 2–5 years of professional software engineering experience
• Demonstrated hands‑on experience with AWS (EC2, S3, Lambda, ECS/EKS, CloudWatch, IAM, or similar services) – this is critical
• Proficiency in Python for scripting, automation, data processing, and backend tooling
• Solid Linux fundamentals (administration, bash scripting, system troubleshooting)
• Experience building or maintaining production systems with a focus on reliability, monitoring, and operational excellence
• Strong communication skills and comfort working collaboratively in a small team under senior guidance

Responsibilities

• Deploy, maintain, and monitor RFGL and SIGINT software products in AWS production environments, ensuring high availability and performance for real customers
• Build and improve data handling pipelines, integrations with internal systems, and customer‑facing data delivery platforms
• Develop tooling and automation for production monitoring, alerting, logging, and observability
• Support satellite tasking operations and command workflows that enable RF geolocation missions
• Investigate and resolve bugs, performance issues, or enhancement needs in satellite payload software and infrastructure
• Collaborate with the senior software engineer and cross‑functional teams to implement improvements that enhance reliability and capability
• Contribute to infrastructure automation, CI/CD processes, and secure deployment practices in a regulated environment

Skills

AWS

Python

Linux

Production systems

Team collaboration

Communication

Containerization

CI/CD

Observability

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

Terraform

CloudFormation

GitHub Actions

Prometheus

Grafana

ELK stack

Spark

Kafka

Databricks

S3

Job description

Spire Global is a space-to-cloud analytics company that owns and operates the largest multi‑purpose constellation of satellites. We are hiring a Software Engineer to join our US‑focused RFGL (Radio Frequency Geolocation) and Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) product team.

This role is not the algorithmic or scientific core of our geolocation capability (that sits with our Principal RF Engineer and research team). Instead, you will own the operational side: deploying and maintaining production RFGL/SIGINT software systems on AWS, handling data pipelines and integrations (internal + customer‑facing), building monitoring tooling and automation, supporting satellite tasking workflows, and troubleshooting/fixing issues across payloads, ground systems, and infrastructure to drive RFGL product success for commercial, government, and defense customers.

ITAR restrictions apply to the work performed on this team. You will work under the direct supervision and mentorship of a senior software engineer on a small, high‑impact team. This is an early‑to‑mid‑career hands‑on role ideal for someone who thrives in iterative, production‑focused environments and wants to contribute meaningfully to mission‑critical space systems without needing deep RF estimation theory expertise upfront.

What You'll Do

• Deploy, maintain, and monitor RFGL and SIGINT software products in AWS production environments, ensuring high availability and performance for real customers
• Build and improve data handling pipelines, integrations with Spire internal systems, and customer‑facing data delivery platforms
• Develop tooling and automation for production monitoring, alerting, logging, and operational observability
• Support satellite tasking operations and command workflows that enable RF geolocation missions
• Investigate and resolve bugs, performance issues, or enhancement needs in satellite payload software, ground systems, and related infrastructure
• Collaborate closely with the senior software engineer, RF domain experts, and cross‑functional teams to implement incremental improvements that directly enhance RFGL product reliability and capability
• Contribute to infrastructure automation, CI/CD processes, and secure deployment practices in a regulated environment

Required Qualifications

• 2–5 years of professional software engineering experience (or equivalent academic + internship/project work for strong early‑career candidates)
• Demonstrated hands‑on experience with AWS (EC2, S3, Lambda, ECS/EKS, CloudWatch, IAM, or similar services) – this is critical
• Proficiency in Python for scripting, automation, data processing, and backend tooling
• Solid Linux fundamentals (administration, bash scripting, system troubleshooting)
• Experience building or maintaining production systems with a focus on reliability, monitoring, and operational excellence
• Strong communication skills and comfort working collaboratively in a small team under senior guidance

Preferred Qualifications

• Security background or experience implementing secure engineering practices, compliance controls, or working in regulated/government environments
• Background with big data systems, pipelines, or tools (e.g., Spark, Kafka, Databricks, S3‑based data lakes)
• Infrastructure‑as‑Code experience (Terraform, Ansible, CloudFormation, etc.)
• Prior exposure to space, aerospace, satellite operations, ground stations, or related domains
• Familiarity with containerization (Docker, Kubernetes), CI/CD pipelines (GitHub Actions, etc.), or observability tools (Prometheus, Grafana, ELK stack)
• Any experience reading/debugging C++ or embedded systems code (helpful for payload/ground system work)

Spire operates a hybrid work model, and this position will require you to work a minimum of three days per week in the office.

Access to US export‑controlled software and/or technology may be required for this role. If needed, Spire will arrange the necessary licenses—this is not something candidates need to have before applying.

Base Salary Range

$90,000 – $130,500 USD

This role is eligible for commissions and annual equity awards. It is also eligible for our employee benefits program, including vacation, sick, and personal time off; optional medical, dental, vision, life, and disability coverage; a 401(K) plan; health and wellness reimbursement program; and participation in Spire's Employee Stock Purchase Plan.

Global Perks

• Name Your Satellite Program (NYSP)
• Launch Attendance
• Generous Time Off Policy
• Education Assistance Program
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Employee Stock Purchase Program (ESPP)
• Family Leave
• Fitness Reimbursement
• Employee Referral Program
• Healthy snacks & beverages in every office

About Spire

Spire Global is a space‑to‑cloud analytics company that owns and operates the largest multi‑purpose constellation of satellites. Its proprietary data and algorithms provide the most advanced maritime, aviation, and weather tracking in the world. In addition to its constellation, Spire's data infrastructure includes a global ground station network and 24/7 operations that provide real‑time global coverage of every point on Earth.

Spire is Global and our success draws upon the diverse viewpoints, skills and experiences of our employees. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender identity or veteran status.

To help maintain a safe and secure workplace for Spire employees, all candidates who receive a conditional offer will be required to complete a background check. This may include criminal history and employment verification.

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Kindly be advised that communication regarding your application may come from @spire.com, @recruiting.spire.com, or from Candidate.fyi (our scheduling tool).