Software Engineer (Simulations)

Lodestar; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Lodestar in Los Angeles is seeking a Software Engineer – Simulation to build and validate the environment for the MITHRIL autonomy stack. You will create high-fidelity sensor and environment models and run SIL/HIL benches against flight software.

You’ll work with perception, prediction, decision and missions teams to decide modeling needs, fidelity, and reproducibility across CI and distributed systems. Strong C++17+ and Python skills are required.

Qualifications

• 6+ years of industry experience with end-to-end simulation stack ownership.
• Experience with Unreal Engine for sensor or environment simulation.
• Experience standing up SIL/HIL benches with CI integration and automated regression testing.
• Bachelor's or Master’s degree in relevant fields or equivalent experience.
• Strong multithreaded and concurrent programming in real-time contexts.
• Experience with ROS 2 and DDS middleware for distributed autonomy systems.

Responsibilities

• Build and validate high-fidelity simulation environments for the autonomy stack.
• Develop sensor models (EO cameras, lighting) and physics-based environments.
• Stand up SIL and HIL benches with CI integration and automated regression testing.
• Collaborate with perception, prediction, decision and missions teams to define fidelity needs.
• Own internal simulation tooling, telemetry, and regression frameworks.
• Design distributed simulation services to scale mission scenarios.

Skills

C++

Python

Unreal Engine

ROS 2

Linux

Multithreading

Distributed systems

Docker/Kubernetes

CUDA

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Aerospace, Robotics, Mechanical or Electrical Engineering

Tools

Unreal Engine

ROS 2

Gazebo

DDS Middleware

Docker

Kubernetes

Job description

• Our flagship product MITHRIL is the critical hardware & software necessary to augment any off-the-shelf spacecraft with the ability to autonomously detect, characterise, and reversibly neutralise orbital threats. By building on the proven space heritage of our best-in-class satellite-bus partners and fully integrating MITHRIL as a single platform, we deliver a fully autonomous end-to-end protection spacecraft service
• At Lodestar, as a Software Engineer: Simulation, you’ll build the environment in which MITHRIL is developed, tested and proven. Every autonomy behaviour we fly is validated in simulation first, which makes the simulator one of the highest-leverage pieces of software in the company: if it isn’t faithful, nothing downstream can be trusted
• You’ll develop high-fidelity sensor and environment models in Unreal Engine, stand up the software- and hardware-in-the-loop benches that our flight software runs against, and design the distributed services that let scenarios run reproducibly across machines and in CI
• You’ll work directly with the perception, prediction, decision, and missions teams to decide what needs simulating, at what fidelity, and why
• We proudly have an “extreme ownership” oriented engineering culture
• Build and extend the mission simulation environment that Lodestar’s autonomy stack is developed and validated against
• Develop high-fidelity sensor and environment models - electro-optical cameras, orbital lighting and illumination
• Build software-in-the-loop and hardware-in-the-loop test benches so that flight software can be trialed against realistic simulated missions
• Design distributed simulation services to run mission scenarios at scale
• Own the internal simulation tooling, telemetry, and regression frameworks

2–5 years of industry experience building simulation, robotics, or gamesWorking proficiency in C++ and PythonComfortable deriving requirements from first principlesFamiliarity with 3D game engines (Unreal Engine or Unity) or comparable physics and graphics simulation toolingStrong modern C++ (C++17 or later) alongside Python0–2 years of professional experience in simulation, robotics, games. Can also include Internships and research placementsExposure to ROS 2 in an academic, research, or professional settingTrack record architecting simulation infrastructure - deciding what to model at what fidelity, and defending those trade-offs to engineering stakeholdersComfortable developing in Linux and with containerised workflows (Docker)Experience mentoring engineers and setting technical direction across team boundariesHands-on SIL and/or HIL experience: building test harnesses and integrating real vehicle or flight software against simulated sensors and actuatorsDepth in real-time distributed system design: determinism, time synchronisation, clock management, and reproducibility across nodesCandidates should have strong expertise in any or all orbital dynamic simulation, 3D game engines, or distributed simulation architecture (ROS2)Understanding of multithreading fundamentals - threads, synchronization primitives, race conditionsSoftware Engineer III:6+ years of industry experience, including end-to-end ownership of a simulation stack or a major simulation subsystemExperience with Unreal Engine for sensor or environment simulation, or equivalent depth in Unity, Isaac Sim, or GazeboExperience standing up HIL benches or SIL pipelines from scratch, including CI integration and automated regression testingSoftware Engineer II:We are hiring this role at three levels. All levels require a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Aerospace, Robotics, Mechanical or Electrical Engineering, a related field, or equivalent experienceExperience designing distributed services - inter-process communication, message transport, and orchestration across multiple machinesDemonstrated multithreaded and concurrent programming in a real-time or soft-real-time contextProduction experience with ROS 2 - node design, DDS middleware, message passing, launch and configuration managementSoftware Engineer I: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 StateExperience with Linux, Git, and CI/CD pipelinesExperience with distributed transports (DDS, Zenoh, gRPC) and time-synchronisation protocols (PTP, NTP)Experience with GPU rendering pipelines or CUDA for accelerated simulation and synthetic data generationStrong understanding of networking and communication protocols for distributed autonomy systemsExperience with physics engines and rigid-body dynamicsFamiliarity with orbital mechanics and BasiliskComfortable with containerisation and orchestration tools such as Docker and KubernetesSensor modelling experience across electro-optical, LIDAR, RADAR, or RF sensorsExposure to robotics or space simulation frameworks such as Gazebo, Isaac Sim, Basilisk, or 42