Software Engineer, Test & Automation

Cowboy Space Corp.; San Carlos (CA); On-site; USD 100,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity in Cowboy Space Corp.

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

401(k) retirement savings plan

Paid time off

10 paid holidays per year

Paid parental leave

Relocation assistance

Job summary

Cowboy Space Corp. is seeking a Software Engineer, Test & Automation to build and own software, tooling, and infrastructure for verifying spacecraft systems throughout the development lifecycle.

You will design reusable frameworks and automation that support multiple programs, enabling reliable tests across SIL, HITL, and field environments. The role emphasizes hands-on interaction with spacecraft hardware and lab equipment, while integrating tests into CI workflows and ensuring repeatable,

Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience in test automation, embedded software, hardware/software integration, validation infrastructure, or related discipline.
• Strong software development in Python, C/C++, or Rust.
• Experience designing maintainable software tools, libraries, services, or frameworks used by other engineers.
• Hands-on experience testing software against physical hardware and integrating with lab/test equipment.
• Experience with SPI, I2C, UART, CAN, and Ethernet.
• Ability to debug complex issues across software, hardware, instrumentation, and test-environment boundaries.
• Demonstrated focus on reusability, reliability, observability, and maintainability of test solutions.
• Willingness to support hands-on testing in lab, test-facility, and field environments.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and maintain reusable software frameworks for automated spacecraft testing across SIL, HITL, environmental, radiation, integration, and field-test environments.
• Own the software and automation for HITL infrastructure that exercises real flight software against flight, engineering, or emulated spacecraft hardware.
• Build SIL environments that support rapid development, regression testing, fault injection, and validation without requiring physical hardware.
• Automate environmental and qualification testing, including thermal-vacuum, vibration, shock, EMC, and other test campaigns.
• Build scheduling, resource management, and reporting systems that enable shared test infrastructure across programs.
• Integrate automated tests into continuous integration workflows and provide clear results to engineering teams.
• Stand up, configure, and maintain test racks and lab equipment, including power, data, and safety interfaces.
• Develop software interfaces for controlling and collecting data from power supplies, oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, and data-acquisition systems.
• Collaborate with engineering to define test coverage, prioritize gaps, and validate hardware and software releases before integration and flight.
• Investigate failures, distinguish test-infrastructure issues, and drive root-cause analysis to closure.
• Manage configuration, calibration, versioning, data provenance, and traceability to ensure reproducible results.
• Document the test platform, develop operating procedures, and champion adoption across the company.

Skills

Python

C/C++

Rust

Test automation

Embedded software

SPI

I2C

UART

CAN

Ethernet

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Aerospace Engineering, or related field

Job description

About Cowboy Space Corp

Mission

Cowboy Space Corporation is solving the global energy crisis by building the infrastructure for abundant, resilient space-based solar energy. We are tackling one of humanity’s most complex engineering challenges with a world-class team dedicated to delivering a revolutionary power platform. Cowboy Space Corporation is transforming how civilization powers, computes and connects - from orbit to Earth.

Background

Cowboy Space Corporation is building the infrastructure to power and connect the orbital economy. Our modular, scalable satellites collect sunlight in Low Earth Orbit to enable multiple integrated applications: transmitting energy via infrared lasers (space-to-earth and space-to-space), powering on-orbit high-performance computing clusters (GPU/TPU), and providing secure, high bandwidth optical data transport. Current energy and data systems rely on complex logistics and outdated infrastructure. Cowboy Space Corporation overcomes these challenges by enabling direct, on-demand, secure, and scalable energy distribution and data processing from space. This will revolutionize how we operate in orbit and on Earth, supporting the rapidly expanding space industrial base, ISAM (In-Space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing) operations, remote regions, and military bases.

Baiju Bhatt founded Cowboy Space Corporation in 2024. Inspired by his father’s work with NASA Langley Research Center, Baiju earned his B.S. in Physics and M.S. in Mathematics at Stanford before co-founding Robinhood, now a public company that has helped over 20 million Americans access the financial system. Cowboy Space Corporation has raised ~$365 million from Index Ventures, Interlagos, Construct Ventures, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, NEA, and others.

This is an ambitious mission that demands extraordinary talent. Cowboy Space Corporation ’s team has worked at places like SpaceX, Blue Origin, Stoke Space, Astranis and NASA, and is based in San Carlos, CA. If you're ready to solve complex technical challenges and help build the most important energy company in the world, we want to hear from you.

The Role

We are looking for a Software Engineer, Test & Automation to build and own the software, tooling, and infrastructure used to verify our spacecraft systems throughout the development lifecycle. This includes software-in-the-loop (SIL), hardware-in-the-loop (HITL), environmental and radiation testing, hardware qualification, integration campaigns, and field tests.

Today, much of this work is distributed among engineers who carry test infrastructure alongside their primary responsibilities. This role will establish testing and automation as a dedicated, reusable capability that every flight program can rely on. You will develop common frameworks that support multiple concurrent programs, automate complex test operations, and make it easy for flight software, avionics, hardware, and systems engineers to create trustworthy tests.

This is a software-focused role with significant hands‑on interaction with spacecraft hardware, lab equipment, test facilities, and field operations.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and maintain reusable software frameworks for automated spacecraft testing across SIL, HITL, environmental, radiation, integration, and field-test environments
• Own the software and automation for HITL infrastructure that exercises real flight software against flight, engineering, or emulated spacecraft hardware
• Build SIL environments that support rapid development, regression testing, fault injection, and validation without requiring physical hardware
• Automate environmental and qualification testing, including thermal-vacuum, vibration, shock, electromagnetic compatibility, and other test campaigns
• Build scheduling, resource management, and reporting systems that make shared test infrastructure repeatable, self-service, and usable across multiple concurrent programs
• Integrate automated tests into continuous integration workflows and provide clear, actionable results to engineering teams
• Stand up, configure, and maintain test racks and supporting lab equipment, including power, data, instrumentation, and safety interfaces
• Develop software interfaces for controlling and collecting data from power supplies, oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, data‑acquisition systems, environmental chambers, and other test equipment
• Partner with engineering teams to define test coverage, prioritize gaps, and validate hardware and software releases before integration and flight
• Investigate failures and anomalies, distinguish test‑infrastructure issues from genuine hardware or software defects, and drive root‑cause analysis to closure
• Manage configuration, calibration, versioning, data provenance, and traceability so test environments and results are reproducible and trustworthy
• Document the test platform, develop operating procedures, and champion its adoption across the company

Basic Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience, or equivalent practical experience, in test automation, embedded software, hardware/software integration, validation infrastructure, or a related discipline
• Strong software development skills in Python, C/C++, or Rust
• Experience designing maintainable software tools, libraries, services, or frameworks used by other engineers
• Hands‑on experience testing software against physical hardware and integrating software with lab or test equipment
• Experience with common embedded communication interfaces such as SPI, I2C, UART, CAN, and Ethernet
• Ability to debug complex issues that cross software, hardware, instrumentation, and test‑environment boundaries
• Demonstrated focus on reusability, reliability, observability, and maintainability rather than one‑off test solutions
• Ability and willingness to support hands‑on testing in laboratory, test‑facility, and field environments

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field
• Experience testing spacecraft, aircraft, automotive systems, robotics, or other high‑reliability embedded systems
• Experience developing SIL or HITL test environments, hardware emulators, simulators, or fault‑injection systems
• Experience automating environmental tests such as thermal‑vacuum, vibration, shock, or electromagnetic compatibility testing
• Experience supporting radiation effects testing, including total ionizing dose, single‑event effects, or related test campaigns
• Experience building software for experiment control, time‑series telemetry collection, data analysis, visualization, and automated reporting
• Experience designing or maintaining test racks, harnessing, data‑acquisition systems, and lab infrastructure at scale
• Experience supporting field‑test operations where reliability, portability, remote operation, and rapid troubleshooting are important
• Understanding of flight software concepts such as real‑time systems, fault detection and recovery, command and telemetry handling, and hardware abstraction
• Familiarity with test configuration management, requirements traceability, calibration records, and reproducible test environments
• Experience working in fast‑paced, high‑ownership environments with rapid iteration cycles

Compensation and Benefits

The salary range for this position is $100,000 - $200,000 annually. The actual base salary offered will depend on factors such as job‑related skills, experience, qualifications, and internal equity.

• Equity in Cowboy Space Corp.
• Employees and their eligible dependents may enroll in medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) retirement savings plan
• Paid time off
• 10 paid holidays per calendar year
• Paid parental leave
• Relocation assistance if applicable
• Daily lunch in the office and a fully stocked kitchen with beverages and snacks

ITAR Requirements

• Export Control Requirement: To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), applicants 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. Learn more about ITAR here.

Disclaimer

This job description is a summary of the primary duties and responsibilities of the job and position. It is not intended to be a comprehensive or all-inclusive listing of duties and responsibilities. Contents are subject to change at Cowboy Space Corp.’s discretion.

Cowboy Space Corp. is an equal employment opportunity employer. We consider individuals for employment or promotion according to their skills, abilities and experience. Cowboy Space Corp. is committed to complying with all applicable laws prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, religious creed, age, national origin, ancestry, physical, mental or developmental disability, sex (which includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and medical conditions relating to pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding), veteran status, military status, marital or registered domestic partnership status, medical condition (including cancer or genetic characteristics), genetic information, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, as well as any other category protected by federal, state or local laws.