Space Infrastructure Software Engineer

Loft Orbital; United States; Remote; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Loft Orbital seeks a Space Infrastructure Software Engineer to enhance satellite operations through software development. You will have the opportunity to work with satellite fleets and contribute to innovative projects that impact space missions significantly. Join us for a role that combines technical challenges with a supportive team environment.

Benefits

100% company-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance

Flexible Spending and Health Savings Accounts

Flexible Time Off policy

401(k) plan and equity options

Daily catered lunches and snacks

Fully paid parental leave

Relocation assistance

International exposure to team in France

Qualifications

• Experience in developing software (3+ years preferred).
• Broad understanding of both software and hardware stacks.
• Willingness to be trained as a satellite controller.

Responsibilities

• Develop software systems for autonomous satellite operations.
• Build tools for other teams to utilize space infrastructure.
• Oversee incident responses as a rotating Flight Director.

Skills

Software development

Scripting/automation

Python

Git

Technical accountability

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience

Tools

Docker

Linux

CI/CD

Job description

Wanna join the adventure?

As a Space Infrastructure Software Engineer, you are responsible for scaling our ability to operate a heterogeneous fleet of satellites--spanning dedicated, rideshare, and constellation missions. You will work at the intersection of automated satellite operations, ground and flight software, and solving on-orbit problems.

The team is responsible for ensuring the reliable, efficient, and standardized operation of Loft’s space infrastructure. Within the operational fleet of Loft satellites, the team is responsible for the stability of the satellite bus, the Hub, and Loft-owned payloads as a platform to execute customer missions.

Loft’s business and its customer’s businesses are built on the reliability of its space infrastructure. This team’s work is foundational for that model, and gives you a wide latitude to work on different systems, ranging from code that interacts with and uses Cockpit, our mission control system, to code that executes onboard our satellites. It will also give you the opportunity to become a Flight Director, responsible for the health and safety of our fleet.

About the Role:

• Improve the reliability and scalability of our space infrastructure by building the software systems that operate our satellites autonomously.
• Build tools, systems, and software libraries which support other teams' usage of the space infrastructure
• Scale our satellite operation software to support a growing and heterogeneous satellite fleet
• Work with product teams to drive product improvements based on operations and integration needs
• Improve and maintain technical aspects of SatDevOps Academy, our internal company-wide satellite operations training program
• Work as a rotating Flight Director, overseeing and managing incident response for the satellite fleet

Must Haves:

• Experience in developing software (either as a software engineer or with significant scripting/automation experience)
• Able to work across a broad software and hardware “stack”--our work involves ground-based automation, space-based automation, the intersection between that automation, ground & flight software, and hardware
• Willing & interested to be trained as a satellite controller and flight director (including being in the on-call rotation)
• Experience with Python and Git
• Pragmatic: you will be building for long-term reliability and scalability and also asked to find short/medium-term solutions
• Openness to being challenged and working outside of your comfort zone
• Willingness to be accountable, autonomous, and take full ownership of projects

Nice to Haves:

• 3+ years software engineering experience (rather than scripting experience)
• Familiarity/experience with Docker, Lua, Linux, CI/CD, test engineering, reliability engineering
• Experience as a satellite operator

Some of Our Awesome Benefits:

• 100% company-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance option for employees and dependents
• Flexible Spending (FSA) and Health Savings (HSA) Accounts offered with an employer contribution to the HSA
• 100% employer paid Life, AD&D, Short-Term, and Long-Term Disability insurance
• Flexible Time Off policy for vacation and sick leave, and 12 paid holidays
• 401(k) plan and equity options
• Daily catered lunches and snacks in office
• International exposure to our team in France
• Fully paid parental leave; 14 weeks for birthing parent and 10 weeks for non-birthing parent
• Carrot Fertility provides comprehensive, inclusive fertility healthcare and family-forming benefits with financial support
• Off-sites and many social events and celebrations
• Relocation assistance when applicable

$120,000 - $170,000 a year State law requires us to tell you the base compensation range for this role, which is $120,000- $170,000 per year. This is determined by your education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities. The salary range for this role is intentionally wide as we evaluate individuals based on their unique experience and abilities to fit our needs. Most importantly, we are excited to meet you, and see if you are a great fit for our team. What we can’t quantify for you are the exciting challenges, supportive team, and amazing culture we enjoy.

* Research shows that while men apply to jobs where they meet an average of 60% of the criteria, women and other marginalized people tend to only apply when they meet 100% of the qualifications. At Loft, we value respectful debate and people who aren’t afraid to challenge assumptions. We strongly encourage you to apply, even if you don’t check all the boxes.

Who We Are

Loft Orbital builds “shareable” satellites, providing a fast & simple path to orbit for organizations that require access to space. Powered by our hardware & software products, we operate satellites, fly customer payloads onboard, and handle entire missions from end to end - significantly reducing the lead-time and risk of a traditional space mission.

Our standard interface enables us to fly multiple customer payloads on the same satellite, with capabilities such as earth imagery, weather & climate /science data collection, IoT connectivity, in-orbit demonstrations, and national security missions. Our customers trust us to manage their space infrastructure, so they can focus on what matters most to them: operating their mission and collecting their data.

At Loft, you’ll be given the autonomy and ownership to solve significant challenges, but with a close-knit and supportive team at your back. We believe that diversity and community are the foundation of an open culture. We are committed to hiring the best people regardless of background and make their time at Loft the most fulfilling period of their career.

We value kind, supportive and team-oriented collaborators. It is also crucial for us that you are a problem solver and a great communicator. As our team is international, you will need strong English skills to better collaborate, easily communicate complex ideas and convey important messages.

With 4 satellites on-orbit and a wave of exciting missions launching soon, we are scaling up quickly across our offices in San Francisco, CA | Golden, CO | and Toulouse, France.

As an international company your resume will be reviewed by people across our offices so please attach a copy in English.