Spacecraft Testbed & Simulation Engineer (HIL/SIL)

University of Colorado System; Allenspark (CO); On-site; USD 99,000 - 157,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Colorado Boulder LASP is seeking a Testbed and Simulation Engineer to join the spacecraft test team for a deep space mission launching in early 2028. You will develop behavioral hardware models and build software-only and hardware-in-the-loop test environments relied upon by flight software, C&DH, fault protection, AIT, and mission operations teams to validate spacecraft behavior.

This hands-on role spans the full simulator stack, from embedded and EGSE driver work to the models

Qualifications

• C and C++ development proficiency.
• Python and bash scripting proficiency.
• Fluency in Linux as a primary working environment.
• Ability to design hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) models.
• Comfort taking responsibility for the systems you deploy.
• Ability to develop multi-threaded applications.
• Solid grasp of inter-process communication and message-passing frameworks.
• Engineering fundamentals sufficient to reason about and model spacecraft subsystem behavior.
• Laboratory skills: using lab equipment and deploying software on lab hardware.
• Electronics: measurement techniques, Ohm’s law, readingschematics.
• Familiarity with containerization tooling (Docker, Podman).
• Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines for delivering simulator artifacts.
• Strong written and verbal communication.

Responsibilities

• Work with subsystem leads and system engineers to develop simulation needs and designs.
• Develop and maintain behavioral hardware models for spacecraft subsystem simulators.
• Build and support software-only (SIL) and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulator environments.
• Implement, verify, and validate simulation products, including test procedures for requirement V&V and unit/integration tests.
• Integrate simulation environments with command-and-telemetry and test data systems
• Deploy, configure, and test embedded/EGSE systems.
• Build and maintain containerized simulator environments, delivering artifacts through CI/CD pipelines.
• Support functional, performance, and mission-scenario testing for partner teams.
• Coordinate a small team of engineers to achieve common goals.
• Other duties as assigned.

Skills

C/C++ development

Python scripting

Linux fluency

HIL model design

CI/CD pipelines

Docker/Podman

Multi-threaded apps

IPC/messaging

Lab hardware deployment

Electronics basics

Education

Bachelor's degree in physical science or engineering

Tools

SIL/HIL toolchains

EGSE equipment

Job description

University of Colorado Boulder LASP is seeking a Testbed and Simulation Engineer to join the spacecraft test team for a deep space mission launching in early 2028. You will develop behavioral hardware models and build software-only and hardware-in-the-loop test environments relied upon by flight software, C&DH, fault protection, AIT, and mission operations teams to validate spacecraft behavior.

This hands-on role spans the full simulator stack, from embedded and EGSE driver work to the models