Sr. Software Engineer - Build & Release

Xona Space Systems, Inc.; Burlingame (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Xona Space Systems, Inc. in Burlingame, CA is seeking a Sr. Build & Release Software Engineer to own the compilation infrastructure, CI/CD pipelines, and dependency management for large-scale C++ on Embedded Linux platforms.

You will optimize build tooling, upgrade toolchains, and drive reproducible release processes across simulated and hardware-integrated systems to improve developer velocity and reliability.

Qualifications

• 3–5+ years in Build/Release or DevOps for large C++ codebases.
• Strong proficiency with CMake, GNU Make, and Ninja.
• Solid Linux shell and Bash scripting skills.
• Understanding of C++ build, compile, and link lifecycle.
• Experience with transitive dependencies and modular targets.

Responsibilities

• Design and optimize cross-platform build systems using CMake and Bazel.
• Manage and upgrade compiler toolchains (GCC, Clang) and dependencies.
• Own CI/CD workflows for large-scale C++ applications.
• Diagnose compilation bottlenecks and apply caching and parallel builds.
• Ensure cross-compilation across x86 and ARM.
• Support testing in Docker and QEMU environments.

Skills

C++ development

CI/CD pipelines

Linux/Embedded

Scripting (Bash)

Dependency management

Tools

CMake

GNU Make

Ninja

QEMU

Docker

GitLab CI

Bazel

Yocto

Buildroot

Job description

Xona is the navigational intelligence company bringing real-time, centimeter-level certainty to any device, anywhere on Earth.

With Pulsar – the world’s most advanced PNT satellite infrastructure in Low Earth Orbit – Xona will offer a future-proof, backwards-compatible global positioning system optimized for absolute precision, superior power, and robust protection.

Overview

We are looking for a Sr. Build & Release Software Engineer to join our team, focusing on the application software powering our satellite systems. In this role, you will take ownership of our compilation infrastructure, continuous integration pipelines, and dependency management across large-scale C++ codebases running in Embedded Linux environments.

You will operate at the intersection of software engineering and developer infrastructure, helping improve developer velocity, reduce build and test times, and maintain stable, repeatable releases across both simulated and hardware-integrated systems.

What You’ll Do

• Design, maintain, and optimize cross-platform build systems using tools such as CMake and Bazel.
• Manage and upgrade compiler toolchains (GCC, Clang, etc.) while handling complex dependency graphs, third-party libraries, and internal package management.
• Own, scale, and secure Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) workflows tailored for large-scale C++ applications.
• Diagnose and optimize compilation and linking bottlenecks through caching, parallelization, and distributed build strategies.
• Ensure seamless cross-compilation across multiple architectures including x86 and ARM.
• Support testing in containerized and emulated environments using technologies such as Docker and QEMU.
• Write robust tooling and automation scripts in Python and Bash for environment provisioning, static analysis, and artifact generation.
• Partner closely with core C++ developers to improve modular architecture, dependency management, and overall build reliability.
• Build reproducible and deterministic build and release environments across local development, CI, and hardware-integrated systems.

Required Qualifications

• 3 - 5+ years of experience focused on Build/Release Engineering, Developer Infrastructure, or DevOps supporting complex C++ codebases.
• Advanced proficiency with CMake and GNU Make/Ninja.
• Strong Linux shell and scripting skills, including Bash.
• Strong understanding of the C++ build, compilation, and linking lifecycle.
• Familiarity with modern C++ standards (C++17/20/23).
• Experience managing transitive dependencies and modular build targets.
• Experience working within Linux-based development environments.

Desired Qualifications

• Experience with Embedded Linux build systems such as Yocto or Buildroot.
• Experience with hardware emulation tools such as QEMU and containerization platforms such as Docker.
• Familiarity with GitLab CI workflows.
• Background in embedded software development and/or aerospace systems.
• Experience with distributed build systems such as Bazel remote execution.
• Knowledge of linker internals, symbol visibility, and binary analysis tools such as ldd, nm, objdump, and readelf.
• Familiarity with static and dynamic analysis tooling including Clang-Tidy, AddressSanitizer (ASan), and SonarQube.

For U.S. Roles: To comply with U.S. Government space technology export regulations, applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the United States (i.e. Green Card holder), or other protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3).

For U.K. Roles: To comply with U.K. regulations, this role requires Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS) checks, and successful candidates must be eligible to obtain UK Security Clearance (SC).

For Canada Roles: Successful candidates must obtain and hold a security clearance at the reliability status level, and pass security assessment for the Canadian Controlled Goods Program (CGP) and ITAR.

We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.