Staff Software Engineer (Distributed Systems and Orchestration)

Fresh Consulting; Houston (TX); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 245,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Health benefits

Job summary

Fresh Consulting is seeking a Staff Software Engineer at principal level to lead the core scheduling and orchestration subsystems for a Space company. The role is full-time in Houston, TX, with on-site requirements every other week and potential remote work.

You will own the MVP for autonomous scheduling across a fleet of compute nodes, focusing on performance, reliability, and security. Qualifications include a BS in CS/CE and 15+ years in software, with strong skills in Go, Rust, C++, or Java,

Qualifications

• BS in CS/CE or equivalent professional experience.
• 15+ years of professional software development experience.
• Strong proficiency in a systems language (Go, Rust, C++, Java).
• Experience designing and operating distributed systems at scale.
• Experience with scheduling/orchestration systems.

Responsibilities

• Lead core scheduling and orchestration subsystems.
• Own MVP for autonomous scheduling across a fleet of compute nodes.
• Scale MVP from a few satellites to larger fleets with data sovereignty.
• Design and build a distributed computing engine with performance, reliability, and security.
• Build workload-placement logic for edge environments with intermittent connectivity.
• Provide technical leadership and participate in design and code reviews.
• Deliver iteratively in a fast-paced environment with ambiguity.

Skills

Go

Rust

C++

Java

Distributed systems

Leadership

Education

Bachelor of Science in CS/CE

Tools

Kubernetes

Nomad

GitLab CI/CD

Job description

Fresh has partnered with a space company. Title: Staff Software Engineer (Principal Level). Duration: Full-Time. Location: Houston, TX (Can be remote however you must be onsite in Houston every other week). Candidate must be a U.S person due to ITAR regulations. Fresh Consulting has partnered with a Space company, we are seeking a Staff Software Engineer, Distributed Systems and Orchestration to serve as the lead engineer on the core scheduling and orchestration subsystems of our Orbital Compute platform. In this role, the successful candidate will own the product and engineering of an MVP for autonomous scheduling across a fleet of compute nodes, combining lessons learned from early proofs of concept, and will scale that MVP from a handful of satellites to larger fleets with data sovereignty as a core product feature. Operating in a fast-paced environment characterized by rapid iteration and significant ambiguity, the successful candidate will build a distributed computing engine with performance, reliability, and security as fundamental building blocks, partnering closely with software, hardware, security, and systems engineers to deliver secure, reliable products.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

• Serve as lead engineer for the core scheduling and orchestration subsystems ofCompute platform
• Own the product and engineering of an MVP for autonomous scheduling across a fleet of compute nodes, incorporating lessons learned from early proofs of concept (POCs)
• Scale the MVP from a handful of satellites to larger fleets, incorporating data sovereignty as a core product feature
• Design and build a distributed computing engine with performance, reliability, and security as fundamental building blocks
• Build scheduling, orchestration, and workload-placement logic for edge computing environments, accounting for intermittent or disconnected connectivity, limited resources, and autonomous operation
• Partner with software, hardware, security, and systems engineers to deliver customer-focused solutions, balancing best practices with time-to-market
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship, and give and receive productive feedback during collaboration and in design and code reviews
• Deliver iteratively and quickly in a fast-paced environment with significant ambiguity
• Perform additional job duties as assigned

Education & Experience

• Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or another related technical discipline, or equivalent professional experience
• 15 years of professional software development experience, with strong proficiency in a systems language such as Go, Rust, C++, or Java
• Deep experience designing, building, and operating distributed systems at scale
• Experience with scheduling, orchestration, or resource-management systems (e.g., Kubernetes, Nomad, or custom orchestrators)
• Demonstrated experience taking products from MVP or proof of concept to production scale
• Experience engineering for performance, reliability, and fault tolerance in distributed environments
• Experience with git distro (such as GitLab) and CI/CD tools
• Prefer experience treating security and/or data sovereignty as core product requirements
• Prefer experience with autonomous, self-managing, or self-healing systems
• Track record of making things happen in ambiguous, fast-moving environments
• Uses good judgement to problem-solve proactively, positively impacting hard challenges
• Demonstrated organization skills to meet tight deadlines with high quality results

Compensation offered will be determined by factors such as location, level, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Range $180K – $245K, benefits and equity.