Space Infrastructure Software Engineer

Orbitworks' mission is to make space simple for organizations that want to deploy physical and virtual missions to space. Building on Loft Orbital's heritage, Orbitworks will be the first commercial firm in the United Arab Emirates to mass-manufacture satellites. Orbitworks aims to manufacture tens of satellites annually and operates out of a 50,000-square-foot facility in Abu Dhabi.

At Orbitworks, the Space Infrastructure team is responsible for ensuring the reliable, efficient, and standardized satellite operations & flight management. Our team works at the intersection of automated SatOps, ground and flight software, and solving on-orbit problems.

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'll support program testing (functional -> DITL), SatOps process definition for a new startup, and interface with program customers for mission deployment and execution.

About This Role:

• Develop and maintain the software systems that autonomously operate our satellites, improving the reliability and scalability of our space infrastructure.
• Build tools, systems, and software libraries to enable other teams to integrate and operate effectively on Loft’s satellite platform.
• Scale our satellite operations software to support an increasingly heterogeneous and growing fleet.
• Partner with product teams to drive continuous improvements based on operational and integration feedback.
• Serve as a rotating Flight Director and Satellite Controller, overseeing incident response and ensuring the health and safety of the fleet.
• Interface with customers for mission deployment and execution once satellites are launched.

Must Haves:

• Proven experience developing software, with solid skills in automation.
• Ability to work across the full software and hardware stack - including ground-based automation, space-based automation, and the interfaces that connect them.
• Proficiency in Python & Git.
• Demonstrated scripting experience, preferably in Python, for automation and mission performance.
• Strong background in Satellite Operations and Complex Systems Management.
• Willingness and enthusiasm to be trained as a satellite controller and Flight Director (including participation in commissioning and the on-call rotation).
• Pragmatic mindset: able to balance long-term reliability with short- and medium-term solutions.
• Accountability and autonomy; comfortable taking ownership and delivering results.
• Openness to learning, working outside your comfort zone, and tackling unfamiliar challenges.

Nice to Haves:

• Experience with Airbus satellite platforms, particularly the Arrow-150 bus, in avionics, ADCS, or propulsion
• Experience with low-earth-orbit satellite operations.
• Experience with satellite constellation management.
• Experience interacting with and managing customers.
• Experience with satellite testing, AI&T, or validation & verification of complex systems.
• Arabic language skills or a willingness to learn is highly desirable.