Space Infrastructure Software Engineer
Job Summary
Job Description
As a Space Infrastructure Software Engineer, you will be responsible for scaling Loft's ability to operate a diverse fleet of satellites. You will work on automated satellite operations, ground and flight software, and solving on-orbit issues. The team ensures the reliable and efficient operation of Loft’s space infrastructure, including satellite buses and payloads. Your work will be foundational to Loft's business model and customer missions, offering opportunities to work on various systems, from mission control software to onboard satellite code, and potentially become a Flight Director.
Must have:
- Software development experience (engineering or scripting/automation)
- Ability to work across a broad software and hardware stack
- Willingness to train as a satellite controller and flight director
- Experience with Python and Git
- Pragmatic approach to building for reliability and scalability
- Openness to challenges and working outside comfort zone
- Accountability, autonomy, and ownership of projects
Good to have:
- 3+ years software engineering experience
- Familiarity with Docker, Lua, Linux, CI/CD, test engineering, reliability engineering
- Experience as a satellite operator
Perks:
- 100% company-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance for employees and dependents
- Flexible Spending and Health Savings Accounts with employer contribution
- 100% employer-paid Life, AD&D, Short-Term, and Long-Term Disability insurance
- Flexible Time Off policy for vacation and sick leave
- 12 paid holidays
- 401(k) plan and equity options
- Daily catered lunches and snacks
- International exposure to team in France
- Fully paid parental leave (14 weeks for birthing parent, 10 weeks for non-birthing parent)
- Carrot Fertility benefits
- Off-sites and social events
- Relocation assistance
9 skills required
Job Details
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.
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.
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