Senior Software Engineering Manager - Flight Software

About the role

We are looking for a Senior Software Engineering Manager to lead the team responsible for building the platform that operates the flight and payload systems for on-orbit satellites. This team owns the core software, services, and tools that implement core flight operations including communications, telemetry, power management, sensor and payload operation and system orchestration.

In this role, you will develop the people, processes, and technical direction needed to deliver scalable, reliable systems that convert customer intent into safe and efficient on-orbit operations. You will collaborate closely with customers, ground platform and mission operations, to implement solutions that are robust, flexible, scalable and easy to integrate with.

This position is hybrid and requires working on-site in our San Jose, CA office three days per week.

Responsibilities

• Lead, mentor, and grow a software engineering team responsible for core flight software development
• Define team goals, and technical roadmaps that align with companies priorities.
• Ensure reliability, scalability, and performance of mission-critical services operating in production.
• Work with cross-functional stakeholders to translate mission needs into clear requirements and technical specifications.
• Drive engineering best practices including design reviews, code quality, testing, and observability.
• Manage team capacity, staffing, and growth, including hiring, coaching, and performance development.
• Promote a culture of technical ownership, continuous improvement, and pragmatic delivery.

Qualifications

• BS/MS in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field OR equivalent industry experience.
• 5+ years of software engineering experience and 4+ years of experience managing software engineering team building production systems.
• Significant experience developing in languages such as C++, Python or Rust
• Strong technical background in embedded systems (RTOS and/or Linux class typically)
• Demonstrated experience building and operating mission-critical products with uptime, reliability, and performance requirements.
• Experience defining technical direction and driving execution through a team.
• Strong communication skills and comfort working with cross-functional stakeholders.

Nice to have

• Experience in aerospace, robotics or other domains with real-time scheduling, planning, or resource allocation and critical operations
• Experience developing in Rust

Salary

The salary range for this role is $240,000 - $265,000, plus a competitive equity grant and comprehensive benefits package. Final compensation will be determined based on skills, qualifications, experience, and geographic location as assessed during the interview process.