Flight Software Engineer

Elveo • Chantilly, VA

3d • Onsite

About The Position

The Flight Software Engineer develops flight software applications for commanding and controlling Elveo satellites. The role includes developing command and data handling system software and supporting software for the satellites’ payload and secondary radio communications functions. Software is initially tested on a satellite prototype in a laboratory “flatsat” environment that simulates orbital operations. The engineer also builds telemetry and instrumentation to capture test data and support verification and validation.

This role contributes to spacecraft flight software for command and data handling, power, communications, and guidance, navigation, and control systems. The work spans the software development lifecycle across multiple projects in a small, agile team. The position calls for engineers who enjoy designing, developing, and testing software on rapid timelines and taking early ownership of systems. Satellite experience is not required; experience in adjacent embedded or autonomy domains may be applicable. Elveo welcomes candidates across experience levels, with title, scope, and compensation scaled to experience.

Applicants must satisfy the stated ITAR eligibility requirements or be eligible to obtain the required U.S. Department of State authorizations. The job location is Chantilly, Virginia.

Requirements

• Proficiency in at least one systems programming language such as C, C++, or Rust, demonstrated through professional work, significant academic or personal projects, or open-source contributions.
• Willingness to work in Rust.
• Familiarity with Linux and operating system principles.
• Experience building software that interacts with hardware devices, or a strong systems background and eagerness to work close to hardware.
• Understanding of the phases of the software development lifecycle.
• Experience writing automated tests for software you build.
• Familiarity with Git and CI/CD fundamentals.
• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Software, Computer, Electrical, Aerospace, or a related engineering field, or equivalent practical experience.
• Meet the stated ITAR eligibility criteria, or be eligible to obtain the necessary U.S. Department of State authorizations.

Nice To Haves

• Several years of professional software engineering experience.
• Network and socket programming experience, particularly for telemetry or commanding interfaces.
• Experience with inter-process communication (IPC) mechanisms.
• Advanced knowledge of Rust.
• Familiarity with embedded Linux systems, including Yocto/OpenEmbedded.
• Experience developing and testing software for SmallSats or CubeSats.
• Experience with hardware-in-the-loop integration and testing.
• Experience with Protocol Buffers, ZeroMQ, gRPC, and Systemd.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to the design, development, and testing of spacecraft flight software for command and data handling, power, communications, and guidance, navigation, and control systems.
• Design software solutions critical to spacecraft operations and develop them as Linux applications running on satellite flight systems.
• Execute the software development lifecycle, including requirements definition, design, implementation, testing, and verification, across multiple projects.
• Participate in design and code reviews and collaborate with the team to uphold flight software codebase best practices.
• Support Elveo’s Operations and Payload teams and their demands on satellite flight systems.
• Create embedded software that interacts with satellite devices and electronics using CAN, I2C, SPI, RS-422, RS-485, and other protocols.
• Implement inter-application coordination and communications using Linux inter-process communication mechanisms.
• Develop test software for unit, integration, and system testing of flight software functions.
• Build telemetry, instrumentation, and data-capture tooling to verify and validate flight software on the flatsat.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level