Flight Software Engineer

Terran Orbital Corporation • Irvine, CA

2h • $125,000 - $150,000

About The Position

Terran Orbital is seeking an experienced Flight Software Engineer to join its spacecraft development team. Reporting to the Flight Software Engineering Manager, this role designs, develops, tests, and maintains mission-critical software that controls satellites and supports successful spacecraft operations in orbit.

The engineer contributes throughout the spacecraft software lifecycle, from requirements definition and architecture through on-orbit commissioning and operations. The role involves hands-on work with spacecraft hardware and simulation environments, in collaboration with a multidisciplinary engineering team.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field.
• At least 2 years of experience developing C++ applications for embedded, real-time, or safety-critical systems (Level II).
• Strong understanding of embedded software concepts, including memory management, concurrency, and real-time constraints.
• Motivated and self-directed, with the ability to work effectively in a fast-moving team environment.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• U.S. citizenship and eligibility to obtain and maintain a DoD security clearance.

Nice To Haves

• Hands-on experience with A.R.M. and Texas Instruments embedded processors and associated development environments.
• Proficiency with Linux development workflows and GNU toolchains, including Make, GCC, and GDB.
• Experience with scripting languages such as Bash and Python for automation and tooling.
• Aerospace industry experience, particularly satellite or space-mission software development.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and maintain flight software modules for guidance, navigation, control, payload operations, power management, communication, autonomy, and fault protection.
• Develop software for mission payloads such as imaging systems and advanced sensors, and for propulsion-based maneuvers including aero-braking and lunar descent profiles.
• Write unit, integration, and regression tests using existing frameworks to ensure flight code is robust, reliable, and verifiable.
• Integrate and validate software in high-fidelity simulators, hardware-in-the-loop testbeds, engineering development units, and flight-like spacecraft hardware.
• Collaborate with systems engineering, GNC, avionics, payload, and ground software teams to define software requirements, architecture, and interfaces.
• Participate in on-orbit commissioning and support early operations of newly launched satellites, including debugging, telemetry analysis, and software tuning.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of development processes, including CI/CD pipelines, coding standards, and documentation.

Benefits

• 100% company-paid medical, dental, and vision coverage for the employee and dependents.
• 401(k) match.
• Flexible Time Off (FTO).
• Education or tuition reimbursement.
• Competitive paid parental leave, including maternity and paternity leave.
• Covered life insurance.
• Employee referrals.
• Company swag.

What This Job Offers

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