Principal Software Engineer

Red Canyon Engineering & Software•Westminster, CO

2d•$160,000 - $195,000•Onsite

About The Position

This team is seeking a Principal Software Engineer responsible for architecting solutions for ground and flight software for missions to the moon and beyond. The company is a rapidly growing, privately held business. This role will be based in Colorado and an ideal candidate for this role will love not just the responsibilities but will also have a passion for space. This role will span the software lifecycle from design through implementation, test, and mission operations, requiring hands-on knowledge of coding best practices, and the ability to lead other software and astrodynamics engineers in producing high quality software.

Requirements

B.S. in Aerospace Engineering, Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or related field.
15+ years of experience with spacecraft software systems, system architecture and/or mission control systems
Expert in selecting appropriate designs, experiences with pro's/con's of various architectures, knows when to employ each, and how to optimize each
Must have a complete understanding of software development concepts, principles, and theory and demonstrate a complete understanding and application of programming and analysis concepts.
Demonstrated hands-on technical expertise in C/C++ and Python programming languages.
Knowledge of unique aspects of embedded software in resource-constrained environments and embedded Linux.
Experience with version control (e.g. Git), Agile development processes and standards, Linux and Windows development, AWS or other cloud services, and Docker or other containerization services.
Must have strong communication, computer, documentation, presentation, and interpersonal skills; ability to work independently and as part of a team; ability to lead a team of less experienced professional employees.
Must be able to interface effectively with other engineers of various disciplines, including astrodynamics, navigation, and space systems design engineers, and interpret, debug, and modify complex software following rigorous process and coding standards.
Willingness to mentor more junior software engineers/interns and develop a cohesive, well-coordinated software development team.
Strategic Mindset
Ability to work in office 3-5 days/week (Westminster, CO)
Applicants must be a US Person (citizen or Green Card Holder/permanent resident, or protected individual)
Must be eligible to obtain a US Security Clearance
This role requires access to U.S. export-controlled information. If applicable, final offers will be contingent on ability to obtain authorization for access to U.S. export-controlled information from the U.S. Government

Nice To Haves

Master's Degree or PhD Preferred.
Experience with designing real-time, embedded Flight Software (FSW) and firmware (FW) for satellite systems is strongly desired, including NASA core Flight System (cFS).
Experience with ground software for satellite systems, including knowledge of modern front-end web frameworks (e.g. React), is strongly desired.

Responsibilities

Shapes aerospace software strategy, influencing industry-wide development standards.
Develops cutting-edge methodologies for spaceflight automation and mission-critical software resilience.
Consults on high-impact aerospace projects, including deep-space missions and advanced avionics systems.
Leads technical advancements in real-time software, AI-driven diagnostics, and embedded flight systems.
Lead/drive company wide direction related to software engineering techniques, guide development for cross/future program applicability, collaborate across disciplines to strategize for scalable growth with constant improvement in efficiency and quality.
Provide accurate content and estimates for software related proposals.
Provides thought leadership through academic research, publications, and mentorship.