Principal Software System Engineer

The Exploration Company

75d

About The Position

Here at The Exploration Company, we are developing, producing, and operating Nyx, a modular and reusable space orbital vehicle that can eventually be refuelled in orbit and that can carry cargo - and potentially humans in the longer run.
We are seeking a highly motivated and experienced Principal Software System Engineer (Team Lead) to lead the certification activities of the flight software for the Nyx program. You will lead a dedicated team focused on verification & validation (V&V), software certification, requirements tracing, and system engineering interfacing. You will combine deep technical expertise with strong leadership to drive certification under tight mission timelines. You will play a key part in ensuring that the software development teams deliver safe, reliable, and compliant products.
This is a high-impact leadership position where your decisions directly influence mission success.

Requirements

• Proven experience leading a software team and V&V activities
• Deep understanding of software certification, safety, and requirements management processes
• Experience with safety-critical software development and certification, ideally in the aerospace domain
• Strong technical background in software engineering, with practical experience in flight software frameworks and modern C++
• Experience with real-time systems, embedded development, or spacecraft software
• Demonstrated ability to take ownership of complex technical problems and drive them to resolution
• Familiarity with software testing methodologies and simulation tools
• Excellent cross-disciplinary communication and collaboration skills
• Focus on detail, quality, and testing
• Experience with CI/CD systems and build systems
• Experience supporting or presenting in formal safety reviews
• Familiarity with agile and modern development practices

Nice To Haves

• Familiarity with standards such as SSP 50808, RCC319, ECSS-Q-ST-80C
• Prior work on human-rated spaceflight programs

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor the software systems team responsible for:
• Managing the certification process in alignment with NASA, ESA, and range safety standards
• Internal V&V activities and interfacing with Product Assurance
• Managing external IV&V interfaces
• Ensuring end-to-end requirements tracing and compliance
• Actively partake in NASA Safety Reviews and provide technical input to meet ISS program safety requirements
• Serve as a key interface between software engineering, system engineering, and safety & certification authorities
• Ensure adherence to and interpretation and tailoring of relevant standards
• Coordinate and review technical documentation to support certification and safety assessments
• Drive process improvements to increase efficiency, quality, and compliance within the team
• Provide hands-on technical oversight and guidance by leveraging solid technical understanding to support adjacent software development teams

Benefits

• We’re Agile - we make decisions fast whilst keeping our goals and systems in mind
• We’re Open and Collaborative - we are transparent about risks and obstacles, so that we can cooperate to overcome them
• We have a lot of Fun - we refuel our energy knowing we are democratising space. It’s a wonderful and rare opportunity, are YOU up for the challenge?
• Relocation assistance is provided for those willing to relocate including visa sponsorship where applicable.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Principal
• Education Level: No Education Listed
• Number of Employees: 101-250 employees