Senior Automation and Test Engineer

Iridium Satellite•Reston, VA

8d•Hybrid

About The Position

Iridium is seeking a Senior Integration and Test Engineer who will be responsible for identifying and autonomously implementing ideas and solutions as it relates to integrating, testing, and deploying mission-critical Ground Segment infrastructure for government satellite operations. This role places you at the center of a National Security Missions group dedicated to full-lifecycle ground architecture. You’ll work alongside a highly skilled, cross-functional team solving complex, real-world challenges that directly impact mission success and national security outcomes. This is a unique opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge space technologies in a fast-paced, high-visibility environment. This position requires an active Top Secret Security Clearance (A U.S. Security Clearance that has been active in the past 24 months is considered active).

Requirements

Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related engineering discipline
8+ years of hands-on integration and test experience with complex systems, including satellite ground segments, mission-critical software, or large-scale networked architectures.
Programming languages such as: Java (Sprint Boot), Java-Script, Python, C++, Shell scripting
Experience with Kubernetes / Docker / Podman / ArgoCD
Familiarity with tools and software applications that support System Engineering and Integration, Verification, and Validation best practices
Ability to design, implement, and maintain comprehensive unit and integration test suites, contributing effectively across the full software development lifecycle
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to clearly articulate products, deliverables, analyses, and technical issues to cross-functional teams and non-technical stakeholders
A confident, relationship-oriented professional who builds trust and rapport easily with leadership, peers, and colleagues across the organization
An analytical and creative problem-solver who can assess complex situations, think critically, and develop innovative, out-of-the-box solutions
A proactive team contributor who actively shares knowledge, provides constructive feedback, and mentors others to elevate the team’s capabilities
Strong organizational and time management skills, with the ability to prioritize your own workload—and potentially guide others—to consistently meet deadlines
A continuous learner with a growth mindset, eager to expand your skill set and develop deep expertise across the full suite of System Performance and Analysis software
Must be a US Citizen

Nice To Haves

Experience in satellite operations ground segment environments, particularly in network management or packet-level data handling
Familiarity with the Atlassian tool suite (Jira, Confluence, Bitbucket) in a professional development setting
Experience with Flight Dynamics, in the context of satellite missions, pertains to the function that determines, predicts, and controls a spacecraft’s orbit, attitude, and trajectory over its lifetime, including the maneuvers needed to achieve and maintain the desired flight path.
Experience with Mission planning, in the context of satellite ground and space systems, is the set of processes, tools, and rules used to translate mission objectives into time-ordered, constraint compliant timelines of spacecraft, payload, and ground activities (including data collection and routing opportunities) across the full mission lifecycle.
Experience with Network Management pertains to continuously supervising and controlling all links and nodes across the space segment (LEO/MEO/GEO satellites and intersatellite links) and the ground segment (gateways, teleports, user terminals, terrestrial backhaul).
Containerization & Orchestration: Kubernetes, Docker, Podman, ArgoCD
CI/CD Pipelines & Artifact Management: GitLab, JFrog Artifactory, Bitbucket
Additional Programming Languages: C++, TypeScript, Perl
Data Formats & Query Languages: XML, JSON, SQL
Web Technologies: Node.js, Apache Web Server
Security: Security vulnerability analysis and remediation procedures
Project & Development Tools: Atlassian suite including Jira, Git, Crucible, and Confluence
Architecture & Design Patterns: Microservices architectures and distributed system design
Testing: Automated testing frameworks and test automation strategies
Cloud Environments: Government (GovCloud) and commercial Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud environments

Responsibilities

Provide technical leadership on all integration and test engineering activities, ensuring alignment with program goals, mission objectives, and quality standards.
Lead end-to-end integration of satellite ground segment components, including command and control, telemetry processing, mission planning, hardware, software, and networking infrastructure.
Design, implement, and maintain CI/CD pipelines to support automated build, test, and deployment of ground segment software across all environments.
Oversee system testing and verification from requirements definition through test execution, ensuring all technical performance targets are met.
Develop and execute integration test plans, procedures, and automated regression suites covering nominal and off-nominal operational scenarios.
Design and manage software tools, simulators, and containerized test environments that replicate operational ground segment configurations.
Troubleshoot and resolve complex integration issues through root cause analysis and corrective actions across software, network, and hardware boundaries.
Partner with cross-functional engineering teams early in the design lifecycle to define interface control documents, test requirements, and ensure system testability.
Create and maintain comprehensive documentation including integration plans, procedures, test reports, and traceability matrices.
Mentor junior engineers on integration best practices, test automation frameworks, and DevOps methodologies within space ground systems.