Senior Spacecraft Systems Engineer – Software

CesiumAstro•Westminster, CO

6d•$133,908 - $160,991

About The Position

The Senior Spacecraft Systems Engineer – Software translates system-level operational concepts, customer requirements, and architecture into detailed software requirements, verification strategies, and integrated technical solutions for complex embedded systems. The role bridges Systems Engineering and Software Engineering, ensuring requirements are decomposed, traceable, testable, and aligned with program objectives. Organizationally aligned within Systems Engineering, the position works closely with Software Engineering to support planning, development, integration, and verification. It helps define software verification approaches and required hardware/software configurations, and ensures system functionality meets mission and performance objectives. Applicants must meet U.S. Government Space Technology Export Regulations eligibility requirements: be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, conditional resident, asylee, refugee, or otherwise eligible to obtain the required U.S. Department of State authorizations.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Systems Engineering, Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
5–8 years of experience in systems engineering, software engineering, embedded systems, or integration environments.
Experience decomposing system requirements into software-level requirements.
Experience creating verification plans, descriptions, procedures, or acceptance criteria.
Strong understanding of embedded systems and software development lifecycles.
Experience with hardware/software interfaces and communication protocols.
Ability to interpret and apply system-level CONOPS to engineering execution.
Programming experience with Python, C++, C, Java, Bash, or similar languages.
Experience with Git, IDEs, debuggers, and CI/CD platforms.
Familiarity with Linux, Windows, or Unix operating systems.
Familiarity with TCP/IP, UDP, Serial, USB, Ethernet, or APIs.
Familiarity with requirements tools, issue tracking systems, and automated test tools.
Must meet the stated U.S. Government Space Technology Export Regulations eligibility requirements.

Responsibilities

Analyze customer, mission, and system-level requirements and decompose them into clear, verifiable software-level requirements.
Maintain traceability between software requirements and higher-level system requirements, architecture, and Concept of Operations (CONOPS).
Collaborate with systems, software, and hardware teams to refine requirements for completeness, feasibility, and technical accuracy.
Support requirements management, baseline control, and change impact assessments.
Identify requirement gaps, ambiguities, and risks early in the development lifecycle.
Develop software verification approaches, including verification descriptions, methods, levels, and acceptance criteria aligned with system and program requirements.
Identify verification configurations, including hardware setups, software loads, firmware versions, and test environments.
Support verification cross-reference matrices (VCRM), traceability matrices, and evidence packages.
Partner with test and software teams to support efficient execution of verification activities.
Serve as a technical liaison between Systems Engineering and Software Engineering.
Support software integration planning, readiness reviews, and release coordination.
Evaluate how software changes affect system behavior, interfaces, and verification scope.
Participate in architecture, design, and interface reviews to ensure requirements alignment.
Support resolution of issues involving system functionality, interoperability, and software performance.
Apply working knowledge of embedded systems architectures, constraints, and development environments.
Support interface definition and validation between embedded devices, processors, sensors, payloads, and external systems.
Assess integration and verification implications of firmware, software, and hardware revisions.
Support Program Increment (PI) planning, staffing assessments, and execution readiness activities.
Prioritize verification and requirements activities to meet schedule and milestone commitments.
Mentor junior engineers on requirements quality, traceability, and verification planning.
Drive continuous improvement in systems/software collaboration, process efficiency, and engineering rigor.