Sr. Ground Software Engineer
About The Position
Fortastra is seeking a Sr. Ground Software Engineer to own ground control software, data infrastructure, and data visualization and analysis tools supporting flight operations and ground testing. The role spans the ground software stack, from low-level data ingestion to user-facing analysis tools, and works closely with the teams that build and operate the spacecraft, especially the Flight Software team. The engineer will build the ground systems used to command spacecraft, capture their data, and help engineers understand it. The ground software team develops systems for spacecraft command, data capture and management, and telemetry analysis, supporting reliable operations and rapid iteration across vehicles from ground test through flight. This is an on-site role; remote and hybrid arrangements are not considered. U.S. citizenship and the ability to obtain or hold an active TS/SCI clearance are required.
Requirements
- B.S. in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Aerospace, Robotics, another science or physics-based field, or a related listed discipline.
- Prior experience in ground software, mission operations, or telemetry/command systems.
- Experience designing and building data infrastructure, databases, time-series stores, streaming pipelines, or message buses.
- Experience building data visualization and analysis tools for technical or engineering users.
- Proficiency in one or more modern programming languages such as Python, C++, Go, or Rust.
- Solid understanding of networking, protocols, and real-time or high-throughput data handling.
- Ability to work independently and in small, fast-moving teams.
- U.S. citizenship and ability to obtain or have an active TS/SCI clearance.
- Ability to work on-site; remote and hybrid arrangements are not considered.
Nice To Haves
- Experience with space systems such as rovers, satellites, or launch vehicles.
- Experience with cloud-based ground systems or mission control software.
- Exposure to DevOps and automated testing pipelines.
- Comfort using modern agentic AI tools such as Claude in the development workflow.
Responsibilities
- Design and develop ground control software for commanding and monitoring spacecraft during flight operations and ground tests.
- Own data infrastructure that reliably ingests, stores, and serves high-rate telemetry and test data at scale.
- Build data visualization and analysis tools that provide engineers with real-time and post-test insight into system behavior.
- Develop telemetry pipelines for live streaming data and large historical datasets, with attention to reliability and data integrity.
- Work with flight software and avionics engineers to define command and telemetry interfaces that minimize risk and simplify integration.
- Build tools that accelerate data review, anomaly detection, and post-test reconstruction.
- Support real-time operations during tests and flights, including console roles as needed.
- Generate and maintain clear documentation for ground software systems and interfaces using disciplined revision control.
- Collaborate with test and integration teams to ensure ground systems are buildable, testable, and serviceable, and support floor activities such as test setup and data verification.
- Identify and resolve issues involving data flow, system observability, and interactions between ground software and other spacecraft and test infrastructure.
Benefits
- Unlimited paid time off.
- Medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and dependents.
- Equity in the company.
- 401(k) plan.
- Regular social events, team outings, and company-sponsored activities.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
