Staff Engineer, Flight Software

BlackSky•Seattle, WA

2d•$155,000 - $180,000

About The Position

BlackSky is hiring a Staff Flight Software Engineer to join its Satellite Embedded Software Group (ESG). This hands-on individual contributor role reports to the Senior Manager of Flight Software and focuses on software design, development, and technical leadership, primarily for satellite imaging payload and ADCS subsystems. The role also contributes to software requirements and test-plan support, with opportunities to work on other flight software subsystems and provide mentorship as the team grows. The position has business impact across multiple critical programs, from design through execution. The engineer collaborates with the embedded systems group, Satellite Operations, Mission Management, and other cross-functional and program team members. The preferred location is Tukwila, Washington, with the ability to work in the office one to two days per week; strong remote candidates may also be considered.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or Electrical Engineering, or equivalent experience.
At least 10 years of experience delivering and maintaining commercial or embedded software in a production environment.
Expertise in writing clean, maintainable C/C++ and Python code.
Expertise in embedded systems, ideally Embedded Linux and related build systems such as Buildroot or Yocto.
Proven experience leading cross-functional teams to deliver products on time and on budget.
Outstanding root-cause analysis and problem-solving skills.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Demonstrated ability to work across teams and skill sets and communicate in a diverse environment.
Ability to work with minimal supervision.
U.S.-born citizenship is required due to program requirements.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree (master’s or PhD) in a relevant field of study.
Experience with board bring-up for embedded Linux platforms.
Familiarity with hardware interfaces (GPIO, I2C, SPI, CAN, USART, PHY, SpaceWire, Cameralink, RS-422) or high-speed interfaces (10G Ethernet, DMA, PCIe).
Experience with real-time operating systems, including FreeRTOS.
Familiarity with u-boot or other boot loaders.
Space industry experience and familiarity with satellite components.
Experience working on embedded software relevant to ADCS/GNC.

Responsibilities

Provide subject matter expertise for ADCS and imaging payload subsystem software design and development.
Drive work to timely completion using task management tools such as Jira in an Agile-like environment; participate in and lead status and standup meetings, sprint planning, and tasking.
Collaborate with ESG software team members and cross-functional engineers from multiple disciplines to deliver mission-critical software features and bug fixes on time and without defects.
Ensure adequate documentation, testing, inspection, and analysis are delivered and performed to verify compliance with requirements and other goals.
Assist Systems Engineering with requirements development and management.
Execute and provide feedback on flight software design, development, unit testing, and release processes.
Perform other job-related duties as assigned.

Benefits

Medical, dental, vision, disability, group term life and AD&D, and voluntary life and AD&D insurance.
BlackSky pays 100% of employee-only medical, dental, and vision premiums and contributes $100 per month for out-of-pocket expenses.
15 days of PTO, 11 company holidays, four floating holidays (prorated based on hire date), one day of paid volunteerism leave per year, parental leave, and more.
401(k) pre-tax and Roth deferral options with employer match.
Flexible Spending Accounts.
Employee Stock Purchase Program.
Employee Assistance and Travel Assistance Programs.
Employer matching donations.
Professional development.
Choice of Mac or PC.
Company swag.