Staff Engineer, Flight Software

BlackSky•Seattle, WA

2d•$155,000 - $180,000

About The Position

BlackSky is seeking a hands-on individual contributor to join its Satellite Embedded Software Group. The Staff Flight Software Engineer will provide software design, development, and technical leadership, primarily for satellite imaging payload and ADCS subsystems, and contribute to software requirements and test-plan support. The role may expand to other flight software subsystems and include mentorship opportunities. The position has a significant impact across multiple critical programs, from design through execution, and involves collaboration with embedded systems colleagues and cross-functional teams, including Satellite Operations and Mission Management. The preferred location is Tukwila, Washington, with the ability to work from the office one to two days per week; strong remote candidates may also be considered. The position requires U.S.-born citizenship due to program requirements. The listed anticipated salary range for candidates in Seattle, Washington is $155,000–$180,000 per year; final compensation depends on background and education.

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 Ph.D.) in a relevant field.
Experience with board bring-up for Embedded Linux platforms.
Familiarity with hardware interfaces such as GPIO, I2C, SPI, CAN, USART, PHY, SpaceWire, Camera Link, and RS-422, or high-speed interfaces such as 10G Ethernet, DMA, and 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 with embedded software relevant to ADCS/GNC.

Responsibilities

Provide subject matter expertise in 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 meetings, stand-ups, 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-test, 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 toward out-of-pocket expenses.
15 days of PTO, 11 company holidays, four floating holidays (pro-rated based on hire date), one day of paid volunteerism leave per year, and parental leave.
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.