Staff Ground Software Engineer
About The Position
Turion is developing the critical infrastructure of the space economy by building vertically integrated hardware and software: DROID, our line of space vehicles, and Starfire, our software suite covering simulation, modeling, planning, and operations. As a Staff Ground Software Engineer, you will play a key role in defining, designing, and building the next generation of Mission Control systems that spacecraft operators rely on every day. These systems enable teams to command real satellites, process high‑volume downlinks from orbit, and make split‑second decisions that directly impact missions worth millions of dollars and hardware traveling at over 17,500 mph. In this role, you will work across the full software lifecycle: shaping overall architecture, setting technical direction, building core services, and mentoring engineers as we scale our capabilities. You will tackle some of the hardest challenges in modern distributed systems, including scale, speed, availability, observability, and security. You will collaborate closely with mission operators, flight software engineers, and cross‑functional teams to ensure our ground systems are intuitive, robust, and ready for missions of increasing complexity. As a senior technical leader, you will help set best practices, elevate engineering quality, and contribute to a culture of innovation and operational excellence.
Requirements
- Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, a related field, or equivalent practical experience
- 8+ years of software development experience, with a track record of leading projects or teams
- Expertise in back end development with a proven ability to design, build, and test complex systems
- Expertise in cloud-native architectures and distributed systems
- Prior experience operating live commercial SaaS products
- Experience with on call for mission-critical operations
- Eligibility for Top Secret (TS/SCI‑eligible) clearance
Nice To Haves
- Active US security clearance
- Proficiency in Go
- Kubernetes expertise
- AWS expertise (EKS, EC2, Batch, S3, Lambda)
- Experience with data engineering and real-time processing
- Passion for space exploration and building humanity's future beyond Earth
Responsibilities
- Lead the software engineering process from concept to orbit-ready systems, setting technical direction for products that operate spacecraft
- Mentor and guide teams of engineers building some of the most complex software on (and off) Earth
- Engage with satellite operators and mission planners to understand their needs, turning space operations challenges into elegant software solutions
- Architect mission-critical systems including next-gen Mission Control, Autonomy platforms, AI/ML integrations, & data pipelines
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams including Astrodynamics, Flight Software, Hardware, AI/ML researchers, and spacecraft operators
- Drive architectural decisions for systems that must be more reliable than traditional tech—there's no re-deploying a satellite
- Deliver solutions that simplify space operations, making controlling satellites as intuitive as deploying to AWS
Benefits
- Competitive base salary
- Company stock
- Equity in Turion Space
- Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and their dependents
- 401(k) plan with a 3% Employer Direct Contribution
- Generous vacation days, personal days, sick days, and holidays
- Paid parental leave following the birth of a newborn or adoption
- No-cost Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
- Opportunities for ongoing internal training, workshops, and courses
- Regular social events, team outings, and company-sponsored activities
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
