Software Engineer, Vehicle Operations (Starshield)

About the Role

SpaceX's Starshield leverages Starlink technology and launch capability to support national security efforts. As an engineer on the Starshield GNC Software Operations team, you will develop software for the reliable, available, and autonomous operations of the Starshield constellation. You will be involved in constellation performance monitoring and on-orbit investigations, requiring good systems knowledge of the satellite network and vehicle hardware.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and implement highly reliable and performant algorithms, flight software, simulations, tools, services, and dashboards.
• Act as a cross-disciplinary expert supporting cradle-to-grave development efforts for new features and capabilities.
• Lead on-orbit satellite operations through all phases of flight, perform on-call rotations, satellite commanding, and data reviews.
• Detect and triage on-orbit anomalies across all satellite subsystems, driving investigations and implementing future autonomous responses.
• Work closely with engineers from adjacent disciplines (mechanical, thermal, software, test engineering, guidance control navigation, network engineering) to deliver reliable connectivity and new capabilities.

Requirements & Tech Stack

• Software development experience in C, C++, Python, or other similar programming languages.
• Software development experience in a Linux environment.
• Ability to intuit about physical systems.
• General exposure to the disciplines necessary for spacecraft flight with practical experience in real-world development of complicated hardware-software systems.
• Experience or strong interest in satellite telemetry and alerting systems, full-stack operations tooling, autonomous fault detection, isolation, and recovery (FDIR), and command and control.
• Ability to communicate effectively and work creatively in a dynamic environment.
• Knowledge of computer architecture, networks, and inter-process communications (RESTful APIs, gRPC, etc.).
• Understanding of version control, testing, continuous integration, build, deployment, and monitoring.
• Experience with data visualization techniques and web development (both front-end and back-end).
• Able to work extended hours and weekends as needed.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, aerospace engineering, physics or another engineering discipline.
• Master's degree or Ph.D. in an engineering discipline, computer science, or physics.
• Experience working on interdisciplinary engineering projects (software interacting with hardware; hardware interacting with other hardware; testing automation or harnessing).
• Active Top Secret, Top Secret SCI, or DOE Level Q clearance, or the ability and willingness to obtain one.

ITAR Requirements: Applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident, (iii) Refugee, or (iv) Asylee, or be eligible to obtain required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.