Senior Software Engineer – Command & Control

Location: Denver, Colorado, Washington, D.C., or Seattle, WA office.Working arrangement: Hybrid, approximately 2–3 days onsite each weekCompensation: $155,000–$180,000 base salary plus equityEmployment type: Full-timeAbout the CompanyJoin a venture-backed software company building modern infrastructure for satellite operations. Its platform allows commercial and government customers to command, monitor and operate different spacecraft and constellations through one scalable software environment.The company was founded by experienced engineers and satellite operators who wanted to replace fragmented, highly customized ground systems with modern, reusable software.Approximately 70 employees with an engineering-led cultureMeaningful equity and direct product influenceSoftware supporting real commercial and government missionsSmall teams with significant technical ownershipOpportunity to build foundational products rather than maintain legacy systemsCollaborative environment spanning software, aerospace and mission operationsThe RoleWe are looking for a Senior Software Engineer to build the command-and-control software connecting a modern ground platform with spacecraft and other remote systems.This position sits at the intersection of backend software, distributed systems and machine-to-machine communication. You will implement the software responsible for formatting, transmitting, receiving, validating and routing commands and telemetry between ground applications and remote hardware.This is not a traditional embedded or flight-software position. The software primarily runs on the ground, but it must reliably communicate with spacecraft that may use different protocols, message formats and operational constraints.A space background is helpful but not required. Engineers from telecom, networking, robotics, autonomous systems, IoT, defense or industrial automation may also be highly relevant.What You’ll DoBuild command-and-control services primarily using Python and/or RustTranslate interface-control documents and protocol specifications into production softwareDevelop command encoders and telemetry decodersImplement serialization, packetization, message framing and validationBuild reusable adapters for different spacecraft and communication protocolsRoute commands and telemetry between backend services, ground stations and remote systemsHandle acknowledgements, retries, timeouts, malformed messages and communication-state changesProcess continuous or high-rate telemetry streamsDesign APIs and services supporting mission and ground-system operationsTroubleshoot issues across application software, protocols, networks and connected hardwareBuild simulators and testing tools for spacecraft and ground-system integrationsDeploy and support services within containerized and distributed environmentsOwn capabilities from requirements and architecture through testing, deployment and production supportCollaborate with backend, platform, mission integration and aerospace engineering teamsRequired ExperienceAt least three years of professional software engineering experienceStrong production experience with Python and/or RustExperience building backend services, APIs or distributed applicationsExperience integrating software with remote hardware, devices or external systemsUnderstanding of communication protocols and message formatsExperience with serialization, packetization, framing or structured data processingAbility to handle failures, retries, timeouts, validation and communication-state managementStrong Linux and networking fundamentalsExperience testing, debugging and supporting production systemsAbility to clearly explain personal ownership, technical decisions and engineering tradeoffsComfortable operating within a fast-moving startup environmentRelevant Transferable BackgroundsSatellite ground software or mission operationsTelecom and network infrastructureRobotics or autonomous vehiclesUnmanned aerial systemsIoT and connected devicesIndustrial automation and controlsDefense command-and-control systemsDistributed sensor networksRadios, modems and software-defined radio systemsEmbedded communications software with ground-side integrationNice to HaveSpacecraft command and telemetry experienceHigh-rate telemetry processingCCSDS, CSP, CFDP, XTCE or MIBProtocol Buffers, ASN.1 or comparable serialization technologiesTCP, UDP, gRPC or message-broker experienceREST API developmentDocker and KubernetesAWS or other cloud environmentsCI/CD and automated integration testingHardware-in-the-loop testingSpacecraft, vehicle or device simulatorsDevSecOps or secure software developmentRust experienceWhat Success Looks LikeYou can take an interface or protocol specification and turn it into reliable production softwareYou understand the complete path of a command and its resulting telemetryYou can identify failures across the sender, protocol, network, receiver and hardwareYou personally own services from design through deployment and operational supportYou can work with high-volume data without losing reliability or observabilityYou communicate technical concepts clearly and distinguish your individual contribution from the broader team’s workYou are comfortable learning unfamiliar spacecraft protocols and customer systemsYou balance reusable architecture with the practical needs of active missionsEligibilityCandidates must meet applicable U.S. export-control requirements and be able to work from the office under the required hybrid schedule.Why Consider It?Work directly with spacecraft systems, solve complex integration challenges, and help shape software used in real satellite missions.Outstanding benefits include: unlimited PTO (minimum 15 days encouraged), 100% employee health insurance coverage, 4% 401(k) matching, quarterly wellness benefits, paid holidays, and equity.Interested in where this could take you? Get in touch for a confidential conversation.