Flight Software Engineer

Flight Software Engineer

Orbit Fab's mission is to create the foundational infrastructure that will fuel a bustling in-space economy, capable of sustaining permanent jobs in space. Today, satellites cannot be refueled, which severely constrains their mobility and inhibits the development of economic activities in space.

Orbit Fab breaks the single-use paradigm, pioneering our Gas Stations in Space™ refueling infrastructure and RAFTI™ technology to deliver propellant in space, enabling lower-cost satellite construction, increased maneuverability, precise control, and extended lifespans. The possibilities are unprecedented, opening the doors to unimagined operational strategies and business models.

Since our establishment in 2018, we have already achieved the successful launch of three tankers to space. With offices in both the US and UK, we are working in close collaboration with partners and customers across the space industry. Orbit Fab is rapidly ramping up capabilities and requires exceptional talent to tackle important challenges. Our roles offer wide ranging opportunities to have a demonstrable impact and enable a bustling space economy.

About the Role

As Flight Software Engineer you would be responsible for developing embedded flight software and firmware to support a variety of upcoming Orbit Fab missions. You would perform coding, debugging, testing, and troubleshooting of systems and software throughout our development process. Your technical duties involve the design and development of new software products throughout the product lifecycle. A major emphasis will be on reliable software that will perform critical functions for a payload in orbit.

What You'll Do

• Develop critical flight software for Orbit Fab's technologies.
• Architect, plan and implement firmware and software solutions for system communication and coordination to meet mission CONOPS.
• Implement and test software to ensure compliance with systems requirements.
• Assist in overall system design and development, providing input to key decisions and reviews from a flight software perspective.
• Lead software tasks in HITL testing and participate in test campaigns.
• Assist with ad-hoc software development for internal tools for mission analysis and development testing.
• Perform documentation of the structure and functionality of flight software.
• Directly interact with the customers, both government and commercial.
• Manage software project/tasks and interactions with contractors and suppliers to meet the needs of the project.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's in Electrical, Software or Aerospace Engineering or similar degree with 4+ years of experience OR MS with 3+ years of experience
• Demonstrated applicable experience in embedded flight software development through professional roles or internships, including:
• Bare metal C programming.
• Experience with developing code on ARM Cortex processors.
• Experience with Real Time Operating Systems (RTOS) or with Embedded Linux.
• Low-level driver development (SPI, UART, I2C, CAN, etc.) for interfacing with hardware peripherals.
• Experience integrating hardware actuators and sensors and performing hardware-in-the-loop development.
• Experience working in a diverse, multidisciplinary team environment that includes business communication and diverse engineering disciplines.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.

Nice to Haves

• Ability to manage, mentor, and retain a team of talented software engineers.
• Experience with radiation effects as well as writing software for radiation environments.
• Experience in a startup or agile development environment.
• Experience with MATLAB, Python, and Linux.
• Experience with software development tools such as Git, Jira, Confluence.
• Familiarity with software related to spacecraft command and telemetry handling.

Research shows that while men apply to jobs where they meet an average of 60% of the criteria, women and other marginalized people tend to only apply when they meet 100% of the qualifications. At Orbit Fab, we value respectful debate and people who aren't afraid to challenge assumptions. We strongly encourage you to apply if you feel you would succeed in the role above.

Competitive salary (based on experience)

The UK Orbit Fab office is based at Harwell Campus, the UK's preeminent gateway to the space industry, and only a short drive from Oxford with convenient access to London. We offer a range of benefits that can be discussed during the interview process.

Orbit Fab is an equal opportunity employer, committed to being a diverse and inclusive place in which our talent can thrive. As such, Orbit Fab does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, other non-merit factor or any other protected characteristic or protected category recognized by the law of jurisdictions in which we operate. All hiring and recruitment decisions made at Orbit Fab are subject to Orbit Fab's compliance with all applicable legal and regulatory requirements.