Senior Flight Software Engineer I - Ts/sci

Senior Flight Software Engineer I - TS/SCI

Rocket Lab is an end-to-end space company delivering responsive launch services, complete spacecraft design and manufacturing, payloads, satellite components, and more – all with the goal of opening access space. The rockets and satellites we build, and launch enable some of the most ambitious and vital space missions globally, supporting scientific exploration, Earth observation and missions to combat climate change, national security, and exciting new technology demonstrations.

Our Space Systems team builds everything from complete spacecraft, precision payloads to the components and subsystems that allow them to thrive in space, like solar panels, flight software, star trackers, optical systems, separation systems, radios, and more. Our Space Systems team has enabled more than 1,700 missions, ranging from interplanetary exploration, in-space manufacturing to national security and defense initiatives.

As a Senior Flight Software Engineer I - TS/SCI based at Rocket Lab's headquarters in Long Beach, CA, you will have the opportunity to play a key role in supporting the development of flight software for our Space Systems programs. You'll spend your days participating in all aspects of software design and development, from requirements definition through coding and testing. To be successful in this role, you must want to see your software make a big impact on the way we explore space and use it as a platform for discovery and innovation. Join a driven team of pioneers relentlessly tackling challenging projects, delivering on the impossible, and making an impact on the future of space!

What You'll Get To Do:

• Add new software components and maintain MAX flight software
• Design new software components and documenting design in Confluence (or equivalent), including UML diagrams (class, state, activity, sequence, etc.)
• Develop software to run on bare metal, within a Real Time Operating System (RTOS), and/or embedded Linux
• Develop software components that work with hardware drivers that interface to Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs), Star Trackers, Reaction Wheels and other spacecraft sensors and actuators
• Understand interface control documents (ICDs) and coding the software component to work with the hardware's protocol
• Develop and maintain comprehensive unit and integration tests to run within a Continuous Integration (CI) framework
• Collaborate with hardware-in-the-loop test engineers to verify and validate combined software and hardware functionality including writing python scripts
• Collaborate with systems engineers and embedded systems engineers in developing, documenting and validating requirements
• Participate in review of source code changes and ensure all changes meet company coding standards
• Participate in design reviews such as a PDR and CDR including presenting to the customer
• Support full lifecycle of the spacecraft from design, development, integration, test, deployment, and on-orbit patching and assist with on-orbit (and interplanetary!) flight operations

You'll Bring These Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering, computer science, electrical engineering, or equivalent technical degree
• 5+ years of demonstrated applicable experience in embedded software development
• Proficiency in C and C++ languages
• Experience with Real Time Operating Systems (RTOS) or with Embedded Linux
• Active TS/SCI security clearance
• U.S. citizenship is required, due to program requirements

These Qualifications Would Be Nice To Have:

• Advanced Degree
• Experience developing software and drivers with CAN/CAN-FD and/or UDP/TCP within an embedded system
• Experience developing software for autonomous vehicles operating in harsh environments, such as satellites or autonomous vehicles

Additional Requirements:

• Ability to travel and communicate outside of work hours
• Must be able to work extended hours and/or weekends as needed
• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to focus
• Regularly required to sit, use hands and fingers, operate computer keyboard and controls, and communicate verbally and in writing
• Must be physically able to commute to buildings
• Occasional exposure to dust, fumes and moderate levels of noise