ABOUT THE TEAM

In the Space Special Programs team, we build spacecraft and space systems which serve a wide variety of functions in the space architecture. At a time when space superiority can no longer be taken for granted and with space systems proliferating at an incredible rate, the Space Special Programs team provides advanced, mission critical capabilities to our customer base to be able to more effectively operate and survive within this expanding environment with limited personnel. Working across product, engineering, sales, logistics, operations, and mission success, the Space Special Programs team develops, tests, deploys, and operates new, unique, space capabilities to drive mission success in challenging operational environments.

ABOUT THE JOB

We are looking for Software Engineers to join our rapidly growing team in Chantilly, VA. In this role, you will be responsible for implementation of flight software, ground test software, ground station software – at both embedded and application levels. The engineering team as a whole must span the capabilities of deeply embedded software design, implementation, and debugging, including data protocols, RF communication, machine learning, computer vision, and implementing control algorithms in a computationally-restricted environment; host side software for user interfaces, equipment interfaces, machine-to-machine communication, data analysis, display, compression and extraction to human-useable forms; and interfacing with existing Command and Control software and databases to integrate the spacecraft systems in a simple fashion. The embedded tasking will also include writing code to operate at the intersection of hardware, FPGA, and software.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

• Work with a cross-functional team to design market leading space flight hardware and associated ground equipment products
• Implement software components through rapid prototyping, design verification, and space qualification activities
• Learn and apply modern space-flight software design standards and guidelines (e.g. fault detection and recovery, error checking, data redundancy, etc.) to create high-reliability, highly manufacturable assemblies which can be debugged and safely upgraded on orbit
• Implement low- and high-level mission functionality on combinations of high-speed digital, precision analog, RF, and ultra low-power designs
• Participate in peer-level and cross-discipline design reviews and collaborate with other SWEs on your team to improve everyone’s capabilities
• Understand when to use low level firmware development for bring-up and test and when/how to migrate that code to full-fledged flight code
• Root cause investigation data collection and analysis in support of production operations
• Work in a fast-paced environment, having to juggle multiple concurrent projects and changing delivery timelines

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, electrical / computer engineering, or similar engineering or technical field
• 2-8 years of professional experience, in software product development (mix of needs for embedded and host side focuses, with versatility in both desired)
• For embedded roles: Ability to read and interpret VHDL, and write code in C
• For host-side roles: Ability to work with GUI, databases, and a variety of high-level languages
• Ability to read and interpret schematics
• Familiarity with standard interfaces such as Ethernet, CAN, I2C, SPI, PCIe, MIPI CSI-2, etc
• Familiarity with common MCU, CPU, FPGA devices and technologies
• Knowledge of modern analog and digital electronics and electronic circuits
• Ability to determine manage work assignments based on prioritized direction from management, near-term goals, and day-to-day levels of progress
• Experience using cross-platform compilers and toolchains
• Excellent communication skills and ability to work effectively with others
• Ability to work within our company and team culture and take ownership of the tasks assigned to you
• Willing to listen and learn from experts but still speak up when you have ideas
• Must be a U.S. Citizen and able to obtain and maintain a U.S. Top Secret security clearance