Principal Ground Software Engineer

About the role

As a Principal Ground Software Engineer at Reflect Orbital, you will set the technical direction for the satellite ground segment, moving from hands‑on single‑satellite passes to an automated constellation operation. This hands‑on role combines coding, deployment, and troubleshooting across software, networks, and hardware.

Key responsibilities

• Define ground segment architecture and roadmap, including command & telemetry, ground‑station network strategy, data infrastructure, and automation.
• Make build/buy/extend decisions for command and control infrastructure, mission planning, fleet management, and ground‑network services.
• Design for constellation scale with automated contact scheduling, fleet‑wide telemetry, and routine‑operations automation.
• Lead ground segment work through launch campaigns, commissioning, and major anomalies while building security into the system.

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Computer Science, or related field, or equivalent experience.
• 10+ years developing ground‑systems software and setting technical direction for real‑time infrastructure.
• Experience taking satellites or comparable hardware fleets through launch, commissioning, and sustained operations.

Required skills

• Strong programming/scripting in Python, C++ and/or Rust.
• Experience with AWS, container orchestration (Kubernetes), CI/CD pipelines.
• Deep knowledge of networking protocols, routing, VPNs, secure connectivity, and Linux environments.
• Experience building services around relational or time‑series databases and real‑time data.

What we offer

• Broad medical, dental, and vision coverage (company pays 100% of base policy).
• Access to HSA, FSA, and 401(k) plans.
• Unlimited paid time off and daily healthy lunches.