Principal Ground Software Engineer

About the Role

As a Principal Satellite Ground Software Engineer, you'll set the technical direction for the ground segment: the architecture that takes us from operating single satellites with hands-on passes to operating a constellation with minimal operator involvement. You'll make the build/buy/extend calls on core infrastructure and be responsible for ground segment readiness at every launch.

This is a hands-on role on a small team. You'll write code, deploy and operate what you build, and troubleshoot issues that span software, networks, and hardware. You'll also mentor engineers, review designs across the team, and make the architectural decisions the rest of the ground segment builds on.

Responsibilities

• Define the ground segment architecture and technical roadmap: command and telemetry systems, ground station network strategy, data infrastructure, and automation

• Make build/buy/extend decisions on command and control infrastructure, mission planning, fleet management, and ground network and GSaaS providers

• Design for constellation scale: automated contact scheduling across many satellites and sites, fleet-wide telemetry and alerting, and increasing automation of routine operations

• Define engineering practices across the ground/flight boundary, including interface documentation and simulation and hardware-in-the-loop test infrastructure

• Lead ground segment work through launch campaigns, commissioning, and major anomalies

• Build security into the ground segment from the start: link protection, key management, and access control

• Improve the reliability and observability of mission-critical ground systems

• Mentor engineers, review designs and code, and support hiring for the ground software team

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Computer Science or a related technical field, or equivalent experience

• 10+ years of experience developing ground systems software (services, APIs, and applications)

• Experience setting technical direction for a ground segment or comparable real-time infrastructure

• Experience taking satellites, or a comparable hardware fleet, through launch, commissioning, and sustained operations

• Experience deploying and operating software on AWS, including container orchestration with Kubernetes and CI/CD systems

• Strong understanding of networking protocols, routing, VPNs, and secure connectivity

• Knowledge of satellite ground systems, including ground station networking, antenna interfaces, and RF subsystems

• Experience building services around databases and real-time data (relational or time-series)

• Strong programming and scripting skills (Python, C++, and/or Rust)

• Familiarity with Linux environments and command-line tools

• Experience building software for multi-satellite constellation operations is a plus

• Broad choice of medical/dental/vision coverage, Reflect covers 100% of each base-policy

• Access to HSA, FSA, and 401K

• Unlimited paid time off

• Healthy lunches provided daily
  
  

More about Reflect Orbital:

Learn more about our team here.