Job description
PRINCIPAL SOFTWARE ENGINEER – SPACE SYSTEMS LOCATION: GREATER DENVER, CO (ON-SITE 3–5 DAYS/WEEK) SALARY: $160K–$195K + BONUS + BENEFITS + RELOCATION A fast-growing space-technology company is seeking a Principal Software Engineer to lead architecture and development of ground and flight software for lunar and deep-space missions.
This is a high-impact role influencing technical direction across multiple mission programs. WHAT YOU’LL DO
- Lead architecture decisions and guide software best practices across the organization.
- Develop flight software (cFS, embedded Linux), ground systems (Python, modern web frameworks), and cloud/embedded ML or autonomy systems.
- Own full lifecycle delivery: requirements, development, testing, integration, and ops.
- Provide technical proposals, estimates, and cross-team coordination.
- Mentor and uplift junior engineers. WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR - 15+ years in spacecraft, mission control, or complex aerospace software systems.
- Expertise in C/C++ and Python.
- Experience with embedded Linux, real-time/flight software, and preferably NASA cFS.
- Knowledge of cloud services (AWS), containerization, version control, and Agile processes.
- Ability to collaborate with multidisciplinary teams and operate within rigorous engineering standards.
- U.S. Citizenship and eligibility for a Security Clearance; must meet export-control requirements.
BENEFITS
- Competitive compensation + signing bonus
- Health insurance - 401(k)
- Flexible time off
- Quarterly incentives
- Relocation support