Founding Flight Software Engineer

Debelak Consulting Group is partnering with a Southern California space technology company developing next-generation autonomous spacecraft for national security missions. We're looking for a Founding Flight Software Engineer to join their growing engineering team. About the Opportunity This is a hands-on opportunity for an engineer who wants to build flight software from the ground up. As one of the company's earliest engineering hires, you'll own development across both embedded flight software and mission operations software, working closely with avionics, GN&C, and systems engineering to take spacecraft from concept through flight. What You'll Do Develop mission operations software for planning, commanding, and monitoring spacecraft missions Design and implement embedded flight software for onboard computers, sensors, and actuators Build ground software for telemetry, command, visualization, and mission operations Collaborate with avionics, GN&C, propulsion, and systems engineers to define software architecture and interfaces Develop testing frameworks, simulation environments, and CI/CD pipelines for flight software Support software-in-the-loop (SIL), hardware-in-the-loop (HIL), integration, environmental testing, and flight campaigns What We're Looking For Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics, or a related technical discipline Experience developing flight software, mission operations software, or spacecraft ground systems Experience with spacecraft, satellites, launch vehicles, robotics, or other real-time embedded systems Strong programming experience in C/C++ and Python Familiarity with telemetry, command systems, embedded software, and automated testing pipelines Experience supporting hardware-in-the-loop testing or safety-critical software development is highly desirable Ability to thrive in a fast-paced startup environment with significant ownership and autonomy U.S. Citizenship required; must be able to obtain or currently hold an active TS/SCI clearance Why This Role Join a well-funded, mission-driven startup building autonomous spacecraft for the future of national security space. You'll be part of a small engineering team where your work will directly influence product architecture, flight readiness, and the long-term success of the company. This search is being conducted by Debelak Consulting Group, a boutique recruiting firm specializing in aerospace, defense, and advanced manufacturing talent. Interested candidates or referrals are encouraged to reach out directly for a confidential conversation. Pay: $150,000.00 - $220,000.00 per year Work Location: In person