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Salary: USD 180,000 - 285,000 / annual
True Anomaly builds autonomous spacecraft, advanced payloads, mission software, and space-based interceptors for U.S. national security and space superiority. As Principal Flight Software Engineer, you will serve as a technical authority across the full spacecraft software stack, owning hard problems and shaping architecture decisions that have real consequences in space.
You will own the architecture and technical direction of flight software for space missions, including on-board computers and processing units. You will lead the design and development of robust, safety-critical embedded software with focus on long-term maintainability and mission reliability. Key responsibilities include driving integration of complex GNC algorithms with flight software, defining and maintaining the Command Telemetry Database (CTDB) architecture, and establishing software engineering standards across coding practices, design patterns, and verification approaches.
You will partner with the ground C2 software team to align interfaces and operational concepts across the full system, architect and lead development of HITL and SITL simulation environments for subsystem and full-vehicle testing, and design reusable device driver and communications protocol libraries across flight hardware platforms. You will serve as a key technical voice in design reviews, architecture discussions, and cross-functional planning, raising the technical bar for the team around you.
The role is based in Denver, CO or Long Beach, CA, and is onsite. True Anomaly offers best-in-class healthcare (100% company-paid medical, dental, vision), flexible time off, catered lunch and unlimited snacks for in-office employees, 401(k), fitness reimbursement, and equity participation.
REQUIREMENTS:
- Bachelor's degree in computer science, electrical engineering, computer engineering, or related field
- 15+ years of experience with embedded systems, low-level firmware architecture, and safety-critical software
- Demonstrated ownership of flight software architecture on delivered space or safety-critical programs
- Deep expertise in low-level device driver development and real-time embedded systems
- Hands-on experience with embedded RTOS platforms such as RTLinux or Azure RTOS
- Strong command of communication protocols including Ethernet, SPI, I2C, CAN, RS422, and RS485
- Expert-level proficiency in C/C++; proficiency in Python
- Ability to maintain or obtain TS/SCI clearance
- U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, or eligible to obtain required ITAR authorizations
PREFERRED:
- Master's degree in computer science, electrical engineering, computer engineering, or related field
- 15+ years of flight software development experience with direct contributions to on-orbit missions
- Proven ability to define and uphold engineering standards across a software organization
- Experience leading architecture reviews and driving technical decisions across multidisciplinary teams
- Familiarity with embedded Linux and networking protocols including UDP and TCP/IP
- Fluency with embedded systems toolchains, compilers, debuggers, and IDEs
- Experience with microcontrollers, application processors, and revision control systems at scale
- Advanced debugging skills using instrumentation such as oscilloscopes and protocol analyzers
- Background in robotics, automation, motor control, or sensor fusion
