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Salary: USD 160,000 - 200,000 / annual
K2 Space is building the largest and highest-power satellites ever flown, backed by over $1 billion in funding from leading investors including Altimeter Capital, ICONIQ, Kleiner Perkins, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Redpoint Ventures, and T. Rowe Price. The company operates constellations spanning commercial, science, and national security missions, with over $1 billion in signed contracts and plans to scale to 100 satellites per year with multiple launches in 2027.
In this role, you will lead K2 Space's ground systems integration strategy, serving as a key part of the team that integrates all systems into a cohesive, reliable ground network. You will define and execute the long-term vision for end-to-end ground systems integration, focusing on network protocols and connections that bridge heterogeneous constellations in space with RF and optical ground segments.
Key responsibilities include:
- Define and execute the long-term vision for K2 Space's end-to-end ground systems integration, focusing on network protocols and connections
- Drive integration implementation between in-house ground systems and external vendor systems while supporting the business development team
- Integrate with customer teams to architect consistent ground network integration architecture capable of operating at multiple levels of classification while delivering secure and reliable constellation operations
- Build and support a team of capable and experienced ground integration engineers responsible for building the connective tissue between new and legacy ground systems
- Ensure teams deliver robust, scalable, and secure systems at startup speed
- Develop understanding of existing systems architectures that support ground and orbital systems contributing to government and commercial space systems
You will collaborate closely with Ground Software Applications and Flight Software teams to drive new integrations that unlock new mission capabilities for customers in both classified and unclassified domains. This is a leadership role where you'll set the integration roadmap and ensure ground infrastructure moves as fast as the hardware.
REQUIREMENTS:
- Bachelor's degree in computer science, information technology, mathematics, or a STEM discipline, OR 8+ years of professional experience in software engineering
- 5+ years of network system integration experience at the department or organizational level
- Experience with the deployment and integration of sophisticated hardware and software systems
- Proven success building and scaling high-impact engineering teams
- Strong track record of delivering enterprise-scale solutions in fast-paced environments
- Strong working knowledge with multiple cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP)
- Strong working knowledge with multiple API technologies (REST, gRPC, WSDL/SOAP)
- Strong proficiency in one or more strongly typed programming languages such as C#.NET, Go, Java, or similar
- Deep experience with classified systems and their security requirements
NICE TO HAVE:
- Experience in aerospace, manufacturing, or mission-critical systems
- Familiarity with cloud systems, CI/CD, and container orchestration (Docker/Kubernetes)
- Track record of fostering team culture, collaboration, and continuous improvement
- Deep empathy for the challenges that business development teams and associated engineering teams must solve and ability to help in prioritization
Note: This role requires U.S. Person status as defined by ITAR (U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, or certain protected individuals) or eligibility for a federally issued export control license, as the position will have access to information and items controlled by U.S. export control regulations.
