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Apex manufactures satellite buses at scale—the platforms that hold customer payloads and enable commercial space missions. The company combines software, vertical integration, and hardware design to serve the rapidly growing commercial spacecraft market.
As an Operating Systems Engineer on the Flight Software team, you will design, develop, and own mission-critical software that brings Apex spacecraft to life. You'll tackle complex problems in autonomous systems and build robust software enabling reliable 24/7 spacecraft operation across every mission phase. You'll work closely with mission operations, guidance/navigation/control (GNC), and hardware teams to architect new systems, prototype ideas, and deliver flight-ready software.
The Flight Software team comprises three interconnected groups: high-level application software, operating system software, and embedded software, with significant collaboration across teams. No prior space industry experience is required—Apex seeks motivated engineers who enjoy solving complex problems, balance technical rigor with practicality, and thrive in dynamic, fast-paced environments.
Key responsibilities include:
- Design, develop, and own mission-critical satellite software throughout the full lifecycle: architecture, development, deployment, and operations.
- Develop, configure, and maintain embedded Linux platforms and bootloader frameworks (Yocto, Buildroot, WolfBoot, U-Boot).
- Design, implement, and validate firmware update mechanisms, including bootloader integration, secure firmware deployment, and recovery procedures.
- Design and implement security enhancements across complex software architectures to improve system integrity, resilience, and secure operation.
Apex is a fast-growing startup that has raised over $500M in funding. The company offers equity, comprehensive healthcare (100% company-paid medical, dental, vision), 15+ days vacation growing to 20+ days, 10 paid holidays, generous 401(k) matching (100% on first 3%, 50% on next 2%), 8 weeks paid parental leave with childcare reimbursement, daily catered lunch, unlimited snacks, monthly office socials, and a world-class Playa Vista office with flexibility for work-life integration.
REQUIREMENTS:
- U.S. Person status required (U.S. citizen, national, lawful permanent resident, refugee, or asylee) due to ITAR export control compliance.
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or equivalent professional experience.
- 2+ years writing code for operating systems, ideally Yocto or embedded Linux on spacecraft, robotics, automotive, or other hardware interacting with the physical world.
- Strong proficiency in Python, C++, or Rust.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
- 1+ year flight software experience.
- Experience developing, testing, deploying, and troubleshooting mission-critical satellite software from prototyping through flight operations.
- Experience with embedded Linux platforms and bootloader frameworks (Yocto, Buildroot, WolfBoot, U-Boot).
- Experience bringing up new avionics and flight hardware from initial power-on through functional verification.
- Experience with hardware/software integration, schematic analysis, and hardware debugging using oscilloscopes and logic analyzers.
- Familiarity with spacecraft attitude control systems (reaction wheels, magnetorquers, thrusters, sensors).
- Experience designing, implementing, and validating firmware update mechanisms with secure deployment.
- Experience designing secure systems and implementing security enhancements in complex software architectures.
