Principal Software Engineer- Flight Systems

About the role

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

See the posting on FS Studio's site