Flight Software Engineer

About the role

Join a team where your impact reaches beyond the stars! At Terran Orbital, you're not just part of the system - you're a vital force propelling our mission forward. As trailblazers in satellite manufacturing and aerospace innovation, we shatter boundaries daily to deliver groundbreaking solutions that power our nation's defense and commercial missions.

We are a unique, fast growing, and trusted team dedicated to swiftly and efficiently designing, building, launching, and operating state of the art satellites for advanced mission constellations. If you're driven by purpose, inspired by challenges, and ready to leave your mark on the universe, you'll find a home and endless opportunities for growth here. Together, let's redefine what is possible in orbit and beyond!

Terran Orbital is seeking an experienced Flight Software Engineer to join our growing and fast-paced spacecraft development team. Reporting to the Flight Software Engineering Manager, you will design, develop, test, and maintain the mission-critical software that controls our satellites and ensures successful spacecraft operations in orbit.

You will contribute across the full spacecraft software lifecycle-from requirements definition and architecture through on-orbit commissioning and operations. This role offers the opportunity to work hands-on with real spacecraft hardware, simulation environments, and a multidisciplinary engineering team.

Key Duties and Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and maintain flight software modules responsible for guidance, navigation, control, payload operations, power management, communication, autonomy, and fault protection.
• Develop software for diverse mission payloads, including imaging systems, advanced sensors, and propulsion-based maneuvers such as aero-braking and lunar descent profiles.
• Write comprehensive unit, integration, and regression tests using existing frameworks to ensure robust, reliable, and verifiable flight code.
• Integrate and validate software across multiple environments, including high-fidelity simulators, hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testbeds, engineering development units (EDUs), and flight-like spacecraft hardware.
• Collaborate with systems engineering, GNC, avionics, payload, and ground software teams to define software requirements, architecture, and interfaces.
• Participate in on-orbit commissioning and support early operations of newly launched satellites, assisting in debugging, telemetry analysis, and software tuning.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of development processes, including CI/CD pipelines, coding standards, and documentation.

Qualifications and Skills

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related field.
• 2+ years of experience developing C++ applications for embedded, real-time, or safety-critical systems (Level II).
• Strong understanding of embedded software concepts such as memory management, concurrency, and real-time constraints.
• Highly motivated, self-directed, and able to operate effectively in a fast-moving team environment.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• U.S. Citizenship with eligibility to obtain and maintain a DoD security clearance.

Additional Differentiators

• Hands-on experience using A.R.M. and Texas Instruments embedded processors and associated development environments.
• Proficiency with Linux development workflows and GNU toolchains (Make, GCC, GDB, etc.).
• Experience with scripting languages such as Bash and Python for automation and tooling.
• Experience within the aerospace industry, particularly in satellite or space-mission software development.

Pay and benefits

Your actual level and base salary will be determined case-by-case and may vary based on the job-related qualification, knowledge, skills, education, and experience. In addition to base salary, we offer 100% covered medical, dental, and vision coverage, a 401(k) match, Flexible Time Off (FTO), covered life insurance, maternity and paternity leave, tuition reimbursement, employee referrals, and lots of swag!

Benefits

• 100% Company-paid comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage for you and your dependents
• 401(k) Match
• Flexible Time Off (FTO)
• Education Reimbursement
• Competitive Paid Parental Leave

Physical Demands

• An employee must meet the physical demands described to perform the essential functions of this job successfully.
• In performing the duties of this job, the employee is routinely required to sit or stand for long durations of time, in addition to bending, reaching, and walking.
• This would require the ability to lift or move objects up to 10 pounds and occasionally lift or move objects up to 25 pounds.
• This position is generally sedentary, with substantial computer usage.

Work Environment

The job operates in a professional office environment but in a manufacturing company. This job routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, and scanners.