Ground Systems Integration Engineer

Zachary Piper Solutions is seeking a Ground Systems Integration Engineer to support satellite Command & Control (C2) operations by integrating flight software and mission management platforms. This hybrid role involves working directly with customer stakeholders to decompose mission requirements and engineer software solutions that interface with satellite hardware. The ideal candidate will have strong software integration and debugging skills, deep experience in low-level software/hardware integration, and familiarity with industry standards and protocols. . This position will be located in Southern California (preferred), Washington D.C., Arvada, CO, or Seattle, WA. Candidates must hold an active TS/SCI.

Responsibilities of the Ground Systems Integration Engineer include:

• Develop and integrate software C2 solutions for satellite vehicles.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to translate mission requirements into technical solutions.
• Integrate new satellites and flight software into mission management platforms.
• Work with protocols and standards such as CCSDS, CSP, CFDP, XTCE, and MIB.
• Support secure integration of encryption algorithms including AES-256 variants and NSA Type 1 (PEGASUS, CARIBOU).
• Contribute to broader product development and integration efforts.
• Participate in hybrid work model with 2-3 days/week in-office in Irvine or other supported locations (Denver, D.C., Seattle), with travel to SoCal as needed.

Qualifications for the Ground Systems Integration Engineer include:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related field.
• 3+ years of professional experience in satellite C2 or complex hardware/software integration.
• Active TS/SCI clearance required.
• Proficiency in Python, C++, or Java.
• Experience with real-time embedded software and hardware/software integration.
• Familiarity with satellite communication protocols (CCSDS, CSP, CFDP).
• Understanding of telemetry standards (XTCE, MIB) or similar industry concepts.
• Knowledge of encryption algorithms (AES-256 GCM/CFB/ECB, PEGASUS, CARIBOU).
• Preferred experience with AWS services (Lambda, ECS, EKS, CloudWatch, S3, EFS/EBS, EC2, RDS).
• Familiarity with Git/GitHub or similar version control systems.
• Preference for experience with open-source software.
• Strong troubleshooting and technical analysis skills.
• Highly adaptable and creative problem-solver.
• Forward-thinking approach to scalability and C2 proliferation.
• Independent self-starter with strong time management.
• High standards for software quality, maintainability, and performance.
• Excellent cross-functional communication skills.

Compensation for the Ground Systems Integration Engineer include:

• Salary Range: $110,000-170,000 **depending on experience**
• Full Benefits: Cigna Medical, Dental, Vision, 401K, PTO, Sick Leave if required by law, and Holidays

Keywords:

Satellite C2, CCSDS, CFDP, XTCE, MIB, Python, C++, Java, embedded systems, encryption, PEGASUS, CARIBOU, AES-256, AWS, Git, GitHub, open-source, SCIF, TS/SCI, hardware/software integration, mission management, telemetry, Southern California, hybrid work, satellite operations