Flight Software Engineer

We are seeking a highly skilled Flight Software Engineer to join the team in Huntsville, Alabama.

Join a forward-reaching program supporting critical defense-related satellite systems by leveraging your expertise as a Weapon System/Interceptor and or Space Systems Flight Software Engineer. In this role, you will play a key part in assessing, validating, and recommending vendor-proposed software solutions for weapon system and or satellites to ensure compliance with program requirements, mission objectives, and industry standards. This unique role emphasizes technical evaluation rather than development, making it ideal for an engineer with strong analytical skills and the ability to collaborate across multidisciplinary teams.

Key Responsibilities:

Vendor Solution Assessment:

• Evaluate proposed weapon system or satellite flight software solutions for compliance with technical, performance, and safety requirements.
• Validate architectural design choices in areas such as software reliability, scalability, and system integration capabilities.
• Analyze the proposed software's compatibility with onboard hardware systems and operational environments, ensuring alignment with mission-specific needs.

Technical Analysis:

• Review algorithms for satellite attitude control, power management, telemetry data processing, and payload operations to ensure mission performance.
• Assess software robustness against space-based environmental challenges, including radiation effects, memory failures, and thermal extremes.
• Evaluate the vendor's fault tolerance and error-handling mechanisms for critical satellite operations.

Documentation and Reporting:

• Generate detailed technical documentation summarizing findings, including comparative performance analyses, risk assessments, and recommendations for vendor solution approval.
• Prepare comprehensive test evaluation reports outlining identified issues and mitigation strategies for external and internal stakeholders.
• Present technical evaluations and vendor compliance ratings to leadership teams, ensuring alignment with mission goals and industry best practices.

Validation and Verification:

• Participate in vendor testing campaigns (e.g., simulation testing, hardware-in-the-loop testing) to independently verify stated software capabilities.
• Evaluate test data for alignment with expected operational benchmarks, paying close attention to anomalies or discrepancies.

Collaborative Engagement:

• Work with multidisciplinary teams, including hardware engineers, spacecraft systems analysts, and cybersecurity experts, to evaluate vendor-proposed solutions holistically.
• Maintain regular communication with vendors to facilitate clarification of software designs and identify potential risks early.

Risk Management:

• Identify software-related risks, such as reliability under space conditions, cybersecurity vulnerabilities, or integration complexities, and propose mitigation strategies.
• Ensure all vendor-proposed software solutions align with DoD standards, requirements, and other applicable industry benchmarks.

Required Qualifications:

Technical Expertise:

• Strong technical understanding of weapon system or satellite flight software principles, including real-time operating systems, embedded programming, and space-specific protocols.
• Proficiency in analyzing systems designed for satellite navigation, telemetry, communications software, and payload command/control systems.
• Familiarity with relevant standards such as NASA Software Safety Standards, IEEE Space Systems Standards, and DoD specifications for space systems.

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field. Master's degree preferred.
• 8+ years of experience in space systems software evaluation, integration, or architecture development.
• Demonstrated experience in vendor evaluation processes or cross-functional collaborations within defense or government-level programs is highly desirable.

Security Clearance:

• Active Secret Clearance with TS/SCI eligibility is required.

Skills and Competencies:

• Exceptional analytical and problem-solving abilities, with attention to detail.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills to convey complex technical evaluations to diverse stakeholders.
• Ability to work in a dynamic environment requires multitasking under tight deadlines.

Preferred Qualifications

• Practical knowledge of space environment impacts software reliability, including radiation and thermal factors.
• Familiarity with software failure modes and impacts in mission-critical satellite operations.

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