{"id":652131,"url":"https://alion.io/job/k2-space-software-development-engineer-test-platform","title":"Software Development Engineer, Test Platform","company":{"id":171840,"name":"K2 Space","domain":"k2space.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/k2-space","size_band":"501-1000","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Greenhouse","truth_index":{"grade":"A","score":85,"open_postings":201,"ghost_share":0.174,"stale_share":0,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":88,"computed_at":"2026-10-28T05:59:10Z"}},"role":"QA","role_family":"QA","seniority":null,"employment_type":null,"work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Los Angeles, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":123000,"max":175000,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":175000},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":null,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"CI/CD","optional":false},{"name":"Git","optional":false},{"name":"GitHub Actions","optional":false},{"name":"GitLab","optional":false},{"name":"Jenkins","optional":false},{"name":"Docker","optional":true},{"name":"Kubernetes","optional":true},{"name":"Linux","optional":true},{"name":"RTOS","optional":true},{"name":"Rust","optional":true},{"name":"SpaceWire","optional":true}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-05-05T16:28:53Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-08-26","last_verified_at":"2026-10-28T18:36:31Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":176,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":0,"flags":["company_stale"],"days_open":175},"description":"K2 is building the largest and highest-power satellites ever flown, unlocking performance levels previously out of reach across every orbit. Backed by over $1 billion in total funding from leading investors including Altimeter Capital, ICONIQ, Kleiner Perkins, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Redpoint Ventures, and T. Rowe Price - and with over $1 billion in signed contracts across commercial and US government customers, we're mass-producing the highest-power satellite platforms ever built for missions from LEO to deep space.\nThe rise of heavy-lift launch vehicles is shifting the industry from an era of mass constraint to one of mass abundance, and we believe this new era demands a fundamentally different class of spacecraft. Engineered to survive the harshest radiation environments and to fully capitalize on today's and tomorrow's massive rockets, K2 satellites deliver unmatched capability at constellation scale and across multiple orbits.\nWith multiple launches in 2027 and plans to scale to 100 satellites a year, we're Building Bigger - helping develop the solar system and build toward a Kardashev Type II (K2) civilization. If you are a motivated individual who thrives in a fast-paced environment and you're excited about contributing to the success of a high-growth Series D-funded company, we'd love for you to apply.\nThe Role \nThe software team at K2 builds software across the stack, from gateware & micro firmware to high level satellite control to Ground Software and all the associated testing, and we’re looking for an SDET who shares our belief that test infrastructure is a first-class engineering discipline. You will be embedded directly within the flight software team, working shoulder-to-shoulder with the engineers writing the code that flies our spacecraft owning the automation frameworks, test tooling, and HIL infrastructure that make rapid, confident software deployment possible. \nThis role is not a QA function. You will be a builder. In your first 6 months, you will design and ship core test automation frameworks and integrate them into our CI/CD pipelines. In your first year, you will own end-to-end test coverage across multiple spacecraft subsystems and lead HIL testing campaigns alongside flight software engineers, proving the software is ready to go to space. In your first two years, you will have operated your test systems against hardware that has been launched to orbit. \nResponsibilities \nDesign, develop, and own software test frameworks targeting K2’s flight software stack, including subsystems for propulsion, GNC, power, thermal, and communications\nBuild and maintain automation tooling that integrates seamlessly into CI/CD pipelines, enabling fast and reliable flight software deployment\nDevelop hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) and software-in-the-loop (SIL) test infrastructure in close collaboration with flight software engineers\nCreate tooling for test execution, data collection, and anomaly triage that gives engineers clear, actionable signal\nReduce flaky and nondeterministic tests; continuously improve coverage, pipeline reliability, and test execution speed\nCollaborate with flight software, avionics, and systems engineers to define test requirements, write test plans, and execute verification campaigns\nAnalyze test results to identify and characterize failures, and drive resolution across the team\nMaintain documentation for test infrastructure, procedures, and hardware configurations \nQualifications \nBachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related STEM field, or equivalent professional experience\nExperience building and maintaining test automation frameworks, not just executing tests written by others\nExperience with CI/CD systems (e.g., GitLab Pipelines, GitHub Actions, Jenkins) and version control (Git) \nNice to Have \nExperience with hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testbeds or embedded systems testing\nExperience testing avionics, spacecraft, robotics, autonomous vehicles, or other safety-critical hardware\nRust programming experience, including embedded or no_std environments\nKnowledge of real-time operating systems (RTOS) or bare-metal embedded firmware\nFamiliarity with aerospace communication protocols (RS-422/485, Ethernet, UART, SpaceWire, Ethernet)\nExperience with electronics test equipment: oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, power supplies\nContainerization experience (Docker, Kubernetes) for test environment management\nExperience with Embedded Linux\nFamiliarity with shell scripting \nCompensation and Benefits:\nBase salary range for this role is $123,000 - $175,000 + equity in the company\nSalary will be based on several factors including, but not limited to: knowledge and skills, education, and experience level\nComprehensive benefits package including paid time off, medical/dental/vision/ coverage, life insurance, paid parental leave, and many other perks\nIf you don’t meet 100% of the preferred skills and experience, we encourage you to still apply! Building a spacecraft unlike any other requires a team unlike any other and non-traditional career twists and turns are encouraged!\nIf you need a reasonable accommodation as part of your application for employment or interviews with us, please let us know.\nExport Compliance\nAs defined in the ITAR, “U.S. Persons” include U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents (i.e., Green Card holders), and certain protected individuals (e.g., refugees/asylees, American Samoans). Please consult with a knowledgeable advisor if you are unsure whether you are a “U.S. Person.”\nThe person hired for this role will have access to information and items controlled by U.S. export control regulations, including the export control regulations outlined in the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR). The person hired for this role must therefore either be a “U.S. person” as defined by 22 C.F.R. § 120.15 or otherwise eligible for a federally issued export control license.\nEqual Opportunity\nK2 Space is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with K2 Space is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.","description_format":"text","description_chars":6405,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":null,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":false},"security_clearance":true,"languages":[]},"benefits":["Equity","Life insurance","Parental leave"],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"United States","iso":"US","kind":"country"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Satellite Manufacturing"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-09-10T20:35:41Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":17,"band":"cold","label":"Long shot","p_open":1,"p_active":0.465,"p_room":0.36,"age_days":175,"expected_fill_days":88,"reasons":["conf:1","velocity","win:tail","crowd:brand"],"computed_at":"2026-10-28T05:59:10Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":175000,"is_top_pay":true},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/k2-space-software-development-engineer-test-platform","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/k2-space-software-development-engineer-test-platform.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-28T19:29:39Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":26947,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-10-29T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":171840},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=171840"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fk2-space-software-development-engineer-test-platform"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fk2-space-software-development-engineer-test-platform"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fk2-space-software-development-engineer-test-platform"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/k2-space-software-development-engineer-test-platform\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fk2-space-software-development-engineer-test-platform"}],"agent":{"mcp":"https://alion.io/mcp/jobs","mcp_open":"https://alion.io/mcp/open","next":[{"tool":"get_job","arguments":{"id":652131}},{"tool":"search_jobs","arguments":{"company":"k2space.com","detail":"compact"}},{"tool":"match_people","arguments":{"job_id":652131},"note":"people open to offers who fit this vacancy"}],"note":"The same data through MCP tools: https://alion.io/mcp/open needs no sign-in (compact searches, postings, people); https://alion.io/mcp with an Alion account has everything. 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