{"id":801043,"url":"https://alion.io/job/neworbit-lead-flight-software-engineer","title":"Lead Flight Software Engineer","company":{"id":679537,"name":"NewOrbit","domain":"neworbit.space","url":"https://alion.io/company/neworbit","size_band":"51-200","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Ashby","truth_index":null},"role":"Hardware","role_family":"Hardware","seniority":"lead","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"hybrid","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Reading, United Kingdom"],"countries":["GB"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":null,"salary_estimate":{"min_usd":77000,"max_usd":185000,"period":"year","method":"role_seniority_country_remote_cell","sample_n":11},"experience_years_min":5,"visa_sponsorship":true,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":true,"technologies":[{"name":"C++","optional":false},{"name":"CI/CD","optional":false},{"name":"Linux","optional":false},{"name":"RTOS","optional":false},{"name":"Rust","optional":false},{"name":"Digital Twin","optional":true}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-01-07T18:16:09Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-01-07","last_verified_at":"2026-09-30T05:23:55Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":265,"trust":{"level":"stale","repost_count":0,"flags":["stale"],"days_open":265},"description":"At NewOrbit Space, our mission is to engineer the lowest orbiting satellites on Earth to rapidly advance global connectivity and insight.\nWe are currently building satellites that can operate at an altitude of just 200 km - one-third that of conventional satellites.\nRole\nYou’ll lead the team that owns the software that makes the spacecraft behave: real-time control flows, autonomy, mode management, FDIR, and the core flight applications that coordinate every subsystem.\n\nYou’ll design and implement robust flight-software services on RTOS or Embedded Linux - turning mission requirements into deterministic, testable software - then take it from simulation all the way to launch and on-orbit operations.\n\nYou’ll ensure our VLEO satellites stay safe and productive with strong fault tolerance, clean observability, and rapid iteration through over-the-air updates.\n\nKey Responsibilities\nLead the flight software engineering team - recruit, coach, and direct the work of a team of software engineers to deliver the flight software elements of a novel spacecraft to operate in VLEO.\n\nOwn the on-board flight-software stack - design, implement and test real-time C/C++ on RTOS or Embedded Linux\n\nIntegrate subsystems end-to-end - define ICDs and build drivers/middleware over I2C/SPI/UART/CAN(-FD)/SpaceWire (as applicable).\n\nBuild spacecraft behaviors & autonomy - implement mode management, sequencing, and autonomous FDIR for safe and productive operations.\n\nDeliver reliable real-time performance - manage concurrency, timing, CPU/memory budgets, and observability under tight constraints.\n\nBuild verification infrastructure - prototypes, SIL/HIL test harnesses, simulations, and telemetry analysis tooling to validate designs early.\n\nShip code from review to orbit - push through CI/CD, support integration and launch ops, and deliver secure over-the-air updates.\n\nWork across disciplines - collaborate with avionics, AOCS, comms and mission teams to trade compute, power, thermal, storage and link budgets.\n\nKey Requirements\n5+ years’ experience in development of flight software for spacecraft, including experience in leading engineers with flight software deliverables.\n\nProven experience in building production embedded or real-time systems in C/C++ and/or Rust on RTOS or Embedded Linux for space systems.\n\nStrong grasp of real-time software: scheduling, interrupts, concurrency primitives, determinism, and designing for constrained CPU/memory.\n\nProven ability to build reliable, testable systems: unit/integration testing, simulation-first development, HIL validation, and disciplined debugging.\n\nHands-on experience integrating with hardware via common interfaces (I2C, SPI, UART, CAN(-FD), GPIO, etc.) and practical lab debugging.\n\nSolid software engineering fundamentals: architecture, code review, static analysis, CI/CD, configuration management, and observability/logging.\n\nAbility to own systems end-to-end: from requirements and design through implementation, verification, operations support, and iterative improvement.\n\nNice-to-haves\nExperience with spacecraft flight software frameworks, (e.g., cFS, F´, or building lightweight component-based equivalents).\n\nFamiliarity with autonomy and fault management patterns for radiation/SEUs, watchdog strategies, redundancy, and safe-mode design.\n\nGNC/AOCS-adjacent experience: sensor/actuator pipelines, control-loop integration, estimation/filters, timing analysis.\n\nDigital-twin / simulator / SIL-HIL experience for end-to-end behavior validation and regression testing.\n\nOn-orbit operations know-how: commissioning flows, anomaly response, telemetry triage, and OTA update strategies.\n\nWhy NewOrbit Space?\nPioneering Space Technology - You'll contribute to launching groundbreaking technology into space. Your work on our revolutionary ion propulsion system and VLEO satellite platform will redefine satellite operations and disrupt traditional LEO operations.\n\nUnmatched Ownership and Impact - You'll experience a level of ownership that's rare in the space industry. You will participate in the full lifecycle of satellite technology.\n\nEquity and Competitive Salary - You'll receive not just a competitive salary but also company ownership stakes. Your dedication and hard work are rewarded with a share in the technology you help build, ensuring you're a part of our collective success.\n\nComprehensive Benefits Package - Including private health insurance with dental and optical coverage, annual healthcare check-ups etc.\n\nHybrid Work - A hybrid setup with one dedicated remote day per week.\n\nVisa Sponsorship & Relocation Support - We provide a relocation package and sponsor your visa if you’re joining us from abroad.","description_format":"text","description_chars":4695,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":5,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":null,"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":["Equity","Health insurance","Hybrid work"],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"United Kingdom","iso":"GB","kind":"country"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":true,"industries":["Space & Aerospace","Earth Observation"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-09-12T07:44:25Z"}],"liveness":{"score":8,"band":"cold","label":"Long shot","p_open":1,"p_active":0.303,"p_room":0.28,"age_days":265,"expected_fill_days":31,"reasons":["conf:0","win:tail","crowd:"],"computed_at":"2026-09-30T05:45:00Z"},"pay":null,"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/neworbit-lead-flight-software-engineer","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/neworbit-lead-flight-software-engineer.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-09-30T06:15:00Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","usage":{"tier":"crawler","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":4304,"day_limit":5000,"remaining_today":696,"minute_limit":60,"resets_at":"2026-10-01T00:00:00Z"}}}