Flight Software Manager

About PLD Space

PLD Space is an international company on a mission to transport satellites into space, vertically integrating the engineering, testing, manufacturing, and operations of its reusable and sustainable rockets. Headquartered in Elche (Spain) and founded in 2011 by Raúl Torres and Raúl Verdú, PLD Space has established itself as a global benchmark in the small satellite launch sector. Its family of MIURA launchers and LINCE crewed capsule position the company as a leader in European technological sovereignty for space transportation, covering the full spectrum of space missions.

PLD Space operates over 188,000 m² of facilities in Elche, Teruel (Spain), Kourou (French Guiana), and Duqm (Oman), enabling the company to provide comprehensive satellite and payload launch services into space.

Teamwork, courage, determination and ambition enable PLD Space to guarantee an autonomous, independent satellite space access capability, based on reliability at a globally competitive price. The company is able to offer best-in-class launch services to commercial satellite operators, institutions, space agencies and national and international governmental entities

Mission

The Flight Software Manager is responsible for leading the Flight Software team, ensuring the successful development, integration, validation, and operation of flight-critical software across PLD Space launch vehicles and future programs.

This role combines people leadership, technical direction, and program execution, fostering team growth while ensuring software solutions meet mission, reliability, safety, and operational objectives. The Flight Software Manager serves as the technical reference for the discipline and works closely with Systems, Avionics, GNC, Ground Segment, Operations, and Verification teams throughout the complete vehicle lifecycle, from concept definition to launch operations.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the Flight Software team, defining priorities, objectives, workloads, and execution strategies aligned with company milestones and program needs. Supervise the flight software development lifecycle, from requirements definition and design to testing, integration, and deployment.
• Manage team performance, career development, recruitment, mentoring, and succession planning, fostering a high-performance engineering culture.
• Act as the technical authority and primary point of contact for Flight Software within PLD Space.
• Define and maintain the technical roadmap, architecture vision, and development strategy for flight software across current and future launch vehicle programs.Ensure the successful execution of the complete flight software lifecycle, including requirements, design, implementation, verification, validation, integration, qualification, and operational support.
• Coordinate with Systems Engineering, Avionics, GNC, Ground Segment, Vehicle Engineering, and Operations teams to ensure successful software integration at vehicle level.
• Lead technical interactions with international space and aerospace organizations, supporting program reviews and development activities with space agencies such as ESA, CNES and other governmental or institutional customers.
• Manage external software engineering suppliers and specialized partners, ensuring quality, schedule, technical compliance, and alignment with program objectives.
• Lead system-level testing activities, including software-in-the-loop (SIL), hardware-in-the-loop (HIL), avionics integration, and full vehicle testing campaigns.
• Coordinate and oversee software certification, qualification, and compliance activities, ensuring flight software products satisfy applicable aerospace and space industry standards and customer requirements.
• Leverage previous launch and system-level operations experience to continuously improve software robustness, operability, and mission readiness.
• Promote engineering excellence through code reviews, technical reviews, design assessments, and adoption of software best practices.
• Drive the implementation and continuous improvement of development processes, productivity tools, automation frameworks, CI/CD pipelines, and engineering metrics.
• Identify technical risks, define mitigation plans, and ensure timely resolution of critical issues affecting project execution.
• Manage planning, resources, budgets, schedules, and deliverables associated with Flight Software activities.
• Contribute to strategic decisions regarding future vehicle architectures, mission concepts, and software technologies.
• Ensure adequate documentation, knowledge retention, and configuration management practices across the organization.
• Promote innovation and adoption of new technologies, methodologies, and tools that enhance productivity, reliability, and maintainability.

Necessary Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Telecommunications Engineering, or a related discipline.
• 8+ years of experience in in embedded software, flight software, avionics software, or safety-critical aerospace systems.
• Proven experience leading engineering teams and managing technical projects in complex multidisciplinary environments.
• Strong project planning, prioritization, stakeholder management, and decision-making skills.
• Proficiency in certified RTOS and low-level programming languages such as C++, C.
• Experience defining software architectures for mission-critical systems. Familiarity with concepts like FDIR.
• Experience with software verification and validation activities, including SIL, HIL, and integrated system testing.
• Experience with software certification standards such as DO-178C, ECSS, NASA Software Engineering.
• Experience working on launch vehicles, spacecraft, aerospace systems, or other high-reliability critical systems.
• Demonstrated participation in system-level test campaigns and/or operational environments.
• Strong understanding of aerospace software development standards, verification methodologies, and certification frameworks.
• Demonstrated experience in software certification, qualification, or compliance processes within aerospace, launch vehicle, spacecraft, avionics, or safety-critical systems.
• Experience with software configuration management and modern development practices (Git, CI/CD, automated testing).
• Excellent communication and leadership skills.
• Professional proficiency in English.

Desired Requirements

• Experience preparing and leading major project reviews, including SRR, PDR, CDR, QRR, TRR, FRR, and mission readiness reviews.
• Experience working within programs subject to institutional oversight, export control requirements, or governmental customer audits.
• Previous experience supporting launch operations, flight tests, mission operations, or large-scale system integration campaigns.
• Experience managing teams in fast-growing engineering organizations.
• Knowledge of flight computers, avionics architectures, GNC systems, telemetry, telecommand, and onboard software.
• Familiarity with ECSS standards and aerospace software development processes.
• Experience with Linux-based embedded systems and real-time operating systems.
• Experience driving engineering productivity initiatives, automation strategies, and development toolchains.
• Strong systems engineering mindset and ability to work effectively across multidisciplinary teams.
• Experience contributing to future product roadmaps and long-term technology strategies.

Benefits

Health & Wellness

• Physiotherapy within our facilities
• 50% discount on your health insurance
• You can sign-up your family members with health insurance at a competitive price.
• Healthy snacks and lots of fruit

Find balance

• 23 days of paid vacation plus December 24th and 31st
• Flexible work schedule

Never stop learning

• We encourage practical learning
• We promote professional development through internal mobility and teamwork

Focus on your financial future

• Childcare flexible contributions
• Restaurant tickets
• Transport flexible contributions
• Training support

Values

We have five critical beliefs that guide the way PLD Space is shaping the future of space launch technologies.

• Teamwork.
• Hard work.
• Dynamism.
• Commitment.
• Keep it simple.

Join us to reinvent how rockets are built!