{"id":3240971,"url":"https://alion.io/job/pld-space-flight-software-manager","title":"Flight Software Manager","company":{"id":53800,"name":"PLD Space","domain":"pldspace.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/pld-space","size_band":"1001-5000","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Career sitemap","truth_index":null},"role":"Industrial Engineering","role_family":"Industrial Engineering","seniority":"lead","employment_type":null,"work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Elche, Spain"],"countries":["ES"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":null,"salary_estimate":{"min_usd":49000,"max_usd":124000,"period":"year","method":"global_role_cell_scaled_by_country","sample_n":2629},"experience_years_min":8,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"C++","optional":false},{"name":"CI/CD","optional":false},{"name":"DO-178C","optional":false},{"name":"ECSS","optional":false},{"name":"Git","optional":false},{"name":"Linux","optional":false},{"name":"RTOS","optional":false},{"name":"Verification & Validation","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-10-25T15:52:53Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-10-25","last_verified_at":"2026-10-27T22:40:12Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":2,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":2},"description":"About PLD Space\nPLD 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.\nPLD 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.\nTeamwork, 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\nMission\nThe 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.\nThis 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.\nResponsibilities\nLead 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.\nManage team performance, career development, recruitment, mentoring, and succession planning, fostering a high-performance engineering culture.\nAct as the technical authority and primary point of contact for Flight Software within PLD Space.\nDefine 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.\nCoordinate with Systems Engineering, Avionics, GNC, Ground Segment, Vehicle Engineering, and Operations teams to ensure successful software integration at vehicle level.\nLead 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.\nManage external software engineering suppliers and specialized partners, ensuring quality, schedule, technical compliance, and alignment with program objectives.\nLead system-level testing activities, including software-in-the-loop (SIL), hardware-in-the-loop (HIL), avionics integration, and full vehicle testing campaigns.\nCoordinate and oversee software certification, qualification, and compliance activities, ensuring flight software products satisfy applicable aerospace and space industry standards and customer requirements.\nLeverage previous launch and system-level operations experience to continuously improve software robustness, operability, and mission readiness.\nPromote engineering excellence through code reviews, technical reviews, design assessments, and adoption of software best practices.\nDrive the implementation and continuous improvement of development processes, productivity tools, automation frameworks, CI/CD pipelines, and engineering metrics.\nIdentify technical risks, define mitigation plans, and ensure timely resolution of critical issues affecting project execution.\nManage planning, resources, budgets, schedules, and deliverables associated with Flight Software activities.\nContribute to strategic decisions regarding future vehicle architectures, mission concepts, and software technologies.\nEnsure adequate documentation, knowledge retention, and configuration management practices across the organization.\nPromote innovation and adoption of new technologies, methodologies, and tools that enhance productivity, reliability, and maintainability.\nNecessary Requirements\nBachelor's degree in Computer Science, Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Telecommunications Engineering, or a related discipline.\n8+ years of experience in in embedded software, flight software, avionics software, or safety-critical aerospace systems.\nProven experience leading engineering teams and managing technical projects in complex multidisciplinary environments.\nStrong project planning, prioritization, stakeholder management, and decision-making skills.\nProficiency in certified RTOS and low-level programming languages such as C++, C.\nExperience defining software architectures for mission-critical systems. Familiarity with concepts like FDIR.\nExperience with software verification and validation activities, including SIL, HIL, and integrated system testing.\nExperience with software certification standards such as DO-178C, ECSS, NASA Software Engineering.\nExperience working on launch vehicles, spacecraft, aerospace systems, or other high-reliability critical systems.\nDemonstrated participation in system-level test campaigns and/or operational environments.\nStrong understanding of aerospace software development standards, verification methodologies, and certification frameworks.\nDemonstrated experience in software certification, qualification, or compliance processes within aerospace, launch vehicle, spacecraft, avionics, or safety-critical systems.\nExperience with software configuration management and modern development practices (Git, CI/CD, automated testing).\nExcellent communication and leadership skills.\nProfessional proficiency in English.\nDesired Requirements\nExperience preparing and leading major project reviews, including SRR, PDR, CDR, QRR, TRR, FRR, and mission readiness reviews.\nExperience working within programs subject to institutional oversight, export control requirements, or governmental customer audits.\nPrevious experience supporting launch operations, flight tests, mission operations, or large-scale system integration campaigns.\nExperience managing teams in fast-growing engineering organizations.\nKnowledge of flight computers, avionics architectures, GNC systems, telemetry, telecommand, and onboard software.\nFamiliarity with ECSS standards and aerospace software development processes.\nExperience with Linux-based embedded systems and real-time operating systems.\nExperience driving engineering productivity initiatives, automation strategies, and development toolchains.\nStrong systems engineering mindset and ability to work effectively across multidisciplinary teams.\nExperience contributing to future product roadmaps and long-term technology strategies.\nBenefits\nHealth & Wellness\nPhysiotherapy within our facilities \n50% discount on your health insurance \nYou can sign-up your family members with health insurance at a competitive price. \nHealthy snacks and lots of fruit \nFind balance\n23 days of paid vacation plus December 24th and 31st \nFlexible work schedule \nNever stop learning\nWe encourage practical learning \nWe promote professional development through internal mobility and teamwork \nFocus on your financial future\nChildcare flexible contributions \nRestaurant tickets \nTransport flexible contributions \nTraining support \nValues\nWe have five critical beliefs that guide the way PLD Space is shaping the future of space launch technologies.\nTeamwork. \nHard work. \nDynamism. \nCommitment. \nKeep it simple. \nJoin us to reinvent how rockets are built!","description_format":"text","description_chars":8243,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":8,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":false},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[{"language":"English","level":"Advanced (C1)","optional":false}]},"benefits":["Flexible schedule","Health insurance","Professional development"],"hiring_locations":[],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":[],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-10-25T15:52:53Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":90,"band":"hot","label":"Hiring now","p_open":1,"p_active":0.903,"p_room":1,"age_days":1,"expected_fill_days":29,"reasons":["conf:1","velocity","win:early","comp:brand"],"computed_at":"2026-10-27T05:46:45Z"},"pay":null,"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/pld-space-flight-software-manager","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/pld-space-flight-software-manager.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-27T23:17:44Z","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":15223,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-10-28T00:00:00Z"}},"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":53800},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=53800"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fpld-space-flight-software-manager"},{"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%2Fpld-space-flight-software-manager"},{"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%2Fpld-space-flight-software-manager"},{"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/pld-space-flight-software-manager\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fpld-space-flight-software-manager"}]}