{"id":1128302,"url":"https://alion.io/job/quindar-senior-software-engineer-flight-plan","title":"Senior Software Engineer, Flight + Plan","company":{"id":1123,"name":"Quindar","domain":"quindar.space","url":"https://alion.io/company/quindar","size_band":"11-50","is_staffing_agency":false,"is_intermediary":false,"ats_vendor":"Ashby","truth_index":null},"role":"Backend","role_family":"Backend","seniority":"senior","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"hybrid","remote_scope":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Denver, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":140000,"max":180000,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":180000},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":6,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"CI/CD","optional":false},{"name":"Git","optional":false},{"name":"Python","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-09-22T20:56:59Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-09-22","last_verified_at":"2026-09-23T22:09:21Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":1,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":1},"description":"What You’ll Be Doing\nAs a Senior Software Engineer on Quindar’s Flight + Plan team, you will lead the design and development of mission-planning systems that support real-world spacecraft operations. Your work will focus on optimization, scheduling, operational automation, and high-performance backend services across Quindar’s platform.\nYou’ll work primarily in Python to build reliable production systems that solve computationally demanding planning problems. These systems must process large search spaces, respond with low latency, and scale from individual spacecraft to large satellite constellations. You’ll develop and validate algorithms, design distributed services, and improve the performance and operational resilience of mission-critical workflows.\nThis role sits at the intersection of optimization, backend software engineering, and space operations. You’ll collaborate closely with software engineers, flight dynamics engineers, satellite operators, frontend engineers, and product leaders to turn complex operational requirements into maintainable and scalable software.\nWe’re looking for an engineer who combines strong software fundamentals with mathematical problem-solving skills and sound engineering judgment. You should be comfortable taking ownership of ambiguous technical problems, evaluating tradeoffs, and carrying solutions from initial design through production operation.\nQuindar encourages engineers to seek leverage through automation and AI-assisted development. We use modern engineering tools to accelerate implementation, deepen validation, improve debugging, and reduce operational friction while maintaining a high standard for correctness and reliability.\nIn this role, you will:\nLead the design and implementation of mission-planning, scheduling, optimization, and operational-automation systems\n\nDevelop and validate algorithms that solve complex planning and resource-allocation problems across large solution spaces\n\nBuild high-performance APIs and distributed services for low-latency and compute-intensive workloads\n\nImprove the scalability, reliability, observability, and operational readiness of mission-critical systems\n\nCollaborate across software, program, product, and operations to turn complex requirements into robust production solutions\n\nHelp shape technical direction, mentor other engineers, and use automation and AI-assisted practices to improve engineering velocity and quality\n\nRequired Technical Skills\nStrong proficiency in Python and deep experience designing, building, and operating production backend systems\n\nExperience developing high-performance software for low-latency, compute-intensive, or data-intensive workloads\n\nApplied experience with optimization, scheduling, search, planning, or resource allocation, using techniques such as constraint programming, mixed-integer programming, vehicle routing, heuristics, or other operations-research methods\n\nStrong knowledge of algorithms, data structures, computational complexity, performance analysis, and system profiling\n\nExperience designing and troubleshooting APIs, distributed systems, relational databases, and containerized cloud applications\n\nStrong software-engineering fundamentals, including architecture, testing, CI/CD, observability, and modern Git-based workflows\n\nWhat Makes You Stand Out\nYou have experience with flight dynamics, orbital mechanics, astrodynamics, spacecraft operations, or aerospace modeling and simulation\n\nYou can translate ambiguous operational needs into well-defined planning, optimization, and software problems\n\nYou have hands-on experience with cislunar mission design, trajectory planning, or operations in the Earth-Moon system\n\nYou evaluate algorithmic approaches based on solution quality, runtime, scalability, reliability, and operational constraints\n\nYou balance long-term architectural thinking with pragmatic, iterative delivery and communicate clearly across disciplines\n\nYou naturally take ownership, mentor others, use automation and AI thoughtfully, and help raise the technical bar for the team\n\nBackground Qualifications\nBachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Aerospace Engineering, Applied Mathematics, Operations Research, or a related technical field-or equivalent practical experience\n\n6+ years of professional software-engineering experience involving backend systems, distributed systems, optimization, planning, modeling and simulation, or related technical domains\n\nDemonstrated experience independently driving complex software from concept and technical design through production deployment and operation\n\nActive U.S. Secret security clearance, with the ability to maintain it throughout employment\n\nITAR Requirements\nTo conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicants must be a: (i) U.S. citizen or national; (ii) U.S. lawful permanent resident, also known as a green card holder; (iii) refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157; or (iv) asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158-or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.\nLearn more about ITAR here.\nWhy You’ll Love Working at Quindar\nWork on cutting-edge technology and see your contributions directly support the success of real-world space missions!\n\nMake a meaningful impact as part of a small, collaborative team where your ideas, expertise, and leadership truly matter.\n\nEnjoy unlimited PTO, a minimum of 15 days off each year, and most U.S. federal holidays-we take work-life balance seriously!\n\nTake care of yourself and your family with quarterly health and wellness benefits, comprehensive health insurance, and 100% employee coverage.\n\nInvest in your future with a 4% 401(k) match, and connect with the team at our annual four-day company offsite in destinations across the country!\n\nHelp shape what comes next at Quindar as our technology, culture, and company continue to evolve!","description_format":"text","description_chars":5869,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":6,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":false},"security_clearance":true,"languages":[]},"benefits":["Health insurance","Unlimited PTO"],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"United States","iso":"US","kind":"country"},{"name":"Colombia","iso":null,"kind":"country"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Software","Space & Aerospace","Space Services"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-09-22T23:12:55Z"}],"liveness":{"score":90,"band":"hot","label":"Hiring now","p_open":1,"p_active":0.903,"p_room":1,"age_days":0,"expected_fill_days":69,"reasons":["conf:1","velocity","win:early"],"computed_at":"2026-09-23T05:45:00Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":180000,"is_top_pay":false},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/quindar-senior-software-engineer-flight-plan","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/quindar-senior-software-engineer-flight-plan.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-09-23T23:41:36Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers"}}