Principal Ground Software Engineer
Confirmed on the employer's own hiring board on Oct 17, 2026. First seen by Alion on Aug 19, 2026. Reflect Orbital scores A on the Alion truth index.
At Reflect, you will be expected to move fast, have a lot of ownership and, most importantly, be able to effect change. If this excites you, we are interested in hearing about your best work and accomplishments across any domain and from any points in your life.
About the Role
As a Principal Satellite Ground Software Engineer, you'll set the technical direction for the ground segment: the architecture that takes us from operating single satellites with hands-on passes to operating a constellation with minimal operator involvement. You'll make the build/buy/extend calls on core infrastructure and be responsible for ground segment readiness at every launch.
This is a hands-on role on a small team. You'll write code, deploy and operate what you build, and troubleshoot issues that span software, networks, and hardware. You'll also mentor engineers, review designs across the team, and make the architectural decisions the rest of the ground segment builds on.
Responsibilities
Define the ground segment architecture and technical roadmap: command and telemetry systems, ground station network strategy, data infrastructure, and automation
Make build/buy/extend decisions on command and control infrastructure, mission planning, fleet management, and ground network and GSaaS providers
Design for constellation scale: automated contact scheduling across many satellites and sites, fleet-wide telemetry and alerting, and increasing automation of routine operations
Define engineering practices across the ground/flight boundary, including interface documentation and simulation and hardware-in-the-loop test infrastructure
Lead ground segment work through launch campaigns, commissioning, and major anomalies
Build security into the ground segment from the start: link protection, key management, and access control
Improve the reliability and observability of mission-critical ground systems
Mentor engineers, review designs and code, and support hiring for the ground software team
Qualifications
Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Computer Science or a related technical field, or equivalent experience
10+ years of experience developing ground systems software (services, APIs, and applications)
Experience setting technical direction for a ground segment or comparable real-time infrastructure
Experience taking satellites, or a comparable hardware fleet, through launch, commissioning, and sustained operations
Experience deploying and operating software on AWS, including container orchestration with Kubernetes and CI/CD systems
Strong understanding of networking protocols, routing, VPNs, and secure connectivity
Knowledge of satellite ground systems, including ground station networking, antenna interfaces, and RF subsystems
Experience building services around databases and real-time data (relational or time-series)
Strong programming and scripting skills (Python, C++, and/or Rust)
Familiarity with Linux environments and command-line tools
Experience building software for multi-satellite constellation operations is a plus
Even if you don’t meet 100% of the above qualifications, we are likely still interested in hearing from you. Hiring exceptional individuals is our #1 priority, and we believe that exceptional people often have highly unusual backgrounds.
We are also interested in carving out unique roles for unconventional people that we are excited about working with.
Benefits
Reflect Orbital’s success will hinge on our team, which is why our compensation and benefits plan is designed to reward our employees and support their families as generously as we’re able.
Broad choice of medical/dental/vision coverage, Reflect covers 100% of each base-policy
Access to HSA, FSA, and 401K
Unlimited paid time off
Healthy lunches provided daily
Equal Opportunity
Reflect Orbital is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Reflect Orbital 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.
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