{"id":142666,"url":"https://alion.io/job/the-exploration-company-principal-flight-software-engineer","title":"Principal Flight Software Engineer","company":{"id":51900,"name":"The Exploration Company","domain":"exploration.space","url":"https://alion.io/company/the-exploration-company","size_band":"201-500","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Ashby","truth_index":{"grade":"A","score":90,"open_postings":27,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":0.185,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":90,"computed_at":"2026-10-31T05:58:55Z"}},"role":"Hardware","role_family":"Hardware","seniority":"lead","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"explicit","locations":["Munich, Germany"],"countries":["DE"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":null,"salary_estimate":{"min_usd":97000,"max_usd":221000,"period":"year","method":"global_role_cell_scaled_by_country","sample_n":796},"experience_years_min":null,"visa_sponsorship":true,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"Bazel","optional":false},{"name":"C++","optional":false},{"name":"CI/CD","optional":false},{"name":"Python","optional":false},{"name":"Agile","optional":true},{"name":"DO-178C","optional":true},{"name":"ECSS","optional":true},{"name":"RTOS","optional":true},{"name":"TCP/IP","optional":true}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-02-19T11:18:05Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-02-19","last_verified_at":"2026-10-31T16:40:42Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":254,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":0,"flags":[],"days_open":253},"description":"Here at The Exploration Company, we are building spacecrafts for humanity.\nWe are looking for an experienced and hands-on Principal Flight Software Engineer (Team Lead) to lead the development at one of the key teams working on the Flight Software stack for Nyx. In this critical role, you will guide a team of talented engineers in building and validating the software systems that control and operate the spacecraft: from launch to docking, re-entry, and recovery.\nYou will combine deep technical expertise with strong leadership to deliver high-reliability software under tight mission timelines. You will collaborate with the other Flight Software teams and the Flight Software Lead to drive architectural decisions, enforce rigorous testing standards, and foster a culture of ownership, simulation-driven development, and cross-functional collaboration with other subsystems such as GNC, avionics, propulsion, and mission operations.\nThis is a high-impact leadership position where your decisions directly influence mission success.\nKey Responsibilities\nLead and mentor a high-performing team of flight software engineers in the design, implementation, testing, and integration of spacecraft software.\n\nOwn the technical roadmap and execution for flight software, including architecture, modularity, and interfaces across avionics and vehicle subsystems.\n\nSet high standards for code quality, test coverage, simulation fidelity, and system robustness.\n\nDrive development in modern C++ (C++17 or newer) and Python, enabling safe and efficient spacecraft operations in real-time environments.\n\nOversee the development of test infrastructure, including unit, integration, and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing, to ensure flight readiness.\n\nOwn key areas of the Nyx Flight Software, such as Simulation, Embedded software and firmware, specific subsystems… in accordance with your experience and expertise.\n\nCollaborate closely with teams across your team key stakeholders, for example systems engineering, GNC, propulsion, avionics, and mission operations to define requirements, resolve interface challenges, and validate end-to-end behavior.\n\nParticipate in and lead code reviews, software audits, flight software simulations, and mission rehearsals.\n\nWhat we would love to see from you\nStrong proficiency in modern C (Embedded/Firmware) or C++ (C++17 or newer, spacecraft software).\n\nPython experience.\n\nExperience with real-time systems, embedded development, simulation, or spacecraft software.\n\nDemonstrated ability to take ownership of complex technical problems and drive them to resolution.\n\nFamiliarity with software testing methodologies and simulation tools.\n\nExcellent cross-disciplinary communication and collaboration skills.\n\nGood understanding of math & physics.\n\nFocus on detail, quality, and testing.\n\nExperience with CI/CD systems and build systems in general. Bazel is a plus.\n\nNice to have\nKnowledge of safety critical and real-time critical software and familiarity with RTOS.\n\nGood understanding of communication protocols such as: TCP/IP, UART, CAN Bus and serialization.\n\nExperience with automotive or flight software frameworks.\n\nBackground in orbital mechanics, spacecraft systems, simulation, or space mission lifecycle.\n\nExperience with industry standards such as AUTOSAR, ECSS, DO-178.\n\nWhy you should join us!\nWhat makes us special here at The Exploration Company and why we think you will enjoy working here is:\nWe’re Agile - we make decisions fast whilst keeping our goals and systems in mind\n\nWe’re Open and Collaborative - we are transparent about risks and obstacles, so that we can cooperate to overcome them\n\nWe have a lot of Fun - we refuel our energy knowing we are democratising space. It’s a wonderful and rare opportunity, are YOU up for the challenge?\n\nWe'd love to hear from you if you wish to be a part of our journey. Please submit your CV now for immediate consideration and we will be in touch shortly. \nThe Exploration Company is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, colour, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status or disability status. Relocation assistance is provided for those willing to relocate including visa sponsorship where applicable. \n\nAll offers are contingent upon the successful completion of a background check, which will be subject to the country, role, and project you applied for. By submitting your application, you acknowledge and agree that any offer of employment may be conditional upon successful condition of this check. The Exploration Company partners with Zinc Work Limited located in the UK (Zinc), a third-party provider, to ensure this process as efficient and transparent as possible. \nIf applicable, you will receive an email from Zinc upon acceptance of your offer with a link to a secure portal where you can provide the required information to Zinc.","description_format":"text","description_chars":4928,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":null,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":null,"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":["Relocation assistance"],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"United Kingdom","iso":"GB","kind":"country"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":true,"industries":["Aerospace Manufacturing","Space Services"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-02-19T11:18:05Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":17,"band":"cold","label":"Long shot","p_open":1,"p_active":0.596,"p_room":0.28,"age_days":253,"expected_fill_days":90,"reasons":["conf:0","velocity","win:tail","crowd:brand"],"computed_at":"2026-10-31T05:58:55Z"},"pay":null,"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/the-exploration-company-principal-flight-software-engineer","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/the-exploration-company-principal-flight-software-engineer.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-31T16:41:28Z","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":26137,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-11-01T00:00:00Z"}},"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":51900},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=51900"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fthe-exploration-company-principal-flight-software-engineer"},{"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%2Fthe-exploration-company-principal-flight-software-engineer"},{"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%2Fthe-exploration-company-principal-flight-software-engineer"},{"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/the-exploration-company-principal-flight-software-engineer\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fthe-exploration-company-principal-flight-software-engineer"}],"agent":{"mcp":"https://alion.io/mcp/jobs","mcp_open":"https://alion.io/mcp/open","next":[{"tool":"get_job","arguments":{"id":142666}},{"tool":"search_jobs","arguments":{"company":"exploration.space","detail":"compact"}},{"tool":"match_people","arguments":{"job_id":142666},"note":"people open to offers who fit this vacancy"}],"note":"The same data through MCP tools: https://alion.io/mcp/open needs no sign-in (compact searches, postings, people); https://alion.io/mcp with an Alion account has everything. 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