Staff Ground Software Engineer

Turion is developing the critical infrastructure of the space economy. We're doing this by building vertically integrated hardware and software: DROID, our line of space vehicles, and Starfire, our software suite covering simulation, modeling, planning, and operations.

We're a group of people who fell in love with the future sci-fi promised us, and we're building it into reality. We build hard things. We build them well. And we're just getting started.

We are seeking a dedicated Staff Ground Software Engineer to join our team in Irvine, CA. As a Staff Ground Software Engineer, you will architect, automate, and operate the mission-critical infrastructure that powers Turion’s spacecraft operations. You will ensure that ground systems are highly available, observable, secure, and scalable, enabling operators to command satellites, process high-volume downlinks, and respond quickly to on-orbit events.

You’ll work across the full software and infrastructure lifecycle, influencing architectural decisions, developing core platform services, improving reliability, and driving engineering best practices. You will tackle complex distributed-systems challenges involving:

• Scale: orchestrating high-rate telemetry ingestion, processing pipelines, and global operations

• Reliability: building fault-tolerant, resilient services for mission-critical workflows

• Automation: enabling fully automated deployments, testing pipelines, and operational workflows

• Observability: delivering deep insight into system performance, failures, and spacecraft behavior

• Security: safeguarding command paths, data integrity, and operational access control

You will partner closely with mission operators, flight software engineers, and cross-functional teams to ensure our ground systems remain robust, maintainable, and operationally efficient as mission complexity grows.

This is a full-time, exempt position based on-site at our office in Irvine, California.

What You’ll Build

Mission Control Infrastructure

• Core components of a scalable, cloud-native platform for spacecraft operations

• Automated deployment and operational tooling for satellite fleets

• Reusable infrastructure modules and shared platform capabilities

• Observability, telemetry, and alerting systems for real-time operations

Key Responsibilities

• Design, automate, and operate the infrastructure enabling spacecraft operations

• Define architectural direction for mission-critical systems, including autonomy, data pipelines, and real-time processing

• Build and maintain CI/CD pipelines, deployment frameworks, and environment-level automation

• Establish and uphold reliability and performance standards across ground systems

• Lead and participate in on-call rotations for high-availability production environments

• Partner with mission operators to turn operational needs into reliable services and tools

• Drive engineering excellence through documentation, reviews, and technical mentorship

• Improve the accessibility, efficiency, and reliability of satellite operations at scale

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, or equivalent experience

• 8+ years of software or infrastructure engineering experience, including ownership of major components or services

• Strong experience with distributed systems

• Expertise with cloud-native and container-based architectures

• Deep Kubernetes experience (design, operation, and tuning)

• Significant experience operating live, customer-facing, cloud-hosted systems

• Demonstrated leadership in on-call for high-availability environments

• Must be able to obtain and maintain a TS/SCI clearance.

Preferred Qualifications

• Proficiency in Go

• Expertise in multiple cloud stacks (e.g. AWS + Azure)

• Experience with real-time data processing or data engineering pipelines

• Proficiency in database administration

• Interest in space systems and mission operations

Staff Ground Software Engineer Salary Range: $175,000 - $225,000 USD

Employees may be asked to support alternate shifts, extended shifts, and/or travel during peak work periods.

ITAR Requirements:

This position may include access to technology and/or software source code that is subject to U.S. export controls. To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka 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.

Benefits:

We offer a comprehensive compensation and benefits package designed to support the well-being and professional growth of our employees. In addition to a competitive base salary and company stock, determined by factors such as job-related knowledge, education, skills, experience, and market demand, full-time employees are eligible for:

• Equity: Receive equity in Turion Space, letting you benefit from the company's success

• Health Insurance: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and their dependents.

• Retirement Plans: Access to a 401(k) plan with a 3% Employer Direct Contribution to help you plan for your future.

• Paid Time Off: Generous vacation days, personal days, sick days, and holidays to ensure you have time to recharge.

• Parental Leave: Paid parental leave following the birth of a newborn or adoption.

• Emotional Wellbeing: A no-cost Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to support you and your household’s emotional health and wellbeing.

• Professional Development: Opportunities for ongoing internal training, workshops, and courses to advance your skills and career growth.

• Team Building Activities: Regular social events, team outings, and company-sponsored activities to foster a positive work environment.

We are dedicated to providing a supportive and enriching environment for our team members, recognizing that our collective success is built upon the well-being and satisfaction of each individual.

Turion Space is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Turion Space 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.