Head Of Flight Software Hot

Head Of Flight Software job at Approach Venture in El Segundo CA

Description, duties, responsibilities

Head Of Flight Software - Lead Software Development For Next-Generation Spacecraft Systems

Los Angeles CA | On-site

Join an early-stage space company developing advanced spacecraft and in-space mobility systems designed for complex orbital and national security missions. This role will lead the flight software function across vehicle development owning the architecture execution integration and long-term direction of embedded and real-time software systems supporting spacecraft operations. Working closely with the founding team and cross-functional engineering leadership you will oversee the development of core flight software infrastructure spanning avionics integration mission management telemetry communications health monitoring and fault management. This is a highly hands-on leadership role for someone capable of driving technical direction while remaining deeply involved in implementation testing and system-level integration.

We are a venture-backed aerospace startup focused on building advanced spacecraft platforms and propulsion technologies for demanding commercial and defense applications. The company is led by engineers and operators with deep experience across launch spacecraft and advanced hardware development. The team operates with a strong emphasis on speed technical ownership and iterative hardware execution.

Job Duties

• Lead architecture development and execution of the companys flight software systems across current and future vehicle programs
• Own the full flight software lifecycle including design implementation testing validation deployment and operational support
• Develop real-time embedded software supporting mission management command and telemetry health monitoring fault handling and vehicle operations
• Drive software integration efforts across avionics RF systems propulsion interfaces sensors and onboard computing hardware
• Lead development of software frameworks state machines communication layers and operational logic for flight systems
• Oversee hardware-in-the-loop testing system bring-up debugging and vehicle integration activities
• Implement and optimize networking and communication protocols including Ethernet UDP multicast and related interfaces
• Collaborate closely with hardware avionics GNC and systems engineering teams to support full vehicle development and mission readiness
• Establish software development processes testing standards documentation practices and configuration management workflows
• Support technical planning roadmap development and scaling of the flight software organization over time
• Mentor and help grow future software engineering team members as the company expands

Qualifications

• Bachelors degree in Computer Science Computer Engineering Aerospace Engineering Electrical Engineering or a related technical field
• 5+ years of professional software development experience with significant ownership of embedded or real-time systems
• Demonstrated experience leading development of complex software projects from architecture through deployment
• Strong programming experience with C/C++ and Python
• Experience developing embedded software for aerospace robotics autonomous systems or other safety-critical applications
• Strong understanding of real-time operating environments memory management scheduling and low-level system interactions
• Experience working directly with avionics hardware microcontrollers and integrated vehicle systems
• Ability to lead technical decision-making across software architecture and system integration efforts
• Experience debugging complex embedded systems and driving root cause analysis activities
• Strong communication skills with the ability to operate effectively in fast-paced highly collaborative startup environments

Preferred Experience

• Prior experience leading or managing flight software or embedded systems teams
• Spacecraft launch vehicle autonomous systems or defense hardware experience
• Familiarity with GNC software integration and mission operations concepts
• Experience with Rust Grafana or related tooling
• Experience supporting software qualification certification or compliance efforts
• Hardware-in-the-loop testing and integrated vehicle validation experience
• Startup experience with rapid hardware and software iteration cycles
• Experience scaling software infrastructure and engineering processes within growing technical organizations

Why Join Us

• Opportunity to lead a critical engineering function at an early-stage aerospace company
• Direct ownership over spacecraft flight software architecture and execution
• Highly collaborative environment with experienced aerospace founders and technical leadership
• Ability to shape technical direction team structure and long-term software strategy
• Exposure to full vehicle development testing and mission operations
• Equity participation and significant long-term growth opportunity

$180000 - $230000

Related Jobs

Flight Operations Engineer El Segundo CA

Flight Readiness Technician Edwards CA

F 35 Flightline Inspector 1st Shift Jobs Edwards CA

Airplane Flight Instructor Edwards CA

Flight Systems Lab Technician Mountain View CA

Flight Line Support Tech Bakersfield CA

Flight Test Intern Marina CA

Deputy Director Of Airports Operations And Maintenance Camarillo CA

Flight Test Integration Specialist Costa Mesa CA

Security Officer Airport Access Control Costa Mesa CA

Approach Venture Company Overview

The following jobs have been promoted on the Aviation Ad Network and are to be considered - current, newsworthy aviation employment information (FYI). No guarantee is made as to the accuracy, completeness or timeliness of any information, projections or opinions in announcements obtained through the promoted jobs. The information contained in this announcement is compiled for the convenience of site visitors and is accepted by the site visitor on the condition that errors or omissions are not the responsibility of Avjobs and shall not be made the basis for any claim, demand or cause of action. Please visit this companys web site for additional details and information. Please reference Avjobs when applying.