The Senior Spacecraft Systems Engineer – Software is responsible for translating system-level operational concepts, customer requirements, and architecture into detailed software requirements, verification strategies, and integrated technical solutions for complex embedded systems. This role serves as a critical bridge between Systems Engineering and Software Engineering, ensuring requirements are properly decomposed, traceable, testable, and aligned to overall program objectives.
The position is organizationally aligned within the Systems Engineering function while working closely day-to-day with the Software Engineering team to support planning, development, integration, and verification activities. This role is instrumental in defining software verification approaches, required hardware/software configurations, and ensuring system functionality meets mission and performance objectives.
ESSENTIAL ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
- Analyze customer, mission, and system-level requirements and decompose them into clear, verifiable software-level requirements.
- Ensure software requirements maintain traceability to higher-level system requirements, architecture, and Concept of Operations (CONOPS).
- Collaborate with systems, software, and hardware teams to refine requirements for completeness, feasibility, and technical accuracy.
- Support requirements management processes, baseline control, and change impact assessments.
- Identify requirement gaps, ambiguities, and risks early in the development lifecycle.
- Develop software verification approach including verification descriptions, methods (test, analysis, demonstration, inspection), levels, and acceptance criteria aligned to system and program requirements.
- Identify required verification configurations, including hardware setups, software loads, firmware versions, and test environments.
- Support verification cross-reference matrices (VCRM), traceability matrices, and evidence packages.
- Partner with test and software teams to ensure efficient execution of planned verification activities.
- Serve as a technical liaison between Systems Engineering and Software Engineering teams.
- Support software integration planning, readiness reviews, and release coordination.
- Evaluate impacts of software changes to system behavior, interfaces, and verification scope.
- Participate in architecture, design, and interface reviews to ensure requirements alignment.
- Support issue resolution involving system functionality, interoperability, and software performance.
- Apply working knowledge of embedded systems architectures, constraints, and development environments.
- Understand hardware/software interfaces, communication protocols, and subsystem interactions.
- Support interface definition and validation between embedded devices, processors, sensors, payloads, and external systems.
- Assess integration and verification implications of firmware, software, and hardware revisions.
- Support Program Increment (PI) planning, staffing assessments, and execution readiness activities.
- Prioritize verification and requirements activities to meet schedule and milestone commitments.
- Mentor junior engineers on requirements quality, traceability, and verification planning.
- Drive continuous improvement in systems/software collaboration, process efficiency, and engineering rigor.
JOB REQUIREMENTS AND MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
- Bachelor's degree in Systems Engineering, Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or related technical discipline with 5–8 years of experience in systems engineering, software engineering, embedded systems, or integration environments.
- Experience decomposing system requirements into software-level requirements.
- Experience creating verification plans, descriptions, procedures, or acceptance criteria.
- Strong understanding of embedded systems and software development lifecycles.
- Experience with hardware/software interfaces and communication protocols.
- Ability to interpret and apply system-level CONOPS to engineering execution.
- Programming Languages: Python, C++, C, Java, Bash, or similar.
- Development Tools: Git, IDEs, debuggers, CI/CD platforms.
- Operating Systems: Linux, Windows, Unix.
- Protocols/Interfaces: TCP/IP, UDP, Serial, USB, Ethernet, APIs.
- Other Tools: Requirements tools, issue tracking systems, automated test tools.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in Systems Engineering, Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical discipline
- 5-8 years of experience in systems engineering, software engineering, embedded systems, or integration environments
- Experience decomposing system requirements into software-level requirements
- Experience creating verification plans, descriptions, procedures, or acceptance criteria
- Strong understanding of embedded systems and software development lifecycles
- Experience with hardware/software interfaces and communication protocols
- Ability to interpret and apply system-level CONOPS to engineering execution
- Programming experience with Python, C++, C, Java, Bash, or similar
- Experience with Git, IDEs, debuggers, and CI/CD platforms
- Experience with Linux, Windows, or Unix operating systems
- Knowledge of TCP/IP, UDP, Serial, USB, Ethernet, and APIs
- Experience with requirements tools, issue tracking systems, or automated test tools
- Must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, conditional resident, asylee, refugee, or eligible to obtain required U.S. Department of State authorizations
CesiumAstro Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about CesiumAstro and has not been reviewed or approved by CesiumAstro.
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Healthcare Strength — Health coverage includes medical, dental, vision, life and disability insurance, plus FSAs and mental health benefits. Feedback suggests the health package is comprehensive for a growth-stage aerospace firm.
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Retirement Support — Offerings include a 401(k) with company matching and other retirement-plan elements. Feedback suggests core retirement mechanisms are in place alongside standard financial benefits.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Generous PTO, paid holidays, paid sick days, and bereavement leave are included. Feedback suggests time-off options are broad on paper across multiple leave types.
CesiumAstro Insights
What We Do
We build high-throughput, plug-and-play phased array communication payloads for space and airborne platforms. CesiumAstro’s full-stack, multi-mission hardware and software products enable a diverse range of commercial and defense objectives. Full-system engineering design is at the heart of every CesiumAstro product. We deliver high-performance solutions under rapid development timelines.
Why Work With Us
At CesiumAstro, we’re a team. We’re passionate, respectful, and determined colleagues ready to help at a moment’s notice. We’re mentors excited to enable our peers with the knowledge they need to succeed. Together, we’re visionaries committing to building memories that will last a lifetime.
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