Principal Software Design Engineer II

Please Note: To conform with the United States Government Space Technology Export Regulations, the applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., conditional resident, asylee or refugee (protected individuals as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3)), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

At CesiumAstro, we are developers and pioneers of out-of-the-box communication systems for satellites, UAVs, launch vehicles, and other space and airborne platforms. We take pride in our dynamic and cross-functional work environment, which allows us to learn, develop, and engage across our organization. If you are looking for hands-on, interactive, and autonomous work, CesiumAstro is the place for you. We are actively seeking passionate, collaborative, energetic, and forward-thinking individuals to join our team.

In this position, you will be responsible for low-level and high-level software in Cesium’s products through all phases of the development process. Key projects will include Linux-based single-board computers and high-reliability microcontroller systems. Cesium’s goal is to create an out-of-the-box hardware and software experience which enhances our customers’ ability to rapidly integrate our products into their systems.

As a Cesium software team member, you will be responsible for software designs from concept through production, including product roadmaps, block diagrams, detailed design and coding, analysis, test, qualification, and in-orbit support. The ideal candidate will have development experience at nearly every level of the software stack, including microcontrollers, low-level drivers, board support packages (BSP), end-use applications, and user interfaces. Additionally, the ideal candidate will have experience in software testing and high-reliability qualification, as well as software engineering and software project management practices.

The successful candidate will present engineering design review materials to our customers and executive team, as well as participate in proposal-writing efforts. As such, excellent written and verbal communication skills are required.

• Define system-level software architectures by contributing to early design phases including system requirements review, concept design review, and preliminary design review.
• Lead the realization of software architectures and components by guiding a team of 5-10 engineers, including development and reviews.
• Develop and customize Linux distributions using industry-standard tools such as Yocto.
• Improve and augment existing design processes to improve overall software quality.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams including systems engineering and hardware engineering.
• Collaborate with manufacturing and operations on the testability and deploy-ability of productions software artifacts.
• Interface to external parties including customers and vendors.
• Mentor junior software engineering staff.
• Assess third party and open-source software.

• Bachelor of Science (BS) or Master of Science (MS) degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or Computer Engineering
• Minimum of 11 years of industry experience in software development.
• Expert in Linux distribution customization via tools such as Yocto, BitBake, and OpenEmbedded.
• Expert in early-stage bootloaders such as U-Boot.
• Expert in C embedded software development.
• Expert in modern development tools and flows such as Git, GitLab, GitHub, continuous integration testing and agile software development.
• Expert in assisting board-bring-up for complex digital PCBAs.
• Experience in embedded systems design with preemptive, multitasking real-time operating systems (experience with real-time Linux is desirable)
• Excellent knowledge of real-time system coding techniques, IP protocols, interfaces, and hardware subsystems
• Excellent understanding of multi-threaded applications and resource management
• Advanced Python and bash scripting experience.

• Experience designing products for deployment into aerospace systems.
• Experience designing radio products.
• Experience with satellite flight software development, including frameworks such as NASA cFS.
• Experience reading electronics schematics and component data sheets.
• Experience with state-of-the-art embedded platforms including Xilinx SoCs.
• Experience with aerospace software standards and certifications such as DO-178C.

CesiumAstro considers several factors when extending an offer, including but not limited to, the role and associated responsibilities, a candidate’s work experience, education/training, and key skills. Full-time employment offers include company stock options and a generous benefits package featuring health, dental, vision, HSA, FSA, life and retirement plans. 

CesiumAstro, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex including sexual orientation and gender identity, national origin, disability, protected Veteran Status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.