Senior Ground Software Engineer

An innovative aerospace organisation developing next-generation planetary exploration and autonomous vehicle technologies is seeking a Senior Ground Software Engineer to join its growing team.

This role focuses on building cloud-native command and control systems that support mission-critical vehicle operations in challenging environments. You will develop scalable backend services, real-time telemetry processing systems, and mission control applications that enable operators to monitor and control advanced robotic platforms.

Working within a fast-paced engineering environment, you will contribute to the design, development, deployment, and verification of production software that interfaces with complex hardware systems and supports operational missions.

• Design and develop backend features for mission command and control platforms.
• Build and maintain real-time telemetry processing pipelines supporting vehicle and spacecraft operations.
• Develop cloud-native applications and deploy production software within AWS environments.
• Implement infrastructure-as-code solutions using technologies such as Terraform, Cloud Formation, or AWS CDK.
• Design, develop, and maintain containerised microservices using Docker and Kubernetes.
• Develop high-performance backend services using Node.js and C++.
• Design and optimise database schemas, APIs, and data storage solutions.
• Support the development of operator-facing mission control interfaces using modern frontend frameworks.
• Collaborate closely with systems, robotics, and operations teams to integrate software with mission hardware.
• Develop software in accordance with safety-critical engineering, verification, and quality assurance standards.
• Contribute to software architecture, code reviews, testing strategies, and continuous improvement initiatives.

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Mathematics, or a related technical discipline.
• 5+ years of professional software engineering experience.
• Strong commercial experience developing and deploying software to cloud environments (AWS preferred).
• Strong programming skills in Node.js and C++.
• Experience designing and developing production-grade backend systems and APIs.
• Hands‑on experience with SQL databases including schema design, optimisation, and performance tuning.
• Experience working with object storage solutions such as Amazon S3, MinIO, or equivalent.
• Experience with containerisation technologies including Docker.
• Understanding of distributed systems, microservices architectures, and cloud-native development.
• Previous experience developing ground software, mission systems, aerospace software, or other complex real‑time operational systems.

• Experience with CCSDS protocols including SPP, AOS, TM/TC, and CFDP.
• Experience developing user interfaces using React or similar frontend frameworks.
• Knowledge of message broker technologies such as Kafka or RabbitMQ.
• Experience with observability and monitoring platforms including Prometheus, Grafana, Data Dog, or Open Telemetry.
• Experience supporting autonomous systems, robotics, aerospace, defence, or highly regulated industries.
• Familiarity with real-time data streaming architectures and telemetry systems.

This is an opportunity to work on cutting‑edge robotic and autonomous vehicle programmes that push the boundaries of exploration and advanced mobility. You will join a highly collaborative engineering team where your work will have direct impact on mission success, system performance, and future technology development.