Spacecraft Flight Software Engineer

We're supporting an innovative space technology organisation in the search for an experienced Spacecraft Flight Software Engineer to help develop the embedded software that powers next-generation spacecraft.

This is a highly technical, hands‑on engineering role where you'll be involved throughout the software lifecycle, from architecture and development through integration, testing and flight validation. You'll work closely with multidisciplinary engineering teams to build reliable flight software that interfaces directly with spacecraft hardware and supports critical mission operations.

The successful candidate will have a strong background in embedded software development and experience delivering software for complex aerospace or spaceflight applications.

• Design, develop and maintain spacecraft flight software using industry-standard flight software frameworks.
• Develop embedded software in C/C++ and Python for mission-critical spacecraft applications.
• Create and integrate software components supporting telemetry, command handling, timing, communications and payload operations.
• Develop low‑level software to interface with hardware including FPGAs, GPIOs and embedded peripherals.
• Implement robust boot processes, fault recovery strategies and memory management solutions.
• Develop and maintain automated build, testing and deployment pipelines using modern CI/CD practices.
• Perform software integration, verification and validation on engineering models, flatsat platforms and flight hardware.
• Work alongside systems, avionics and electronics engineers to ensure successful subsystem integration.
• Debug complex software and hardware interactions throughout the development lifecycle.
• Produce high‑quality technical documentation and contribute to software architecture decisions.

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Aerospace Engineering, Electronic Engineering or a related discipline.
• 5+ years' experience developing and testing embedded or flight software, ideally within the space or aerospace sector.
• Strong programming skills in C/C++ and Python.
• Experience working with embedded Linux environments.
• Practical experience using spacecraft flight software frameworks such as F Prime (or similar frameworks including cFS).
• Solid understanding of embedded software architecture and real‑time systems.
• Experience working with hardware communication protocols including I2C, CAN, UART and RS485.
• Experience integrating software with FPGAs, GPIOs and embedded hardware.
• Hands‑on experience using Git, automated build systems and CI/CD pipelines.
• Experience supporting software integration and testing on flatsat or equivalent hardware test platforms.
• Strong debugging, problem‑solving and analytical skills.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to work effectively in a collaborative engineering environment.
• Previous spacecraft or satellite flight software development experience.
• Knowledge of bootloaders, memory management and embedded file systems.
• Experience supporting environmental testing or spacecraft integration campaigns.
• Familiarity with cleanroom working practices and ESD procedures.