Senior Site Reliability Engineer

Overview

Umbra is an American space technology company delivering advanced systems, from sensors to spacecraft, that empower customers worldwide with unmatched access to critical information from space. Our mission is simple and ambitious: redefine space—for people, systems, and missions in every domain. Umbra’s ecosystem operates through three business units:
Remote Sensing (the data), Space Systems (the components), and Mission Solutions (the platforms).Together, our teams develop capabilities that deliver persistent access, resilient performance, and mission-ready solutions, advancing U.S. space leadership while keeping the world safe and informed.

About the Team

Remote Sensing – The Data

Remote Sensing is where Umbra got its start, and our agile Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) constellation remains the most capable on the market. We transform satellite data into real-world, actionable insights that strengthen U.S. national security and intelligence, support disaster response, and advance scientific discovery. Our team delivers data at scale with unmatched quality, persistence, and the speed and responsiveness our partners demand.

If you want to work on cutting-edge space technology that’s redefining what’s possible in remote sensing, you belong here at Umbra.

About the Job

We are seeking an experienced Site Reliability Engineer to help design, build, operate, and scale mission- and business-critical infrastructure. This role requires a deep understanding of the full technology stack and system architecture, with the ability to thoughtfully manage technical debt and make sound trade-offs that support long-term scalability and reliability. The Site Reliability Engineer will play a key role in evolving our architecture to meet future requirements, taking ownership of broad architectural direction while proactively identifying opportunities to improve team processes and drive technical excellence.

Success in this role requires strong communication skills and the ability to collaborate effectively with customers, product managers, cross-functional partners, and external stakeholders. This position is expected to lead impactful technical and organizational improvements that benefit multiple teams and support Umbra’s broader objectives.

Our aim is to hire this position to work in either our Santa Barbara/Goleta, CA office, Arlington, VA office, or Reston, VA office (coming soon).

• Lead the design and evolution of Umbra's critical infrastructure, ensuring scalability, reliability, and alignment with both current and future business needs.
• Mentor and guide engineers across multiple teams, fostering a culture of continuous learning and serving as a key resource for technical expertise and professional growth.
• Make strategic decisions about architecture and technology, balancing innovation with the management of technical debt and system reliability.
• Lead initiatives to introduce and integrate new technologies and tools, develop proofs of concept, and establish best practices across the organization.
• Collaborate effectively across teams, projects, and departments to solve complex problems and drive technical innovations that support organizational goals.
• Participate in on-call rotations, providing support and resolving complex technical issues.

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or a related field, or equivalent professional experience.
• 8+ years of experience in a Site Reliability Engineer, Dev Ops, or similar role, with demonstrated expertise managing and scaling complex, distributed systems.
• Extensive experience with AWS services (EC2, S3, Lambda, VPC Networking), or other cloud providers, and a deep understanding of cloud infrastructure, networking, and security best practices.
• Proven experience in architecting and managing large-scale Kubernetes deployments in production environments.
• Advanced proficiency in Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) tools, preferably Terraform, as well as Git Ops practices and automation frameworks.
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-team projects and initiatives, providing technical leadership and driving high-impact outcomes.
• Strong expertise…