Space Experienced Software Engineer – 12U CubeSat

Space Ocean Corp is a cutting-edge space startup on a mission to push the boundaries of exploration and innovation to supply resources for humanity’s expansion into space. They are seeking a Space Experienced Software Engineer to design, develop, integrate, test, and operate flight software for their 12U CubeSat orbital water transport and demonstration missions.

Responsibilities:

• Design, implement, and maintain flight software for 12U CubeSat platforms, including command & data handling, fault management, and autonomy features optimized for volume, power, and radiation constraints
• Develop robust interfaces between flight software and onboard subsystems (avionics, ADCS, power, thermal, communications) as well as primary/secondary payloads (including fluid/water handling systems) while meeting CubeSat Design Specification (CDS) and mission requirements
• Write and integrate software drivers, middleware, and applications for sensors, actuators, radios, and payload control
• Develop or refine flight software interfaces, data handling pipelines, telemetry formatting, and on-orbit operations logic
• Ensure compatibility with common CubeSat buses, operating systems (e.g., FreeRTOS, Linux-based flight software frameworks), and ground systems
• Plan and execute software verification & validation, including unit testing, integration testing, hardware-in-the-loop (HIL), and environmental campaign support
• Support assembly, integration, and test (AIT) activities with software loading, checkout, and anomaly investigation
• Contribute to mission operations planning, real-time commanding tools, and on-orbit anomaly resolution
• Act as Subject Matter Expert for CubeSat flight software design, development processes, and best practices
• Ensure adherence to NASA, CubeSat, and applicable spaceflight software standards (including configuration management, version control, and documentation)

Requirements:

• Education: Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Software Engineering, or demonstrated equivalent experience
• Experience: 3+ years in design, development, integration, and testing of flight software for CubeSats or small satellites (spaceflight software experience strongly preferred; 12U experience a plus)
• Technical Skills: Proficiency in C/C++ (and preferably Python), real-time embedded systems, version control (Git), and familiarity with CubeSat software architectures and interfaces
• Strong understanding of CubeSat Design Specification, onboard data handling, command & control concepts, and typical software trades for 6U–16U platforms
• ITAR Requirements: To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State
• Hands-on experience with 12U or similar form-factor flight software, payload command/control, or fluid/water system interfaces
• Experience with environmental test support from a software perspective (TVAC, vibe, radiation effects on software)
• Prior flight heritage on CubeSat or small-satellite missions
• Experience with ADCS software, thermal control algorithms, fault detection/isolation/recovery (FDIR), or radiation-tolerant software practices for LEO
• Familiarity with NASA SBIR programs, CubeSat launch opportunities, ground segment software, or small-satellite software development processes
• Knowledge of common flight software frameworks or tools used in the CubeSat community