Principal Optical Terminal Comms Software Architect

Job description

Job responsibilities

• Architect, develop, implement, verify, and integrate software for next-generation SDR terminals, with a focus on scalability, reliability, and mission readiness
• Design and develop SDR capabilities for spacecraft platforms, including waveform processing, modulation/demodulation, and communication protocol development
• Define platform-independent, reusable software frameworks, services, and design patterns that support multiple waveforms, data rates, modulation and coding configurations, and future system growth
• Partner with systems, hardware, and firmware engineers to analyze requirements and translate them into clear, detailed architectural specifications
• Establish software architecture standards, coding guidelines, design patterns, and review practices that promote maintainability and long-term system health
• Lead software design reviews, code reviews, and technical trade studies spanning performance, fault tolerance, redundancy, scalability, and portability
• Support software integration, verification, and validation across software-in-the-loop (SIL), hardware-in-the-loop (HIL), and other mission-representative test environments
• Build and improve software engineering infrastructure, including build systems, CI/CD pipelines, automated test frameworks, and debugging and diagnostic tooling

Job requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related technical field
• 10+ years of experience developing embedded and application software for SDR systems
• Strong proficiency in C/C++ and Python; familiarity with additional languages is a plus
• Demonstrated technical depth across software design, implementation, and cross-functional integration
• Experience with software lifecycle management, configuration management, CI/CD pipelines, and verification/validation practices for mission-critical systems
• Working knowledge of communication protocols including TCP/IP, UDP, CAN, I2C, SPI, and RS-422/485
• Experience applying secure software development principles and cybersecurity best practices in embedded or mission-critical environments
• Hands-on experience with embedded software testing methodologies