About this job

Your mission

Your mission is to develop and maintain a scalable, asynchronous backend that powers OKAPI:Orbits' end-to-end solutions in mission design, space situational awareness (SSA), space traffic management (STM), flight dynamics (FD), and space traffic coordination (STC), thereby supporting the entire lifecycle of satellite operators.

You will primarily work on external customer projects using a Python-based tech stack, while simultaneously contributing to our products built on Java Spring Boot. You will design and implement robust microservices that process and distribute large volumes of orbital and telemetry data to provide reliable APIs and automation processes. You already possess solid experience and will independently take ownership of parts of the backend architecture in both environments.

You will work on the systems that enable satellite operators and space agencies to analyze, coordinate, and protect their missions in an increasingly congested space environment.

Studies show that women are less likely to apply for a position if they don't meet all the requirements 100%. Please know that we still strongly encourage you to apply if this applies to you, provided you have a passion for space technology, reliable software development, and the sustainable use of space.

OKAPI:Orbits already has a very diverse team and is actively committed to further expanding this diversity, as studies show that heterogeneous teams achieve better results and foster innovation.

Your tasks

• Design, development and maintenance of asynchronous, microservice-based backend systems, primarily in Python for external customer projects and in parallel in Java Spring Boot for our own products.
• Implementation and optimization of data processing and distribution pipelines that process large amounts of orbital, telemetry, and mission data.
• Design and maintenance of message-based communication structures between microservices (e.g., via RabbitMQ or similar message brokers)
• Close collaboration with space engineers and scientists to translate mission-related requirements into scalable and robust software solutions.
• Shared responsibility for the backend architecture in both tech stacks, taking into account performance, fault tolerance, and maintainability.
• Planning and documentation of implementation steps, from system architecture to deployment in a cloud-native environment
• Ensuring code quality, automated testing, and compliance with security and development standards
• Further development of CI/CD pipelines, observability and automation to support stable and continuous releases.
• Analysis and resolution of complex problems in distributed systems with a focus on efficiency and reliability
• Working in small, interdisciplinary teams, where you contribute your backend know-how to cross-functional projects.

Your profile

Must-haves

• Degree in computer science, software engineering or a related field, or completed vocational training as an IT specialist
• At least 2 years of professional experience with Python for backend development, scripting, automation or data processing
• At least 2 years of professional experience in backend software development with Java (Spring Boot or similar)
• Solid understanding of microservice architectures, asynchronous systems, and distributed communication patterns.
• Practical experience with testing and code quality assurance
• Experience with, or willingness to quickly learn, message-based communication between services (e.g., RabbitMQ or similar message brokers) and containerization (Docker)
• Ability to independently plan, implement and verify complex functions, in close collaboration with engineers and scientists.
• Proactive communication, structured work style and good written and spoken English skills

Nice-to-haves

• Experience with orchestration, especially Kubernetes
• Experience in code reviews and adherence to coding standards
• A solid understanding of software architecture principles, including modular structure, scalability, and maintainability.
• Experience with secure software development
• Background or interest in the space or aerospace sector
•