Ground Software Lead at Karman+ - Launching the Regolith Age

Broomfield, Colorado, United States -

Full Time

Start Date

Immediate

Expiry Date

27 Jan, 26

Salary

180000.0

Posted On

29 Oct, 25

Experience

5 year(s) or above

Remote Job

Yes

Telecommute

Yes

Sponsor Visa

Skills

C++, Python, Ruby, Rust, Java, Networking Protocols, Distributed Computing, Containerization, SQL, MongoDB, InfluxDB, Kafka, Elasticsearch, Grafana, Git, CI/CD, Ansible

Industry

Space Research and Technology

Description

Karman+ We are inventors, designers, engineers, scientists, tinkerers, entrepreneurs, adventurers, artists, activists, global citizens, architects, musicians, builders, writers, athletes and space nerds. We partner with the best minds and most experienced teams across industry and academia, bringing together the knowledge, experience, and skills required to navigate our critical path. Mission We want to mine space resources from near-Earth asteroids to provide abundant, sustainable energy and resources in space and for Earth. Vision Asteroid mining has lived at the intersection of scientific research and popular culture for decades, with as many academic papers published as there are books, TV shows and movies about it. Access to resources, with its finite nature and disparate distribution, plays an essential part in the geopolitical web of power and wealth. It has defined economic growth to such an extent that we have been using them as primary demarcation lines and identifiers in our history, from the stone to bronze and iron age to our current silicon age. But our resources-driven growth faces a massive existential challenge, with climate change, ecosystem degradation and resource depletion demanding a complete reset. Humanity needs to shift global transportation, manufacturing, construction and energy onto a sustainable path. Expanding beyond the Kármán line is where we believe transformative future growth and innovation will be found. Recent missions by NASA (OSIRIS-REx & DART) and JAXA (Hayabusa2) have firmly pushed the idea of using space resources from academic research into commercial opportunity. We believe the Regolith Age, powered by abundant space resources, is an inevitability that we can accelerate. We value these principles: Diversity of thought. We believe that different perspectives drive better results. We aim to build diverse teams and a diverse company. Ownership, feedback and accountability. Ideas improve through collaboration, discussion and iteration. Decisions don’t follow the same pattern and revert to the mean when made in a group. We aim to have clear ownership, accountability for results and autonomy to deliver. No silos. We build cross-functional teams to be able to deliver on our goals. There are no predefined lanes for people to operate in, information is pushed out across all teams to make sure we benefit from cross-pollination. High talent bar, no a**holes. We optimize for potential and a growth mindset. We value experience, but only when balanced with self-awareness and first principles thinking. Small is beautiful. The best results as well as the best work experience come from a small team of talented people working towards a common goal. Position: Ground Software Lead Location: Broomfield, CO Position Type: Full-time, On-site Mission: High Frontier – Architect, Develop, Deploy, and Operate Ground Software At Karman+, we’re building spacecraft that will take us beyond Earth orbit. For the High Frontier mission, we need a Ground Software Lead to architect, develop, and maintain the architecture of ground systems, ensuring scalability, reliability, and mission success. This is a critical role for an engineer who thrives on end-to-end ownership of ground systems. This role is highly visible, with deliverables that affect engineering across all disciplines. What it takes to be successful in this role: As Karmanplus' Ground Software Lead, you'll serve as a technical authority for spacecraft ground software. You'll architect the infrastructure and tools to enable rapid development, deployment, and operations of our spacecraft. This involves ground station interfacing, command and control software, and spacecraft telemetry backstorage. This is a highly technical, hands-on role that requires strong programming experience and systems-level thinking. You’ll work directly with the Flight Software, Mission Design, GNC, and AI&T teams, helping shape spacecraft architecture and driving key design decisions from the software side. The ideal candidate will be fluent in compiled languages, scripting languages, networking protocols, and containerization. You'll be responsible for the complete lifecycle of the software you create, including design, development, testing, support, and operations. What You'll Do Design and develop distributed systems to support command and control of the spacecraft Implement software solutions to enable reliable transmission and data processing for our low bandwidth, high latency spacecraft communications Develop tools that allow for test execution across multiple environments: simulated hardware, hardware-in-the-loop, and vehicle-in-the-loop Implement networking technologies to direct data across spacecraft, ground stations, and operators Partner with flight software, mission design, GNC, and AI&T engineers to translate mission needs into scalable ground system designs Collaborate with cross-functional teams to define system requirements and architecture, delivering high quality technical solutions Establish best practices in coding, design, and testing standards See your software through from start to finish: from establishing core needs to prototyping, developing, and testing; to on-orbit rollout and beyond What You Bring Bachelor's or master's degree in a relevant field, such as Computer Science, Software Engineering, or Aerospace Engineering Proficiency in programming languages such as C++, Python, Ruby, Rust, or Java Strong understanding of networking protocols and distributed computing concepts Experience with common serialization, encapsulation, and message schema strategies Familiarity with containerization and orchestration platforms Knowledge of data storage and processing technologies such as SQL, MongoDB, InfluxDB, and Kafka Experience with logging and monitoring systems, such as Elasticsearch and Grafana Expertise in Git-based workflows, CI/CD pipelines, and containerized orchestration Experience with deployment and configuration control systems such as Ansible Excellent problem-solving and analytical skills Practiced skills in communication and collaboration Ability to produce clear, well-structured, and well-documented software designs Willingness to partner with team members for design sessions, pair programming, and documentation Bonus If You Have Aerospace background supporting satellite, spacecraft, constellation, or launch vehicle ground/mission operations Deep knowledge of microservice architectures and distributed systems Experience with Ground Station as a Service providers such as KSAT, AWS Ground, and Atlas Experience with command and control software such as COSMOS, OpenMCT, etc Knowledge of CCSDS standards, including Space Packet Protocol, COP-1, and CFDP Additional Information We Offer Our cash compensation amount for this role is targeted at $130,000.00 - $180,000.00 annually in this location. Final offer amounts are determined by multiple factors including candidate experience and expertise and may vary from the amount listed above. Top Benefits & Perks As a member of the Karman+ team, you’ll enjoy an impressive benefits package: Equity Incentives - Participate in our shared success. Medical, Dental, and Vision Plans for top tier plans with additional buy-up plan options. Short-term Disability and Long-term Disability covered by Karman+ Basic Life Insurance covered by Karman+ 401k plan Unlimited Paid Time Off - We focus on what you get done, not how many hours or days you work. Location & Work Environment This position is full-time in-person at our offices & lab in Broomfield, CO. If you reside in locations outside of daily commuting distance you will be considered, however, no relocation or travel assistance will be provided by Karman+ for this position. This position operates in an office environment. This entails working inside in an office space wherein you may be provided with a public work station (cubicle) or private offices. In the performance of the duties and responsibilities of this job, you will be required to view a computer terminal for prolonged periods of time. Travel Occasional travel to work site locations may be expected. Overnight stays may be required from time to time for training, seminars, conferences, meetings, events, or visits to onsite locations. Disclaimer This job posting is not intended to contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required. Karman+ reserves the right to change or assign additional duties, responsibilities, and activities at any time with or without notice. Hiring Practices Karman+ is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer. We do not discriminate in hiring or any employment decision based on race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), marital status, ancestry, physical or mental disability, genetic information, veteran status, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, or other applicable legally protected characteristic. We are also committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our application procedures. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, you may contact hr@karmanplus.com. Come work with us... We are crazy ambitious but the timing is right. Be part of the team looking to make it happen. We are looking to build things to put in space quickly. We emphasize creativity and innovation and resources are available to support good ideas. Join a team of people working toward the same ambitious goal. We are an engaging team looking to empower our teammates. You can have a share in the company value creation. ITAR Requirements To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Follow us on LinkedIn to stay tuned on upcoming roles with Karman+. If you know someone who'd be a great addition to our team, please encourage them to apply for this role or for our General Application.

Responsibilities

The Ground Software Lead will architect, develop, and maintain the architecture of ground systems to ensure scalability, reliability, and mission success. This role involves designing distributed systems for spacecraft command and control and collaborating with cross-functional teams to deliver high-quality technical solutions.