Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors seeks a Senior Software Engineer, Ground & Control Services to build software that directly powers satellite operations and real-time space intelligence. Your work will bridge low-level interfaces and modern cloud infrastructure, forming the autonomous backbone for a live satellite constellation.
What You'll Do
- Design, develop, and maintain software enabling autonomous satellite operations, health monitoring, and real-time tasking.
- Create services that integrate with ground stations and satellite communication protocols.
- Build cloud-native microservices to power scheduling, telemetry, and control logic.
- Collaborate with systems, operations, flight, and mission planning teams to shape and refine technical requirements.
- Write clean, testable, safety-conscious code while following modern development practices.
- Participate in technical design reviews, code reviews, and sprint planning.
- Contribute to launch and early operations for newly deployed satellites.
- Join on-call rotations to support real-time incident response and system troubleshooting.
What We're Looking For
- Bachelor’s degree in computer science, engineering, or a related field, or equivalent hands-on experience.
- Minimum 5 years of professional software development experience.
- Proficiency in one or more of the following languages: Go, Python, C++.
- Solid experience with cloud infrastructure and microservices (e.g., AWS, GCP, Azure).
- Familiarity with CI/CD tools, automated testing frameworks, and Git-based workflows.
- Strong problem-solving skills and ability to understand end-to-end complex systems.
- Excellent communication and collaboration within multi-disciplinary teams.
- Must be a U.S. citizen to comply with government regulations.
Nice to Have
- Master’s degree in a technical field.
- Background in satellite operations, real-time control systems, or aerospace domains.
- Experience with Terraform, Ansible, Kubernetes, or similar infrastructure tools.
- Understanding of system fault tolerance, recovery, and safety-critical software.
- Experience in telemetry or ground control systems.
Technical Stack
- Languages: Go, Python, C++
- Cloud: AWS, GCP, Azure
- Infrastructure Tools: Terraform, Ansible, Kubernetes
Team & Environment
You will collaborate cross-functionally with engineers across domains, including systems, operations, flight, and mission planning teams.
Benefits & Compensation
- Compensation range: $135,000–$155,000 in the Seattle, WA area; may vary by location and experience.
- Full medical, dental, and vision coverage — 100% employer-paid for employees.
- Monthly $100 contribution toward out-of-pocket healthcare expenses.
- 15 days PTO, 11 paid holidays, 4 floating holidays, 1 day of volunteer leave annually.
- Paid parental leave and disability benefits.
- 401(k) with employer match and both pre-tax and Roth options.
- Flexible Spending Accounts and Employee Stock Purchase Program.
- Access to Employee Assistance and Travel Assistance Programs.
- Employer matching donations and support for professional development.
- Choose your work setup: Mac or PC — and enjoy some company swag.
Work Mode
This role offers a hybrid work mode and is open to candidates located in the United States.
Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors values precision, continuous improvement, and mission-critical accountability.
