Senior Flight Software Engineer

About Capella

Capella an IonQ company builds trusted space systems that deliver secure rapid and actionable Earth intelligence to amplify decision-making for allied partners. As the first U.S. company to launch and operateIonQ Capella is creating the worlds first quantum-enabled Earth observation networktransforming how intelligence is delivered through innovation speed and trust. This next-generation architecture will provide governments and global partners with a decisive edge: the ability to see decide and act with confidence in any environment.

Capella was named one ofFast Companys 10 Most Innovative Companies in Space in 2023and is a trusted partner of the U.S. Space Force U.S. Air Force U.S. Navy NASA the National Reconnaissance Office and allied government agencies worldwide. Built In recognized IonQ on three of its 2025 Best Places to Worklists.

What Makes Capella Unique

Capella an IonQ company spans national security advanced sensing and next-generation compute to deliver secure mission-ready intelligence. Capellas culture is built on collaboration rigorous engineering and a shared commitment to delivering solutions that strengthens global stability and security. Team members work side-by-side with some of the most innovative minds in space systems quantum-enabled technologies and mission-critical operations. Capella values curiosity resilience and a willingness to tackle hard problems with precision and creativity. Capella welcomes and encourages applicants whose perspectives are historically underrepresented in technology national security and aerospace. No prior space experience is required. Diverse viewpoints strengthen Capellas ability to innovate and to deliver meaningful impact for partners worldwide.

About the Role

As a software engineer on the Flight Software team you will be writing the software that runs our satellite fleet in space! You will interact daily with other software engineers FPGA developers electrical engineers and various other subsystem owners to develop maintain and implement new features for the spacecraft software. You will have a demonstrable track record of working with complex systems understanding systems architecture and setting the engineering development plan making complex radar technologies easy to use.

Role Responsibilities

• Design develop and maintain flight software for satellite systems.
• Collaborate with EE FPGA and ground software engineers to ensure seamless integration between hardware and software.
• Conduct code reviews and provide constructive feedback to team members.
• Write and maintain unit and integration tests to ensure robustness and reliability of the software.
• Develop software documentation and provide cross-training to other team members.
• Troubleshoot and resolve software issues in a timely manner.
• Participate in the software development life cycle from requirement analysis to deployment.
• Support integration and operations teams with software-related queries.

Qualifications

• Bachelors degree in computer science computer engineering electrical engineering or related field of study.
• At least 7 years relevant work experience.
• Ability to support a design through all software lifecycles including initial schematic review and architectural tradeoffs preliminary and detailed design implementation integration and test.
• Experience working with real-time embedded systems - both hardware and software including low-level drivers.
• Proven experience withARM NEON SIMD architecture including instruction-set usage vectorization strategies and performance profiling on ARM Cortex A-series or embedded platforms.
• Hands on experience developing testing and debugging hard real-time software (bare-metal or RTOS).
• Familiarity with embedded Linux Linux kernel modules and standard Linux tools.
• Strong knowledge of programming compiled (C C) and scripted (Python shell script etc.) languages.
• Experience writing software for microcontrollers and other embedded systems e.g. Xilinx Zynq SoCs.
• Familiarity with software configuration management.
• Hand-on experience with lab equipment and electronics hardware e.g. oscilloscopes logic analyzers.
• To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) Capella Employees must be a U.S. citizen lawful U.S. permanent resident (i.e. current Green Card holder) or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State and/or the U.S. Department of Commerce as applicable. Learn more about ITARhere.

Compensation

The annual salary range for this role as it is posted is $165853 - $207317. The final job level and annual salary will be determined based on the education qualification knowledge skills ability and experience of the final candidate(s) specific office location and calibrated against relevant market data and internal team equity. Benefits listed in this posting may vary depending on the nature of your employment with Capella.

Benefits/Perks

In addition to an opportunity to take part in an innovative collaborative and fast-growing business with a highly motivated and skilled team we also take pride in taking care of our employees. Here are just a few ways that we show our appreciation:

• We provide extensive medical coverage including strong vision and dental plans flexible spending accounts and additional supplemental health options.
• Paid Flexible Time Off Policy
• 401(k) Plan with Company Match to help you invest in your long-term retirement goals
• Parental Leave program
• Lifestyle Spending Account
• Commuter & Parking Benefits
• Mental Health Resources
• Monthly Phone Stipend
• Furry friends Weve got you covered with dog-friendly work environment & them with pet insurance options

Equal Opportunity Statement

Capella is an equal opportunity employer committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace and upholding equitable hiring practices.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race color religion sex sexual orientation gender identity national origin disability protected veteran status or any other characteristic under federal state or local law including those with a criminal history in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable state and local laws including the CA Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance. We actively encourage members of recognized minorities women Veterans and those with disabilities to apply and we work to create a welcoming and supportive environment for all applicants throughout the interview process. If you need assistance or require an accommodation during the job application process please notify

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