Loft Orbital

Turnkey space missions via standardized satellites

Satellite Operations Software Engineer

Spacecraft & Launch Vehicle SystemsConfirmed live in the last 24 hours

Full-timeAbu Dhabi - United Arab EmiratesNo salary listed

About the Job

Requirements

Experience interacting with and managing customers.
A strong background in satellite operations and/or experience working with downstream Earth observation imagery data products.
Willingness to train as a Satellite Controller/Flight Director, including commissioning and on-call rotation.
Proven software development or scripting experience, with strong automation skills.
Proficiency in Python and Git.
A pragmatic mindset with the ability to balance short- and long-term operational goals.
High accountability, autonomy, and ownership in delivering results.
Openness to learning and working outside comfort zones in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

Understand and develop customer Concepts of Operations (CONOPS) for operational planning and execution.
Interface with customers prior to and during mission deployment.
Create and maintain mission plans, schedules, operational procedures, and data workflows.
Execute satellite operations, including participating in the on-call rotation as Satellite Controller/Flight Director.
Configure and set up tools for satellite mission operations, including Python procedures, Grafana dashboards for telemetry monitoring, and contributing to the improvement and development of the internal mission control software Cockpit.
Assess and resolve in-orbit anomalies, and maintain overall satellite performance, including adherence to all relevant service-level agreements.
Develop automation for ground and space-based operations using Python, Lua, and CUE-based scripting.
Support test campaigns with a test-as-you-fly philosophy by developing procedures and tools for assembly, integration, and test (AIT) and flight operations.

Desired Qualifications

A strong understanding of the end-to-end satellite imagery value chain.
Experience working with defence customers.
Experience with Airbus satellite platforms (Arrow-150 bus) in avionics, attitude determination and control systems (ADCS), or propulsion.
Experience with low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite operations and constellation management.
A background in satellite testing, assembly, integration, and test (AIT), and validation and verification of complex systems.
Arabic language skills.
Proficiency in Lua and CUE.

Wanna join the adventure?

As a Satellite Operations Software Engineer, you will be a key contributor to the development, automation, and operation of Orbitworks’ satellite programs.

This is a hand on satellite operations role combined with software development and systems engineering to ensure mission success from design to orbit.

You will work across the full stack software, hardware, and operational interfaces to deliver robust, scalable solutions that support satellite commissioning, nominal operations, and anomaly resolution.

About this Role:

Understand and develop customer Concept of Operations (CONOPS) for operational planning and execution
Interface with customers prior to and during mission deployment
Create and maintain mission plans, schedules, operational procedures, and data workflows.
Execute satellite operations, including participating in the on-call rotation as Satellite Controller/Flight Director
Configure and set up tools for satellite mission operations, including Python procedures, Grafana dashboards for telemetry monitoring, and contribution to improvement and development of internal mission control software ‘Cockpit’
Assess & resolve in-orbit anomalies, and maintain overall satellite performance including adherence to all relevant SLAs
Develop automation for both ground and space-based operations, using Python, Lua, and CUE-based scripting
Support test campaigns with a ‘test-as-you-fly’ philosophy, by developing procedures and tools for both AIT and flight operations

Must Haves:

Experience interacting with and managing customers
Strong background in satellite operations and/or experience working with downstream EO imagery data products
Willingness to train as a Satellite Controller/Flight Director, including commissioning and on-call rotation
Proven software development or scripting experience, with strong automation skills
Proficiency in Python and Git
Pragmatic mindset with ability to balance short- and long-term operational goals
High accountability, autonomy, and ownership in delivering results
Openness to learning and working outside comfort zones in a fast-paced environment

Nice to Haves

Strong understanding of the end-to-end satellite imagery value chain
Experience working with defence customers
Experience with Airbus satellite platforms (Arrow-150 bus) in Avionics, ADCS, or propulsion
Experience with LEO satellite operations and constellation management
Background in satellite testing, AIT, validation and verification of complex systems
Arabic language skills
Proficiency in Lua and CUE

Orbitworks' mission is to make space simple for organizations that want to deploy physical and virtual missions to space. Building on Loft Orbital's heritage, Orbitworks will be the first commercial firm in the United Arab Emirates to mass-manufacture satellites. Orbitworks aims to manufacture tens of satellites annually and operates out of a 50,000-square-foot facility in Abu Dhabi.

About the Company

Loft Orbital

Turnkey space missions via standardized satellites

Loft Orbital provides space infrastructure as a service, offering turnkey access to satellite missions. It maintains an inventory of satellite buses and runs scheduled quarterly launches, enabling clients to deploy missions quickly without managing the technical details. The company handles all mission engineering, operations, and logistics, using identical satellite hardware for each mission to maximize flight heritage and reduce technical risk. Its payload-agnostic technology can support a wide range of payloads on a standard bus, giving it flexibility to serve diverse customers. Loft Orbital's model centers on delivering end-to-end space missions as a service, charging clients for deployment, operation, and the ongoing support needed to build and scale satellite constellations.

Company size: 201-500
Company stage: Series C
Total funding: $344M
Headquarters: San Francisco, CA
Founded: 2016

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