Distributed Systems Software Engineer

Capella Space stands at the forefront of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) Earth observation intelligence and advanced satellite technologies. We provide customers in governments, academia, and commercial sectors with reliable information that enables unparalleled understanding of the world. Our mission is centered on delivering timely and reliable Earth imagery, supporting diverse applications in defense & intelligence, disaster response, energy, environmental monitoring and more. Utilizing cutting-edge technology, Capella Space designs, manufactures and operates an advanced constellation of SAR imaging satellites. Our market-leading SAR satellites are complemented by an unmatched data infrastructure and automated ordering and delivery platform for fast, reliable insights where and when customers need it most.

Recognized for our technological prowess, Capella Space was honored as one of the 10 most innovative companies in Space in 2023 by FASTCOMPANY. Capella Space is an internationally trusted Earth Observation data provider, working closely with the U.S. Space Systems Command, U.S. Space Force, NASA, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, U.S. National Reconnaissance Office, the Canadian Government and more to make unclassified, high-resolution SAR data more accessible. 

What Makes Capella Unique?

Capella Space is a highly collaborative team environment, providing an opportunity to work with some of the brightest minds in the space industry, though no prior space experience is needed.  We’re looking for people excited about tackling seemingly impossible challenges, learning new skills and concepts, and helping each other achieve success. Our mission and our products are meant to understand the whole world and help everyone in it - regardless of race, creed, or any other distinction. We encourage you to bring your unique perspective to help make us stronger, including applications from those who are traditionally underrepresented in tech.

About the Team

The Platform Engineering team is responsible for building, maintaining, and improving the software, infrastructure, and systems that operate Capella constellation. We prepare for satellite launches, maintain spacecraft on-orbit, and develop new capabilities to improve how customers can collect and access Earth imagery. The team’s focus is on software and system engineering maintaining and improve a fully-autonomous, rapid-response spacecraft operations system.

We seek to push boundaries and solve challenging problems where there aren’t known answers. Learning to be comfortable with uncertainty and taking the initiative are key skills for success. The team values and always strives to maintain a collaborative and supportive environment where supporting each other, teaching, and learning are our core principles—we tackle our challenges together.

About the Role

Capella Space is looking for an experienced distributed systems software engineer to join the Ground Segment team and own major improvements to our spacecraft data pipelines. We’re looking for somebody who has familiarity with the challenges and constraints of software that interfaces with many data sources and sinks at speed, in a high-reliability environment. This role will require close collaboration with the Infrastructure and Tasking (constellation optimization) teams to devise creative technical solutions that can be effectively deployed, verified and monitored.

In addition, all Ground Segment team members support multiple phases of the development process from design through decommissioning, so although the role is software-focused, we’re looking for somebody who will be willing to be involved with a variety of operational tasks including, but not limited to software infra spin-up to support spacecraft production teams and spacecraft commissioning activities. In addition, we’re looking for somebody that is willing to dig into complex failure modes, suggest mitigations and redesigns to improve reliability, and to mentor junior engineers.

This role has a 24hr on-call requirement roughly 1 week every two months.

Although Capella owns and operates spacecraft, we are a data company! There is no space experience necessary for this role!

Role Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and maintain scalable distributed systems using Python and related technologies.
• Implement and optimize microservices architecture for high availability and fault tolerance.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to define and implement system requirements.
• Design metrics to evaluate the reliability, scalability, and efficiency of distributed
• systems.
• Perform code reviews, identify bottlenecks, and propose solutions for improvements.
• Troubleshoot complex technical issues in distributed environments.

Qualifications

• Strong systems programming skills including multi-threading, concurrency, caching, batching, etc.
• Proficiency in Python, C++ or Rust and development ecosystems.
• Ability to communicate clearly about complex systems and formulate easily
• comprehensible solutions to domain-specific problems
• Working knowledge of microservice architecture and related technologies (e.g., Docker,
• Kubernetes, REST APIs).
• Strong understanding of networking principles and protocols.
• Experience with distributed data stores and messaging systems (e.g. Redis) and task
• queues like AMQP or Celery
• Strong communication skills and the ability to work collaboratively in a team
• environment.
• Experience with cloud platforms (e.g., AWS) is a plus.
• 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 ITAR here.

Compensation Ranges: 

The San Francisco annual salary range for this role as it is posted is $133,600- $200,400.  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 Space.  

The Colorado annual salary range for this role as it is posted is $106,900 - $160,300.  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 Space.   

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 offer up to 100% paid medical coverage, with robust vision and dental plans. Looking for more? We offer comprehensive flexible spending accounts, along with supplemental health plans
• Equity
• 401K Plan to invest in your long-term retirement planning
• Generous Parental Leave
• Flexible Paid Time Off Policy
• Commuter & Parking Benefits
• Mental Health Resources
• Monthly phone stipend
• Daily provided lunches and stocked kitchens. 
• Furry friends? We’ve got you covered with dog-friendly work environment & them with pet insurance options

Equal Opportunity Statement

Capella Space 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 recruiting@capellaspace.com

To learn more about us, explore our site: https://www.capellaspace.com/ and follow us on X and LinkedInto see our SAR imagery!