Head of Software Engineering

Salary Range: 0 to 0 (Currency: USD) (Pay period: per-year-salary)

Ready to make connectivity from space universally accessible, secure, and actionable? Then you’ve come to the right place!


At E-Space, we’re focused on bridging Earth and space with the world’s most sustainable low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite network. We’re a team of bold thinkers, ambitious leaders and dynamic doers—and we’re disrupting NewSpace by fundamentally changing the design of legacy LEO space systems to deliver entirely new satellite capabilities at a fraction of the cost.


We’re intentional, we’re unapologetically curious and we’re 100% committed—to saving space, to protecting our planet and to turning connectivity into actionable intelligence.

What you will be doing:

Technical Leadership

Define and drive the software engineering vision, architecture, and roadmap across all space vehicle programs

Provide hands-on technical leadership in embedded systems, BSP development (bootloaders, device drivers, RTOS bring-up), and communications software

Oversee software design and implementation for spacecraft comms subsystems including SpaceWire, MIL-STD-1553, CCSDS, and RF data link protocols

Own the software architecture for Command & Data Handling (C&DH) systems and mission-critical flight software

Champion software quality, reliability, and compliance with applicable standards (DO-178B/C, NASA-STD-8739.8, or equivalent)

Drive hardware/software co-design and integration with electrical, systems, and mechanical engineering teams

People & Organizational Leadership

Build, grow, and retain a high-performing software engineering organization across multiple disciplines and experience levels

Hire, mentor, and develop engineering managers and senior/staff engineers into future technical leaders

Foster a culture of engineering excellence, psychological safety, and continuous improvement

Define career development frameworks, leveling guidelines, and performance standards for the software engineering team

Partner cross-functionally with Program Management, Systems Engineering, and Operations to deliver on commitments

Strategy & Execution

Own software program execution — schedules, milestones, risk identification, and mitigation across all active programs

Represent software engineering in customer briefings, program reviews, and executive leadership meetings

Contribute to business development and proposal efforts — defining software technical approaches and resource estimates for new pursuits

Drive make/buy decisions, toolchain investments, and software development process improvements at scale

Build and maintain technology partnerships with key vendors, tool suppliers, and industry partners

What you bring to this role:

• 12+ years of software engineering experience, with 5+ years in engineering leadership (managing managers or leading organizations of 15+ engineers)
• Deep technical foundation in embedded systems and BSP development — bootloaders, device drivers, kernel bring-up, embedded Linux and/or RTOS (VxWorks, RTEMS, FreeRTOS)
• Proven experience leading software development for space, defense, or other safety-critical platforms
• Strong background in communications software — protocol stacks, data link layers, or spacecraft comms subsystems
• Demonstrated ability to build and scale engineering teams in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment
• Track record of delivering complex, multi-million-dollar software programs on time and on budget
• Excellent executive communication skills — able to present to customers, boards, and government stakeholders
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or related fiel

Extra bonus points for the following:

• Active U.S. Security Clearance (Secret or above)
• Experience with spacecraft C&DH (Command & Data Handling) and flight software development
• Knowledge of CCSDS protocols and space data system standards
• Familiarity with DO-178B/C software certification and safety-critical verification frameworks
• Experience supporting DoD, NASA, or other U.S. Government space programs
• Exposure to radiation-tolerant or radiation-hardened computing environments
• Experience leading software capture strategy for large government proposals ($50M+)
• Master’s degree or PhD in a relevant engineering or computer science discipline

Additional Requirements

This is a fast-paced, high-impact environment - flexibility to occasionally work extended hours or weekends during critical periods is expected.