Flight Software Engineer Verified today

About Katalyst

Katalyst builds robotic spacecraft that rendezvous with, capture, and service other spacecraft. Our first vehicle is in orbit flying real proximity operations.

What you will do

• Own core flight software subsystems end to end: telemetry and messaging, command and sequencing, fault detection and recovery, hardware interfaces (UART, CAN, TCP/IP, RS-422), and radios.
• Write modern C++ on Linux flight computers, Python where it moves faster, keeping code memory-safe and thread-safe under schedule pressure.
• Take changes from design through review, flatsat and hardware-in-the-loop verification, deploy, and on-orbit behavior verification.
• Run point on anomalies: diagnose from telemetry and logs, decide what is safe to command, then fix the class of defect, not the instance.
• Review flight code with rigor, hand systems off with clear documentation, and coach less experienced engineers.
• Defend your design decisions to GNC, avionics, operations, and leadership with data.

What we need

• Deep, hands-on C++ on real-time or resource-constrained systems (RTOS or embedded Linux) that had to work.
• Fault-tolerant thinking: understand failure modes, keep the vehicle safe and commandable, recovery without ground intervention.
• The habit of finishing: you close what you commit to, verify before calling it done, communicate slips early.
• The instinct to challenge assumptions, back challenges with data, and convince people.
• Engineer: 2+ years. Senior: 6+ years. Principal: 10+ years. Spacecraft or launch vehicle experience helps; real-time software on real hardware is what we actually need. At Engineer level we care more about how fast you learn than what you have already flown.
• BS in computer science, computer engineering, aerospace, electrical engineering, or equivalent proficiency.
• US person (ITAR required).

Nice to have

• cFS, custom middleware, or other spacecraft and robotics frameworks.
• Radios, CCSDS, or spacecraft comms stacks.
• SIL/HIL test infrastructure you built or ran yourself.
• Rust or safety-critical process experience (MISRA, NASA-STD-8739.8).
• Pose estimation, relative navigation, or vision-consumer integration.

Interview process

Three conversations and one working session with us in the room. A short screen, 45-minute technical conversation, then 2-hour on-site working session: a small synthetic codebase seeded with a real class of bug from orbit, your choice of problem track and level, using any tools you normally would including AI assistants. You present and defend what you did to a small panel and walk through ops scenarios. Everyone gets the same session, scored against the level you chose. Every stage is scheduled within 5 business days of the last. We fly you in for the on-site. Accommodations available upon request.

Compensation and benefits

Base salary determined case-by-case based on job-related knowledge and skills, education, and experience.

Anticipated salary range: Engineer $105,000 - $150,000, Senior $160,000 - $210,000, Principal $200,000 - $250,000, base plus equity for every engineer.

Total rewards include Employee Stock Option and Equity Plan, relocation bonus, discretionary bonuses, comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, and unlimited Paid Time Off.

Must be willing to work extended hours and weekends as needed.