Senior Software Engineer, Open Cosmos
Ground Segment
More information about location
Satellite-based solutions
Be an early applicant
Satellite-based solutions
101-200 employees
Be an early applicant
More information about location
101-200 employees
Company mission
To put satellites and the data they gather at the service of solving the biggest global challenges.
Role
Who you are
- Strong programming capability in Go (Golang) and Python (or comparable backend languages)
- Deep capability designing and operating backend systems in production environments
- Strong understanding of microservices architecture, distributed systems and API design (REST and/or gRPC)
- Proficiency with Docker and Kubernetes for deployment, scaling and operations
- Strong working knowledge of PostgreSQL, messaging systems (e.g. RabbitMQ) and data modelling
- Knowledge of CI/CD pipelines, automated deployments and testing practices
- Strong understanding of observability, monitoring and service reliability principles
What the job involves
- The CTO division is where Open Cosmos technology comes to life
- Covering engineering, product development, and technical innovation, the team designs, builds, and operates the satellites, systems, and platforms that make our missions possible
- It’s a highly collaborative environment where ideas become real hardware, software, and data solutions that deliver impact from space
- We are now looking for two Senior Backend Software Engineers to shape and deliver the software systems that power our ground segment and satellite operations
- You’ll join the Ground Segment team — a cross-functional group building the systems that connect spacecraft, mission operations and customers in real time
- These roles lead the design, build and evolution of backend services that support mission-critical operations
- They play a key role in technical decision-making, architecture direction and platform scalability, working closely with satellite operators, product stakeholders and engineering teams to deliver systems that are reliable, resilient and built for the realities of space missions
- You'll be designing and owning backend services and APIs used in satellite and mission operations
- Shaping backend architecture and contributing to long-term platform direction and technical standards
- Leading technical design discussions and guiding implementation approaches across the team
- Ensuring solutions account for space-specific constraints such as latency, intermittent connectivity and fault tolerance
- Translating operational and product requirements into reliable, scalable software systems
- Writing high-quality, maintainable and well-tested code and setting standards through peer review
- Building and evolving microservices-based systems from concept through to production
- Driving improvements in development practices, tooling and engineering workflows
- Owning the performance and reliability of backend services in production
- Deploying and operating services using containerisation and orchestration technologies
- Establishing strong monitoring, logging and observability practices
- Leading incident investigation, resolution and preventative improvements
- Supporting and evolving CI/CD pipelines and automated deployment processes
- Partnering with Mission Operations, Systems Engineering and Ground Segment teams to align software with operational needs
- Supporting and mentoring other engineers, sharing knowledge and raising technical standards across the team
- Contributing to planning, retrospectives and technical reviews, helping the team deliver effectively
Our take
Satellite data is critical in order to solve some of the world's most pressing matters, such as climate change and the loss of biodiversity. While data and precise analytical tools able to draw insights are available, the problem is they lack interoperability between platforms and the ability to combine this data from different satellites is inaccessible.
Founded in 2015, Open Cosmos is a SpaceTech startup with the aim to simplify access to space. The company designs, manufactures and operates satellites that are part of its "Open Constellation". Meanwhile its platform, DataCosmos, makes satellite data access easier for organisations and governments, combining earth observation data from multiple sources to help with the mitigation of environmental and sustainability challenges.
Partnerships with organisations such as Innovate UK, ESA and the UK Space Agency are supporting Open Cosmos as it expands operations, growing its team and ideas. Most recently. the company revealed it will be manufacturing the first 6G satellite research lab, the 6GStarLab. A huge step for the company that will position it at the forefront of next-generation space-based communication.
Kirsty
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Company
Funding (last 2 of 6 rounds)
Nov 2023
$6.8m
GRANT
Sep 2023
$50m
SERIES B
Total funding: $64.1m
Company benefits
- Open Cosmonaut Culture: Aim high go beyond is the OC mantra - our teams support each other pushing science to the limits, making the impossible, possible
- We're flexible!: Prefer to mostly WFH? That's fine! Hybrid? Great! Need to take 30 mins at 3pm to get the kids from school? Go ahead! We're more interested in your contributions than when and where you're working
- Our facilities: Working on our hardware? Look no further than our state of the art lab. Prefer to be in an office sometimes? All the time? Our office has everything you need for productive working, including drinks and snacks to keep you fuelled through the day
- Enhanced parental leave: Adding to your family is stressful enough without worrying about pay during those precious first few weeks and months. The UK team enjoy enhanced pay during parts of their statutory maternity, paternity or adoption leave
- Time off: Taking time off is important for our mental health - all our Open Cosmonauts have 25 days holiday in addition to national holidays
- Core Benefits: UK team members can enjoy Medicash, income protection and death in service benefits. Spain team members can enjoy access to a tax saving platform Cobee
- Career development: Having a successful team makes a successful company. We're at the forefront of technology so learning and building an enabling career for you is central to everyone's success
- Team days and social events: Getting to see our colleagues in person, especially when we work in different countries, is so important. We hold monthly team days, quarterly all company catch ups, summer parties and Christmas celebrations
Company HQ
Harwell, UK
Leadership
Rafel Jordá Siquier
(Founder & CEO)Previously, Rafel was an aerospace engineer at zero2infinity as well as a flight test center and flight line production engineer at Airbus Defence and Space. He was also the founder and coordinator of Upper Atmosphere Space Launcher.
Aleix Megias Homar
(Co-Founder & COO)Aleix has a professional history in engineering, having previously worked as a autonomous systems engineer for RAL Space, a flight dynamics engineer for Airbus Defence and Space as well as a systems engineer for the European Space Agency.
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