Software Engineer, Xona Space Systems
Build & Release
$120-150k
+ equity
Office located in Burlingame, CA
Satellite navigation system
Be an early applicant
Satellite navigation system
21-100 employees
Be an early applicant
$120-150k
+ equity
Office located in Burlingame, CA
21-100 employees
Company mission
To remove the boundaries from modern technologies by providing precise and protected navigation services anywhere on Earth.
Role
Who you are
- 3+ years of experience focused on Build/Release Engineering, Developer Infrastructure, or DevOps supporting complex C++ codebases
- Advanced proficiency with CMake and GNU Make/Ninja
- Strong Linux shell and scripting skills, including Bash
- Strong understanding of the C++ build, compilation, and linking lifecycle
- Familiarity with modern C++ standards (C++17/20/23)
- Experience managing transitive dependencies and modular build targets
- Experience working within Linux-based development environments
- Experience with Embedded Linux build systems such as Yocto or Buildroot
- To comply with U.S. Government space technology export regulations, applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the United States (i.e. Green Card holder), or other protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3)
Desirable
- Experience with hardware emulation tools such as QEMU and containerization platforms such as Docker
- Familiarity with GitLab CI workflows
- Background in embedded software development and/or aerospace systems
- Experience with distributed build systems such as Bazel remote execution
- Knowledge of linker internals, symbol visibility, and binary analysis tools such as ldd, nm, objdump, and readelf
- Familiarity with static and dynamic analysis tooling including Clang-Tidy, AddressSanitizer (ASan), and SonarQube
What the job involves
- We are looking for a Build & Release Software Engineer to join our team, focusing on the application software powering our satellite systems
- In this role, you will take ownership of our compilation infrastructure, continuous integration pipelines, and dependency management across large-scale C++ codebases running in Embedded Linux environments
- You will operate at the intersection of software engineering and developer infrastructure, helping improve developer velocity, reduce build and test times, and maintain stable, repeatable releases across both simulated and hardware-integrated systems
- Design, maintain, and optimize cross-platform build systems using tools such as CMake and Bazel
- Manage and upgrade compiler toolchains (GCC, Clang, etc.) while handling complex dependency graphs, third-party libraries, and internal package management
- Own, scale, and secure Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) workflows tailored for large-scale C++ applications
- Diagnose and optimize compilation and linking bottlenecks through caching, parallelization, and distributed build strategies
- Ensure seamless cross-compilation across multiple architectures including x86 and ARM
- Support testing in containerized and emulated environments using technologies such as Docker and QEMU
- Write robust tooling and automation scripts in Python and Bash for environment provisioning, static analysis, and artifact generation
- Partner closely with core C++ developers to improve modular architecture, dependency management, and overall build reliability
- Build reproducible and deterministic build and release environments across local development, CI, and hardware-integrated systems
Our take
Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) is crucial for autonomy, tying vehicles to their environment and making autonomous operation possible. Xona Space Systems is developing a network of small satellites to provide high-precision PNT services, essential for modern technologies like autonomous vehicles and robotics.
The company has set its sites on pushing the limits of modern technology, setting itself apart in its space with its PULSAR service, which offers superior accuracy, availability, and security compared to traditional GPS. This makes it crucial for the widespread adoption of autonomous systems in unstructured environments.
The company has secured $150 million to date, the most recent round of which will accelerate the deployment of its low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation. Its partnerships with the US Space Force and industry leaders highlight the growing confidence in its innovative approach, while future plans include the commercialisation of PULSAR, which will enable autonomous systems to operate effectively anywhere.
Kirsty
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Company
Funding (last 2 of 10 rounds)
Mar 2026
$170m
SERIES C
Jun 2025
$92m
SERIES B
Total funding: $336.3m
Company HQ
Baywood Park, CA
Leadership
Brian Manning
(Co-Founder & CEO)Previously worked as a Responsible Engineer on Thrust Structure for SpaceX, and an Engineering Manager for Power Solutions International.
Tyler Reid
(Co-Founder & CTO)Was also a Lecturer at Stanford University and a Research Engineer in Controls and Automated Systems at Ford Motor Company.
Adrien Perkins
(Co-Founder & VP of Engineering)Worked as a Research Assistant for Stanford University and was Lead Software Developer at Callsnapp.
Bryan Chan
(Co-Founder & VP of Corporate Strategy)Also the Co-Founder, President and CEO at Night Crew Labs. Previously Co-founded and was Technical Director for Mothership Communications.
Jerami Martin
(Co-Founder & Director of Payload Mechanical)Also works as a Mechanical Design and Systems Engineer at Pumpkin. Prior to this, they were an Engineer at Crosstrac Engineering.
Kazuma Gunning
(Co-Founder & Director of Navigation and Software)Previously worked as a GNSS Modeling and Simulation Engineer for Booz Allen Hamilton and was a Doctoral Student at Stanford University.
Paul Tarantino
(Co-Founder & Director of Integration and Test)After studying at Stanford University, they went on to work as a Propulsion and Fluid Flight Systems Engineering Intern for the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
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