Senior Ground Software Engineer

Umbra is an American space technology company delivering advanced systems, from sensors to spacecraft, that empower customers worldwide with unmatched access to critical information from space. Our mission is simple and ambitious: redefine space—for people, systems, and missions in every domain. Umbra’s ecosystem operates through three business units:
Remote Sensing (the data), Space Systems (the components), and Mission Solutions (the platforms). Together, our teams develop capabilities that deliver persistent access, resilient performance, and mission‑ready solutions, advancing U.S. space leadership while keeping the world safe and informed.

About the Team

Mission Solutions – The Platforms

Mission Solutions builds on Umbra’s expertise in remote sensing and spacecraft operations to engineer platforms purpose‑built for U.S. and allied defense and intelligence missions. Whether it’s a custom payload, a full‑stack spacecraft, or the infrastructure behind an entire constellation, our team delivers secure, resilient systems tailored to exacting requirements and built on timelines that match the urgency of the mission.

If you want to work on cutting‑edge space technology that’s redefining what’s possible in space platforms, you belong here at Umbra.

About the Job

We are looking for a
Senior Ground Software Engineer to join the Ground Software team in Mission Solutions. In this role, you will implement modular, secure ground software systems for sovereign SAR satellite operations, spanning mission scheduling, satellite command and control, SAR data processing, in support of national defense and civil missions. You will work closely with spacecraft operations and systems engineering teams to analyze, build, and maintain solutions that support the advancement of our autonomous tasking and downlink system.

Our aim is to hire this position to work in either our Arlington, VA office, Santa Barbara/Goleta, CA office, or Reston, VA office (coming soon).

Key Responsibilities

• Support the development and technical implementation of the Mission Solutions ground segment product line, leveraging Umbra’s current and future infrastructure and technology.
• Design, build, test, and maintain applications that support satellite operations, including mission scheduling, spacecraft command, telemetry, and mission data pipelines, automation of spacecraft operations, and anomaly detection and response.
• Perform systems engineering and use case analysis to identify and document functional components of ground architecture solutions and their interfaces.
• Provide key software architecture expertise to cross‑functional engineering and product teams.
• Establish and adhere to Dev Ops practices that ensure that customer and satellite‑operational needs are met with quality and performance.
• Deploy ground system alongside Umbra operations and customer teams.
• Support business development and capture efforts as a key technical contributor.
• Other professional duties as assigned.

• Bachelor of Science in Computer Science or equivalent experience in relevant discipline.
• 5-8+ years of professional experience developing highly available web services with server‑side scripting languages, preferably Python.
• Experience developing Kubernetes/Docker containerized services.
• Solid understanding of cloud and application security, access control, and identity management.
• Professional experience developing automated build and test pipelines in a CI/CD lifecycle.
• Strong interpersonal ability, able to interact effectively with customers and Umbra staff.
• Strong leadership ability, proven to drive technical concepts from formulation to implementation.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government security clearance. Applicants must be U.S. citizens to obtain and maintain a security clearance.

• 10+ years of professional experience developing highly available web services with server‑side scripting languages, preferably Python.
• Relevant technical experience in developing enterprise satellite ground architecture.
• Experience building software to automate space operations with modern software engineering practices.
• Experience working with…