Ground Systems Software Engineer

About the role

Lynk is building the software that connects the world through space, and this role is central to that mission. You will own the backend systems that make satellite communication possible from the ground up. The work is hands-on and production-focused, requiring you to design services that reliably command spacecraft and process critical telemetry. You will collaborate closely with hardware and flight software teams to ensure software operates correctly in the physical world. This position is for a self-driven engineer who wants to ship code that impacts global connectivity. Your contributions will directly support the operation of a commercial satellite constellation that spans every continent.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Design and develop backend services in Python that schedule satellite contacts and prepare spacecraft commands for transmission.
• Build and maintain REST APIs and event-driven integrations using MQTT and message queues to connect ground stations with Mission Operations tools.
• Write high-quality, well-tested Python code and contribute to shared libraries that define service patterns and developer tooling across the team.
• Create and iterate on web dashboards and operator-facing interfaces using React and Vue to visualize telemetry, contact schedules, and system health.
• Participate actively in engineering practices including merge request reviews, automated testing, GitLab CI/CD, architecture decision records, and AI-assisted development workflows.
• Help architect Lynk's next-generation, cloud-native Mission Operations platform on AWS using event-driven services, managed API gateways, and identity solutions.
• Integrate new and upgraded ground stations by developing software interfaces for network equipment, modems, and RF systems.
• Automate the deployment, configuration, monitoring, and recovery of ground stations using infrastructure as code tools like Terraform and Ansible.
• Improve observability across the ground segment by building telemetry pipelines, dashboards, alerting systems, and logging solutions.
• Troubleshoot complex issues that span software, networks, and hardware while providing occasional on-call support for mission-critical operations.
• Ship production changes rapidly by delivering merge requests that go live in Mission Operations services within your first weeks on the job.
• Learn the Lynk ground segment deeply, including contact scheduling, command and telemetry flows, and ground station architecture.
• Raise the engineering bar by improving test coverage, deployment repeatability, and observability for the services you own and maintain.
• Shape the direction of the cloud-native Mission Operations platform by contributing design and code to early implementation efforts.
• Collaborate with telecom and ground site engineers to ensure software changes align with real-world hardware and flight software constraints.

Requirements

• You have a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience.
• You have 3+ years of professional software development experience building and operating production services.
• You are proficient in Python, writing clear, maintainable, and well-tested code that others can rely on.
• You have experience building and consuming REST APIs and event-driven systems using technologies such as MQTT and message queues.
• You understand web front-end fundamentals and have contributed to dashboards or operator interfaces using JavaScript frameworks like React or Vue.
• You are comfortable working in Linux environments, editing configuration files, and debugging services running in hybrid on-prem and cloud infrastructure.
• You have used infrastructure as code tools such as Terraform and Ansible to automate environment deployment and management.
• You can read and reason about networking concepts, including IP networking, firewalls, and basic protocol behavior.
• You are comfortable using version control with Git and participating in code review processes as part of a collaborative team.
• You are able to obtain and maintain U.S. government security clearances as required by U.S. law for this role.
• You are legally authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship now or in the future.
• You have the right to work in the United States for this employer, and no sponsorship will be provided for work authorization.
• You can perform the essential functions of this role with or without reasonable accommodation.
• You understand that duties and responsibilities may change due to mission, operational, or business needs.
• You acknowledge that satellite operations involve real-world consequences and that software errors can affect physical systems.

Nice to have

• Experience with cloud-native architectures on AWS, including serverless and container-based services.
• Familiarity with telecommunications protocols and ground station systems.
• Knowledge of observability tools and practices for distributed systems.

Practical notes

This role is based in Chantilly, Virginia, and requires in-office presence. Candidates must be eligible for U.S. government security clearances and able to work without sponsorship. The position is full-time and may require occasional on-call support.