Lead Software Engineer

About the role

Northwood Space is seeking a technical leader to direct our Cloud team in Torrance. You will oversee the development of the platform that manages our global ground station network, including antenna scheduling, customer booking, and system orchestration. In this capacity, you will define the technical vision for a platform that connects terrestrial infrastructure with orbital assets. You will mentor engineers while ensuring that our services are reliable, scalable, and secure. The role requires balancing long-term architecture with the delivery of immediate customer value. You will work closely with hardware and mission teams to translate operational requirements into robust software solutions. This position is central to enabling our global network of ground stations to deliver consistent and resilient connectivity.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Guide the Cloud team by setting technical strategy, mentoring staff, and managing project delivery for our ground station platform.
• Create and maintain the booking and reservation architecture that orchestrates access to our worldwide antenna network.
• Develop and support customer-facing APIs and portals that enable network scheduling and automated routing for mission operations.
• Build orchestration layers that manage antenna operations and define clear service contracts between cloud services and ground hardware.
• Design control planes, data planes, and telemetry paths to ensure seamless operation across hybrid cloud and on-premises environments.
• Implement billing and metering systems that accurately track resource usage and support invoicing for our network services.
• Establish monitoring solutions that provide deep observability to maintain platform uptime and performance.
• Partner with Ground and Data teams to ensure network resilience and to define secure interfaces for the transfer of satellite data.
• Evaluate and select technologies that align with our long-term goals for scalability, security, and operational efficiency.
• Lead the design reviews and code standards that ensure our systems are maintainable and extensible over time.
• Drive the adoption of best practices for testing, deployment, and incident response across the Cloud team.
• Collaborate with product managers to refine requirements and translate business needs into technical specifications.
• Mentor engineers through code reviews, technical coaching, and career development discussions.
• Ensure that all solutions comply with regulatory requirements and security policies relevant to satellite communications.

Requirements

• 6+ years of professional software engineering experience across the full lifecycle of software development.
• 3+ years of experience building and scaling cloud-based services and APIs that operate in production environments.
• Proven track record as a technical lead or project lead, including hands-on mentoring of junior and mid-level engineers.
• Experience with distributed scheduling, resource allocation, or booking platforms that manage shared assets.
• Proficiency in modern cloud infrastructure, including AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud, and their core services.
• Must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, or protected individual to comply with ITAR regulations.
• Strong understanding of networking protocols, service communication patterns, and distributed system principles.
• Ability to work effectively in an agile environment and deliver iterative improvements to complex systems.

Nice to have

• Experience with Rust, Golang, or Haskell for building high-performance backend services.
• Background in building global-scale, high-reliability platforms that operate across multiple regions.
• Knowledge of event-driven architectures and message queues for real-time data processing.
• Experience with high-throughput data streaming or telemetry systems that handle large volumes of sensor data.
• Familiarity with billing and subscription management systems used in SaaS or infrastructure platforms.
• Understanding of simulation and modeling, such as satellite propagation, to support planning and operations.
• Experience with Kubernetes, containers, and robust CI/CD pipelines to automate deployments and testing.
• Domain knowledge in satellite communications and ground station operations.

Practical notes

Northwood Space is an equal opportunity employer. Reasonable accommodations are available for the application and interview process upon request to ensure accessibility for all candidates. The compensation range provided reflects the minimum and maximum target base salary for this role and is subject to adjustments based on candidate qualifications and relevant experience. No other forms of compensation are specified for this position at this time. This role is based in Torrance, California, and requires in-office presence for the duration of employment. Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States and meet all employment eligibility requirements. The company reserves the right to update hiring requirements as the needs of the business evolve, and all selected candidates will be evaluated based on their ability to meet the stated responsibilities. Travel is not required for this position, and remote work arrangements are not available due to the operational nature of the ground station environment. This position is critical to the execution of our mission, and the successful candidate will play a key role in shaping the infrastructure that supports our global operations.