Senior Flight Software Engineer

Role: Senior Flight software Engineer

Employment Type: Full Time

Educational Qualification: An engineering degree in computer science, electrical engineering, computer engineering, or equivalent qualification

Work Experience: 7+ years of demonstrated applicable experience in embedded software development using C and C++

Role Description:

Responsible for designing, developing, and testing onboard flight software for satellite systems, ensuring reliable performance in space missions. Works closely with avionics, systems, and mission operations teams to integrate, validate, and optimize software for critical flight operations.

Responsibilities & Duties:

• Own flight software application code or algorithm model from design to implementation and qualification.
• Lead algorithmic-firmware-systems integration effort. Communicate and collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams.
• Document associated algorithms/systems and maintain relevant codebase.
• Own simulation and test setups (HILS/SILS) to qualify flight software. Set up processes wherever appropriate. Enable verification and release of flight software via HILS testing facilities
• Understand and convert algorithm models/State machine models into production-ready code.
• Evaluate the effectiveness of algorithms on hardware and recommend strategies to optimize algorithm performance.
• Participate in design reviews, FMECA, and drive RCA efforts after testing.
• Give transparency to the wider program and stakeholders on current status, any blockers and accommodate any discussions which can unlock current or future blockers
• Facilitate team planning activities (e.g. stand-up, retrospectives, sprint planning)
• Identifying project risks and taking steps to avoid potential pitfalls and pivot where necessary to keep development on track
  
  

Desirable Skills & Certifications:

• Software development within a Linux environment / RTOS
• Experience writing embedded software within a multi-threaded/multi-processor environment
• Familiarity with formal verification and validation test processes, requirement gathering and review, test plan/procedures specification and assessment, and test results analysis and review.
• Experience with code certifications, continuous integration and delivery, static analyzers, test automation, and flight simulators.
• Knowledge/ Experience in the following is a plus - Yocto, Python, MATLAB/Simulink, NASA’s F Prime Framework . Experience in GNC Systems.
  
  

Candidate Acumen:

Strong expertise in developing and testing embedded flight software with a deep understanding of real-time systems. Proven ability to collaborate across avionics, systems, and mission teams to deliver reliable, mission-critical solutions.

Benefits:

Health insurance coverage

Unlimited leaves & flexible working hours

Role-based remote work and work-from-home benefit

Relocation assistance

Professional Mental Wellness services

Creche facility for primary caregivers (limited to India)

Employee Stock Options for all hires

About Pixxel

Pixxel is a space data company and spacecraft manufacturer redefining Earth observation with hyperspectral imaging. The company’s first three commercial hyperspectral satellites—Fireflies—deliver imagery at 5-meter resolution and 135+ spectral bands, providing 50x richer detail than traditional Earth observation systems and unlocking insights across agriculture, climate, energy, environment, and more.

Once fully deployed, Pixxel’s constellation of 18-24 satellites will capture imagery across up to 250 bands in VNIR and SWIR ranges, with a 40 km swath and daily global revisit capability. Pixxel’s most unique strength is its full-stack approach, integrating every layer of the value chain from satellite hardware and manufacturing to AI-powered analytics.

Pixxel’s satellite constellation is complemented by Aurora, its in-house Earth Observation Studio that simplifies satellite imagery analysis and democratises remote sensing for all. Designed to make hyperspectral data more accessible, Aurora by Pixxel combines high-frequency imagery with AI-powered tools to generate actionable insights, even for users without technical backgrounds. The third pillar of Pixxel’s ecosystem is its in-house satellite manufacturing capability. Beyond building its own spacecraft, Pixxel also provides satellite systems and subsystems to other organisations. This dual capacity sets it apart in a sector where most companies focus on either payload design or data operations, but not both.

Pixxel’s team is young but deeply mission-aligned, with a culture rooted in curiosity, speed, and long-term thinking. As the company grows its constellation and expands Aurora, the focus remains on making space-based insights practical, scalable, and genuinely helpful so that the health of the planet becomes measurable and action becomes possible.

Pixxel was the only Indian startup selected for the Techstars Starburst Space Accelerator in Los Angeles and has been recognised in TIME’s Best Inventions of 2023, Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies, and Via Satellite’s Top Innovators list.

For more information, see ourCareers page or follow Pixxel onLinkedIn andX/Twitter.

Culture

Pixxel is an organisation where we enable our employees to work on world-changing problems that they are passionate about, and a place where they can be their best selves day in and day out while ensuring they have fun every day.

Central to our employee-first ethos is a commitment to ensuring that every team member feels valued and heard. We nurture a healthy and supportive work environment where we prioritise well-being and growth in all aspects of life

Link to Pixxel in Media