Senior Software Engineer

Why LeoLabs?

At LeoLabs, we're building the living map of activity in space. Through our proprietary global radar network and AI-enabled analytics platform, we collect millions of measurements daily on more than 25,000 objects in low Earth orbit (LEO). Our radar-powered intelligence protects billions in assets, monitors adversarial behavior, and ensures safe operations for commercial and government missions.

We're not just building technology, we are redefining global security, safety, and transparency in space. As orbital activity accelerates and threats grow more complex, LeoLabs is a trusted partner for Space Domain Awareness, Space Traffic Management, and Satellite Operations for top-tier space operators and allied defense organizations.

If you're looking to work on mission-critical challenges at the forefront of aerospace, national security, and AI, your impact starts here.

The Opportunity: 

LeoLabs is seeking a highly experienced and technically driven Senior Software Engineer to join our cross-functional Cloud Software team. in this role, you will contribute to a collaborative, high-impact group of engineers building the software that powers real-time decisions for protecting and managing satellites and other objects in low-earth orbit. 

As a Senior Software Engineer on our team, you will design and deliver mission-critical software and be a key contributor in ensuring that our system meets our customers’ needs. You will develop software for multiple systems, helping the team to deliver reliable, secure, and high-performance solutions. 

The Cloud Software team has responsibility for a wide variety of technical domains, including software for: 

• Maintaining orbits and tracking custody on every object in Low-Earth Orbit 
• Providing high-level insights and analytics for our customers 
• Leveraging large volume data pipelines for custom AI/ML model training 
• Orchestrating and schedule tasking for our global radar network 
• Exposing UIs and APIs with strict uptime SLAs for data delivery and visualization 

We partner closely with radar and product teams to build cohesive, powerful platform capabilities. 

*This is a remote position requiring onsite travel approximately once per month, typically for up to one week at a time. The preferred location is the Washington DC Metro area, and candidates must hold an active TS/SCI clearance for periodic SCIF access.

Responsibilities: 

• Leverage LeoLabs’ leading dual-use systems to support critical space missions. 
• Develop full-stack software for key software initiatives, particularly for DOD/IC contracts 
• Participate in stakeholder discussions and translate customer needs into engineering requirements 
• Ensure reliability, observability, security, and performance across production systems 
• Own critical portions of our systems through the full development lifecycle, including operation, monitoring, and on-call support 
• Make use of generative AI to raise the bar on the quality and security of our software 

Required Qualifications: 

• Active US TS/SCI clearance and experience delivering on mission for DOD/IC customers 
• B.S. in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or equivalent experience 
• 5+ years of professional software engineering experience, with significant time building cloud-based systems at scale 
• Demonstrated experience building, deploying, and operating distributed backend services 
• Experience and enthusiasm with using generative AI for software development 
• Proficiency in Python, Go, or a similar language 
• Understanding of architecture patterns, service boundaries, message-driven workflows, and API design 
• Experience with cloud environments (AWS/GCP/Azure) and containerized deployments 
• Expertise with relational databases (Postgres/MySQL) and message brokers (Kafka, SQS, or similar) 
• Experience with observability and CI/CD practices 
• Experience with relational databases (Postgres/MySQL) and message brokers (Kafka, SQS, or similar) 
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to work with stakeholders across teams 
• Willingness to participate in on-call rotations for critical systems 

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Experience building production frontend applications with TypeScript, JavaScript, or comparable modern web technologies 
• Experience deploying into US federal systems 
• Experience with Kubernetes in cloud environments 
• Background in Math/Physics, AI/ML, or Orbital Mechanics 
• Experience operating in a high-availability or mission-critical environment 

What Success Looks Like:

Within 1 month, you’ll: 

• Complete onboarding and gain deep context on LeoLabs’ mission and architecture 
• Review key software systems and operational practices 
• Be introduced to our US Federal contract work strategy and how your work contributes to its success 
• Contribute initial improvements or fixes that demonstrate your technical approach and engineering standards 

Within 3 months, you’ll: 

• Contribute to constructive design reviews and actively support teammates 
• Own medium-sized software features end-to-end with minimal guidance 
• Deliver key software features towards the execution of our US Federal contracts 

Within 6 months, you’ll: 

• Participate in key requirements discussions for complex features 
• Take ownership of major services or system components 
• Deliver major software features for key revenue-generating projects 

Within 12 months, you’ll: 

• Influence strategic technical direction for Cloud Software team 
• Help blaze the trail for our growing sensor orchestration and integration software products 
• Be a trustworthy team member as our US Federal contract work expands 

Compensation

The base salary range for this position is up to $185,900 + bonus + stock options + benefits  

Compensation Note: The salary range for this position is benchmarked based on the designated primary work location for the role. Final compensation may vary depending on the selected candidate's work location, applicable market data, experience, qualifications, and other job-related factors.

Perks and Benefits

• Global workforce: flexible remote/hybrid opportunities
• Work on complex, meaningful missions with real-world impact
• Unlimited paid time off for most roles
• Competitive salary and equity packages
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision coverage
• Access to the forefront of commercial space operations and defense innovation

ITAR Requirements 

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. More information regarding ITAR can be found at DDTC’s website.  

Vendor Notification

LeoLabs does not engage external staffing agencies or third-party recruiting firms for this role. Unsolicited candidate submissions will not be considered.

We are committed to maintaining a respectful and inclusive workplace where employees are valued for their skills, experience, and contributions. We are an equal opportunity employer and make employment decisions based on qualifications, skills, experience, and business needs, consistent with applicable law.