Distributed Systems Software Engineering Lead

San Carlos, California

San Carlos, California

Full time

On-site

Software

About Cowboy Space Corp.

Cowboy Space Corp. is building the infrastructure to power and connect the orbital economy. Our satellites operate in Low Earth Orbit to collect sunlight and enable a new class of capabilities—from powering on-orbit compute, to transmitting energy via infrared lasers (space-to-earth and space-to-space), powering on-orbit compute to delivering secure, high-bandwidth optical data. By rethinking how energy and data are generated and distributed in space, we’re unlocking entirely new ways to operate both in orbit and on Earth.

Founded in 2024 by Baiju Bhatt (co-founder of Robinhood), Cowboy Space Corp. is backed by leading investors and built by a team from top aerospace and defense organizations. We’re moving quickly to solve complex technical challenges and build a new category of space infrastructure.

About the role:

The Distributed Systems Software Engineering Lead at Cowboy Space Corp. will lead a software team in developing and maintaining real-time constellation management and compute tasking architecture. This role is responsible for the overall quality, reliability, and fault tolerance of the ground systems software infrastructure across satellite control, power beaming operations, compute cloud management, and ground receiver systems. You will grow and manage and mentor a team of software engineers to establish development standards, conduct architecture and code reviews, and ensure robust software practices that support Cowboy Space Corp's space-based power transmission and orbital compute platforms.

Responsibilities:

• Team Lead: Lead ground software team developing mission-critical constellation and compute management software stack through mentorship, performance management, and career development.

• Project Management: Plan and coordinate code releases, including task breakdowns, sprint management, timeline tracking, and communication to program stakeholders.

• Architecture: Design and lead distributed systems for fault-tolerant and high-performance operations for mission-critical operations.

• Cloud and Orbita Cloud Infrastructure: Lead, design, and development of real-time scheduling systems, data pipelines, collision avoidance systems, and high-performance compute services.

• Testing & Simulation: Work with hardware and test teams to build software-in-the-loop (SITL) and hardware-in-the-loop (HITL) environments for software validation of on orbit maneuvers and constellation health.

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.

• 2+ years of experience as a software development lead

• 5+ years of experience as an distributed systems software engineer, particularly for aerospace or satellite applications.

• Proficiency in Python, C, C++, and/or Rust.

• Experience with building cloud infrastructure.

• Knowledge of Linux-based (embedded) systems.

• Strong knowledge of networking stacks, data pipelines, and databases

• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to work in a fast-paced environment.

Preferred Qualifications:

• 5+ years of experience as the lead of a distributed services development team, particularly for aerospace or satellite applications

• Experience with constellation management and orbital tasking and simulation

• High-performance compute system deployment experience

• Familiarity with satellite communication protocols and telemetry processing.

Compensation and Benefits

The salary range for this position is $175,000 - $225,000 annually. The actual base salary offered will depend on factors such as job-related skills, experience, qualifications, and internal equity.

• Equity in Cowboy Space Corp.

• Employees and their eligible dependents may enroll in medical, dental, and vision insurance

• 401(k) retirement savings plan

• Paid time off

• 10 paid holidays per calendar year

• Paid parental leave

• Relocation assistance if applicable

• Daily lunch in the office and a fully stocked kitchen with beverages and snacks

ITAR Requirements

• Export Control Requirement: To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), applicants must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about ITAR here.

Disclaimer

This job description is a summary of the primary duties and responsibilities of the job and position. It is not intended to be a comprehensive or all-inclusive listing of duties and responsibilities. Contents are subject to change at Cowboy Space Corp.’s discretion.

Cowboy Space Corp. is an equal employment opportunity employer. We consider individuals for employment or promotion according to their skills, abilities and experience. Cowboy Space Corp. is committed to complying with all applicable laws prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, religious creed, age, national origin, ancestry, physical, mental or developmental disability, sex (which includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and medical conditions relating to pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding), veteran status, military status, marital or registered domestic partnership status, medical condition (including cancer or genetic characteristics), genetic information, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, as well as any other category protected by federal, state or local laws.