Chief Software Architect
About The Position
We are seeking a Chief Software Architect to serve as the technical lead and systems-level architect for our spacecraft autonomy stack. This role will define and own the end-to-end software architecture for autonomy capabilities supporting SDA and ISAM missions: Multi-sensor perception and world modeling Estimation and relative navigation support for ISAM/RPO missions Data pipelines (synthetic + real) Embedded deployment to ground station infrastructure, as well as flight/edge hardware Government-ready security posture and delivery workflows Operational reliability and safety engineering You will lead a team of engineers spanning Computer Vision, Full Stack, DevSecOps/Platform, Mod/Sim, and Embedded/Edge deployment, while working closely with company leadership, mission/operations teams, and hardware engineers. This is a role for someone who wants to architect autonomy that flies — not just publish papers or create prototypes that never leave the lab.
Requirements
- 10+ years of professional software engineering experience, with a strong emphasis on software architecture and design.
- Expert knowledge of computer vision and machine learning with hands-on experience developing production-grade systems.
- Demonstrated experience in developing systems for robotics or autonomous vehicles.
- Proficiency in Python and C++, with demonstrated ability to guide technical teams in software development processes.
- Experience with leading cross-functional teams in the development of complex systems.
- Familiarity with GPU-based programming (CUDA) or leading-edge methodologies in computer vision.
- Strong problem-solving skills and a thorough understanding of software performance optimization techniques.
- Ability and willingness to work on-site in Sausalito, CA.
- U.S. citizenship due to ITAR export-control restrictions; only U.S. citizens are eligible for this position.
Nice To Haves
- Active U.S. Security Clearance
- Demonstrated experience in developing space systems.
- Hands-on experience with cloud-native architecture and integration processes.
- Strong network of industry contacts and thought leadership within the software development community.
- Strong network of highly capable engineers with interest on tackling the hardest problems in space.
Responsibilities
- Own perception stack architecture across software layers and teams
- Drive end-to-end technical strategy, with clear tradeoffs and rationale
- Create architecture artifacts:
- system design documents, interface contracts, data schemas
- “golden path” workflows for training → evaluation → deployment
- Lead design reviews and ensure consistent implementation across teams
- Enable continuous improvement in performance, scalability, and reliability
- Partner with hardware teams to ensure:
- deployment feasibility
- sensor-to-model integration integrity
- testability and validation strategy
- Communicate architecture decisions clearly to:
- leadership
- program/customer stakeholders
- government partners
Benefits
- Competitive Salary
- Health Insurance/Dental
- Paid Time Off
- 401k
- Performance Bonus
- Equity
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Executive
Education Level
No Education Listed
