Katalyst builds spacecraft that rendezvous with, capture, and service other spacecraft. Our first vehicle is in orbit right now, flying real proximity operations, and the flight software running it is what you would own: the core platform every subsystem, sensor, and radio on the vehicle talks through. Small team, real hardware, your code flies, and you watch it fly from the console.
What you will do
Own core flight software subsystems end to end: telemetry and messaging, the command and sequencing path, fault detection and recovery, hardware interfaces (UART, CAN, TCP/IP, RS-422), and the radios that keep us commandable
Write modern C++ on a Linux flight computer, Python where it moves faster, and keep it memory-safe and thread-safe under schedule pressure, because the schedule belongs to a spacecraft
Take changes from design through review, flatsat and hardware-in-the-loop verification, deploy, and on-orbit behavior, and close them, verified and handed over, not demoed
Run point on anomalies: diagnose from telemetry and logs, decide what is safe to command, then fix the class of defect, not the instance
Make the team stronger: review flight code with rigor, hand systems off with documentation that outlives you, and coach less experienced engineers to shippable instead of rewriting their work
Defend your design decisions to GNC, avionics, operations, and leadership, with data
What we need
Deep, hands-on C++ on real-time or resource-constrained systems that had to work, RTOS or embedded Linux
Fault-tolerant thinking: what happens when this module fails, how the vehicle stays safe and commandable, how it recovers without waiting for the ground
The habit of finishing: you close what you commit to, you verify before you call it done, and when a date slips we hear it from you first
The instinct to challenge an assumption, back the challenge with data, and convince people. Engineers here make the call and defend it.
Engineer: 2+ years. Senior: 6+ years. Principal: 10+ years. Years are a guide, not a gate. Spacecraft or launch vehicle experience helps a lot, real-time software on real hardware that had to work is what we actually need, and at Engineer level we care more about how fast you learn than what you have already flown.
BS in computer science, computer engineering, aerospace, electrical engineering, or equivalent proficiency. We mean the "or".
US person (ITAR). No security clearance required, this is commercial servicing.
What this is not
This is not a tooling or DevOps role. We have pipelines and you will touch them, but the code here commands hardware, and the hardest problem you have solved should be one where a physical thing did the wrong thing. If your best work is build infrastructure, we would rather point you at a role that celebrates it than waste your time here.
Nice to have
cFS, custom middleware, or other spacecraft and robotics frameworks. We fly our own, and we evolve it deliberately: bring strong patterns from somewhere else and you get a real voice in where the architecture goes.
Radios, CCSDS, or spacecraft comms stacks
SIL/HIL test infrastructure you built or ran yourself
Rust, or safety-critical process experience (MISRA, NASA-STD-8739.8)
Pose estimation, relative navigation, or vision-consumer integration
How we interview, because we think it matters
Three conversations and one working session, all of it with us in the room. A short screen, a 45-minute technical conversation, then a 2-hour on-site: a small synthetic codebase seeded with a real class of bug from orbit, your choice of problem track and level, using any tools you normally would, AI assistants included. You present and defend what you did to a small panel and walk a few ops scenarios. Everyone gets the same session, scored against the level you chose. Every stage is scheduled within 5 business days of the last, we fly you in for the on-site, and if you need an accommodation for any of it, say so and we work it out.
Additional Requirements: Must be willing to work extended hours and weekends as needed.
Compensation and Benefits: Your base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: job-related knowledge and skills, education, and experience. The anticipated salary range for this role is: Engineer $105,000 - $150,000, Senior $160,000 - $210,000, Principal $200,000 - $250,000, base plus equity for every engineer
Base salary is just one part of your total rewards package at Katalyst. You will also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of the Employee Stock Option and Equity Plan, as well as a relocation bonus and other discretionary bonuses. You will also receive access to comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, and unlimited Paid Time Off.
At Katalyst our work on projects involving the U.S. Department of Defense requires adherence to International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), 22 C.F.R. Parts 120-130, which requires compliance with U.S. export laws before allowing employees to perform certain positions. Currently, our available roles necessitate access to ITAR-controlled information, and as a result, Katalyst would have to ensure any non-US person is authorized access to ITAR information before the commencement of employment. We are committed to equal employment opportunities and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin.
