Spacecraft Deployment Engineer
Loft Orbital
San Francisco, CA, USA
Posted on Aug 27, 2025
Wanna join the adventure?
Loft Orbital is looking for a Software Engineer to join our Spacecraft Deployment team.
About the Team:
The Spacecraft Deployment Team is dedicated to ensuring seamless integration of our products within our space platform, encompassing the Bus, Hub, and Loft-controlled payloads. This team is responsible for developing and managing the software products crucial for efficient operations.
About This Role:
- Spacecraft Commissioning: Overseeing and ensuring the timely and efficient commissioning of spacecraft, meeting all operational readiness criteria.
- Program Operations Repositories: Maintaining consistency and compatibility across program operations repositories within Loft’s wide-ranging ecosystem.
- Platform-Level ConOps: Designing, developing, and testing Concept of Operations (ConOps) at the platform level to ensure that Loft’s software products integrate effectively within programs.
Must Haves:
- Strong Satellite Systems Understanding: Proven ability to rapidly understand and map spacecraft subsystems (ADCS, EPS, OBC, payload, comms) and their operational interactions.
- Hands-on Satellite Operations Experience: Direct experience supporting LEOP/early orbit, spacecraft commissioning, or on-orbit test campaigns.
- Ground Segment Familiarity: Operational familiarity with ground control concepts, telemetry/command flows, and mission planning.
- Software Fluency: Proficient with operations-related scripting and automation (e.g., Python/Bash). Ability to handle procedure automation, test scripts, and anomaly reporting.
- Configuration & Test Discipline: Demonstrable rigor in configuration control, “test as you fly,” and process documentation—committed to consistency and reliability.
- Collaboration & Communication: Able to interface with engineering, ops, and customer teams; provides actionable updates, handovers, and feedback.
Nice to Haves:
- Ground Software Customization: Experience developing or integrating mission operations software platforms and telemetry/command APIs.
- DevOps Tools: Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines, Docker, Git, and automation of operational toolchains.
- Multi-Mission/System Integration: Experience commissioning multiple spacecraft in parallel, or working across diverse platform architectures.
- Formal Standards Knowledge: Familiarity with ECSS, CCSDS, PUS, or other space operations standards.
- Customer- or Vendor-Facing Experience: Comfort communicating commissioning/progress updates to customers or managing vendor integration tasks.
Some of Our Awesome Benefits:
- 100% company-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance option for employees and dependents
- Flexible Spending (FSA) and Health Savings (HSA) Accounts offered with an employer contribution to the HSA
- 100% employer paid Life, AD&D, Short-Term, and Long-Term Disability insurance
- Flexible Time Off policy for vacation and sick leave, and 12 paid holidays
- 401(k) plan and equity options
- Daily catered lunches and snacks in office
- International exposure to our team in France
- Fully paid parental leave; 14 weeks for birthing parent and 10 weeks for non-birthing parent
- Carrot Fertility provides comprehensive, inclusive fertility healthcare and family-forming benefits with financial support
- Off-sites and many social events and celebrations
- Relocation assistance when applicable
*Research shows that while men apply to jobs where they meet an average of 60% of the criteria, women and other marginalized people tend to only apply when they meet 100% of the qualifications. At Loft, we value respectful debate and people who aren’t afraid to challenge assumptions. We strongly encourage you to apply, even if you don’t check all the boxes.
Who We Are
Loft Orbital builds “shareable” satellites, providing a fast & simple path to orbit for organizations that require access to space. Powered by our hardware & software products, we operate satellites, fly customer payloads onboard, and handle entire missions from end to end - significantly reducing the lead-time and risk of a traditional space mission.
Our standard interface enables us to fly multiple customer payloads on the same satellite, with capabilities such as earth imagery, weather & climate /science data collection, IoT connectivity, in-orbit demonstrations, and national security missions. Our customers trust us to manage their space infrastructure, so they can focus on what matters most to them: operating their mission and collecting their data.
At Loft, you’ll be given the autonomy and ownership to solve significant challenges, but with a close-knit and supportive team at your back. We believe that diversity and community are the foundation of an open culture. We are committed to hiring the best people regardless of background and make their time at Loft the most fulfilling period of their career.
We value kind, supportive and team-oriented collaborators. It is also crucial for us that you are a problem solver and a great communicator. As our team is international, you will need strong English skills to better collaborate, easily communicate complex ideas and convey important messages.
With 6 satellites on-orbit and a wave of exciting missions launching soon, we are scaling up quickly across our offices in San Francisco, CA | Golden, CO | and Toulouse, France.
As an international company your resume will be reviewed by people across our offices so please attach a copy in English.
