Lead Flight Software Engineer

Lead Flight Software Engineer

The Exploration Company

Munich, Germany

The Lead Flight Software owns the end-to-end delivery of all flight software, simulation environments, and supporting tools and software test setups required to fly, verify, and certify the vehicle.

This is a hands-on leadership role. You will manage four teams (~20 engineers total) while staying technically sharp and deeply involved in architecture, trade-offs, and critical design decisions. You are accountable for delivering reliable, certifiable software in a fast-moving, resource-constrained startup environment.

What You Will Do

You will define and evolve the overall flight software architecture, ensuring that it is robust, scalable, and aligned with mission and safety requirements. You will personally drive key architectural and system-level decisions, review critical designs and code, and ensure that technical trade-offs are made deliberately and transparently.

You will establish a strong interface between flight software, avionics, GNC, systems engineering, and safety teams, making sure that integration risks are identified early and resolved systematically. You will shape the verification and validation ecosystem, including SIL, HIL, and Monte Carlo campaigns, and automated test pipelines. It will be your responsibility to ensure that simulation and testing are not afterthoughts but central pillars of the program.

You will align software development plans with overall program milestones and vehicle integration timelines. You will represent flight software in major program reviews and external technical exchanges, including certification discussions with NASA and other stakeholders, and you will ensure a professional and well-prepared interface with IV&V organizations.

At the same time, you will build and lead a high-performing organization. You will coach team leads, grow senior engineers, establish engineering standards, and create a culture of ownership and accountability. You will set expectations clearly, make hard calls when needed, and ensure that the team delivers, all while prioritizing working software over paperwork without losing track of certification goals.

Key Responsibilities

In your capacity as a Lead Flight Software, your role will be continuously evolving, but day to day your duties will include:

• Lead the design, development, and testing of the flight software for the spacecraft and all related elements;
• Manage and oversee the software development team to ensure timely delivery of high-quality software;
• Collaborate with other teams and departments, such as avionics, GNC, and systems, to ensure seamless integration of the software with other systems;
• Develop and implement software development processes and best practices to ensure efficient and effective development;
• Ensure the software meets all safety, performance, and reliability requirements;
• Continuously evaluate and improve the software to meet changing mission needs and incorporate new technologies;
• Stay up-to-date with the latest advancements in software development for spacecraft and related systems;
• Get your hands-dirty by contributing to the flight software code and tests;
• Promote and develop the skills and capabilities of your team members and support their development.

What we would love to see from you

In the role of Lead Flight Software ideally, you will have the following:

• Extensive experience in designing, developing, and testing flight software for spacecrafts or related systems;
• Strong leadership and management skills to lead a software development team and ensure timely delivery of high-quality software;
• Excellent collaboration skills to work effectively with other teams and departments, such as avionics and systems, to ensure seamless integration of the software with other systems;
• Knowledge and experience in implementing software development processes and best practices to ensure efficient and effective development;
• Ability to ensure the software meets all safety, performance, and reliability requirements and continuously evaluate and improve the software to meet changing mission needs and incorporate new technologies;
• Up-to-date knowledge of the latest advancements in software development for spacecraft and related systems;
• Hands-on coding and testing skills to contribute to the flight software code and tests with C/C++;
• Ability to promote and develop the skills and capabilities of team members and support their development.