Senior Software Engineer

We are seeking a Senior Software Engineer to design, develop, and evolve advanced core software applications supporting NOAA's Space Weather Observations Mission Operations Services (SWO-MOS) program. This critical position focuses on building highly scalable, fault-tolerant applications embedded within the project's core C2 baseline. The ideal engineer brings substantial experience developing and deploying mission-critical applications within real-time satellite management loops. This role is permanently based out of our engineering facility in Aurora, CO, with an expected travel requirement of up to 15% to support integration and deployment milestones at the Annapolis, MD operations center, and offers a flexible hybrid schedule with work-from-home on Fridays.Location: Aurora, CO (On-site / Hybrid)Clearance Required: Ability to obtain/maintain NOAA Public Trust / SecretTravel Requirement: Up to 15% travel to Annapolis, MDKey Responsibilities & Essential Functions

Mission Software Development: Architect, code, and maintain robust backend and real-time computing software modules written in Java and C++ to interact directly with the program's OS/COMET telemetry and command baseline.Flight Dynamics Software Integration: Develop software interface bridges and telemetry decommutation layers that feed directly into or extract parameters from NASA's General Mission Analysis Tool (GMAT) for real-time orbit metrics handling.Scalable Ingestion & Analytics Architecture: Design highly available and performant software subsystems tasked with archiving, trending, and distributing high-cadence environmental space weather instrument datasets under rigorous timeline mandates.AI & Machine Learning Integration: Incorporate and build software interfaces for artificial intelligence technologies to enhance anomalies detection, automate historical trending and telemetry analysis, and streamline complex satellite data workflows.Lifecycle Execution & Testing Support: Lead the engineering of clean, well-commented, and easily testable application layers. Drive the rapid prototyping, debugging, and continuous integration (CI/CD) delivery pipelines alongside security and testing groups.

Required Qualifications & Experience

Experience: 4+ years of professional software engineering experience centered on mission-critical applications or satellite ground operations software systems. (Exceptional candidates closely approaching this timeline will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis).Core Languages: Expert-level software development capability writing production-ready, highly optimized code blocks utilizing Java and C++.Core Systems Stack Familiarity: Direct programmatic or design experience interfacing with OS/COMET command & control infrastructures or integrating orbital tracking frameworks derived from NASA's General Mission Analysis Tool (GMAT).Problem Solving: Advanced software engineering practices, deep debugging aptitude, and a commitment to code modularity, scalability, and long-term reliability.Education: Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or an equivalent technical core field.

Preferred Qualifications & Compliance

Familiarity or direct project exposure integrating AI/ML frameworks (e.g., Python-based modeling tools, predictive anomaly pipelines) into traditional Java/C++ enterprise backends.Familiarity with containerization and orchestration architectures (Docker, Kubernetes) and microservice patterns tailored for federal hybrid cloud deployment environments.Familiarity with regulatory frameworks safeguarding civil space architectures, including NIST SP 800-53, FISMA High, and ITAR compliance.