Principal Software Engineer, Mission Design

About the role Muon seeks a Principal Software Engineer to join our Software Organization. This engineer will synthesize a broad understanding of the full Muon software architecture and roadmap with the unique needs of each potential mission, to plan and design the software solutions necessary for mission success. They will guide the evolution of the common platform to benefit our customers and match market needs – partnering closely with peers in Business Development, Product Management, Systems Engineering and Hardware. They will identify early when there are key risks, as well as key opportunities to offer the customer more than they realize they can ask for. They will be a key component in enabling Muon's Software organization, and the company as a whole, to deliver what the customer needs, when they need it, so that we can successfully fulfill their mission as partners. The preferred location for this role is three days a week on-site at our San Jose, CA office, but alternative locations will be considered for the right candidate. Responsibilities • Work with Business Development to prioritize, design and align on staffing for the highest impact small projects that, if done early, will unlock major value for our customers. Then, guide those efforts to successful and timely impact. • Ensure that major, common customer needs are captured in organizational plans and the company's Product Roadmap. • Act as part of the group with stewardship over the architectural standards and guardrails within the Software organization, ensuring high engineering velocity for our teams, and security, reliability and performance for our systems. • Support the Customer Solutions Software Engineers in their engagements with our customers, and act as the escalation point for the most important customer discussions and design questions. Act as an accelerator for this entire group. • Ensure Software organizational plans and roadmaps for missions are aligned with the company's strategic framework. • Help to define training plans for software engineering. Qualifications • Expertise in whole-system design, holistic testing and deployment strategy, and the state of the art in software engineering methodology • Extensive knowledge of theory and practice across aerospace, robotics or an adjacent domain • Excellent negotiation skills in both organizational and technical contexts • Expertise in multiple programming languages • Expertise in distributed systems theory and practice Nice-to-have Skills • Expertise with C++ and Python • Experience with AWS, Kubernetes, containers and related cloud technologies • Experience with embedded software, high-performance computing, FPGA, or related domains • Experience with statistical analysis and/or machine learning Salary The salary range for this role is $266,000 - $298,000, plus a competitive equity grant and comprehensive benefits package. Final compensation will be determined based on skills, qualifications, experience, and geographic location as assessed during the interview process. About Muon Space Founded in 2021, Muon Space is an end-to-end Space Systems Provider that designs, builds, and operates LEO satellite constellations delivering mission-critical data. Our revolutionary, integrated technology stack enables customers to optimize every dimension of their missions for faster time-to-orbit and superior constellation remote sensing performance. Our state-of-the-art facility in the heart of Silicon Valley is optimized for manufacturing spacecraft and rapid, flexible payload integration at scale. From climate monitoring to national security, Muon Space is dedicated to delivering Earth Intelligence for a safer and more resilient world. Taking Care of Our Team At Muon salary is only part of our total compensation package. In addition to salary, full-time employees receive equity compensation as well as benefits including medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401k retirement plan, short & long term disability and life insurance. We also offer three weeks paid vacation for new employees, along with 12 paid holidays, unlimited sick time and paid parental leave. Our mission embraces the entire planet and we believe our team should too. Muon is dedicated to creating a diverse and dynamic company and workforce. We believe in equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, age, national origin, citizenship, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, or gender identity. We value diversity in the workplace, and that starts with our applicants. We encourage you to apply, even if you don't check all the boxes, and we look forward to reviewing your application! In addition, if you need a reasonable accommodation as part of your application for employment or interviews with us, please let us know. Muon is currently registered and able to hire in the following states: AL, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, IL, IA, ID, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, NJ, NY, NC, OH, OR, PA, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA ITAR/EAR Requirements This position requires access to export controlled information. To conform to U.S. Government export regulations applicable to that information, applicant must either be (A) a U.S. person, defined as a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (green card holder), (iii) refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, (B) eligible to access the export controlled information without a required export authorization, or (C) eligible and reasonably likely to obtain the required export authorization from the applicable U.S. government agency. The Company may, for legitimate business reasons, decline to pursue any export licensing process.