Senior Software Engineer

Umbra builds next-generation space systems that observe the Earth in unprecedented fidelity.

Our mission: Deliver global omniscience.

To stay ahead of climate change, geopolitical risk, and other major crises and issues, we need a global understanding of what is changing, where, and how fast. Umbra provides easy access to the highest-quality commercial satellite data available, which is an indispensable tool for the growing number of organizations monitoring the Earth. We empower our customers to create solutions that inform, inspire, and address our planet’s most pressing needs. We’re helping to create a new industry that has never meaningfully existed.

We are seeking a Senior Software Engineer to be a key back-end contributor to our internal software applications and services. The individual filling this position will collaborate with product owners and multidisciplinary engineering teams to analyze, develop, and maintain the software that supports our autonomous satellite operations. As an early contributor, they will play a key role in Umbra's efforts toward redefining how space radar data is consumed.

This position may be FULLY REMOTE or HYBRID -- for hybrid, it can be located in our Santa Barbara CA or Arlington VA offices.

Key Responsibilities

• Build, test, and maintain applications that run our satellites and tackle a variety of problems, including automating spacecraft operations, mission scheduling, command and telemetry pipeline, mission data pipeline, and anomaly response
• Provide key software architecture expertise to cross-functional engineering and product teams
• Help establish and adhere to DevOps practices that ensure that customer and satellite-operational needs are met with quality and performance
• Other professional duties as assigned

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science in Computer Science or equivalent experience
• 5+ years of professional experience developing highly available web services with server-side scripting languages, preferably Python
• 3+ years of experience designing, developing, and testing intuitive and well-documented commercial RESTful APIs
• Demonstrated foundational understanding of software architecture, event-driven microservices, interface design, and automated testing patterns
• Experience with database-backed applications and relational database concepts, preferably Postgres
• Good communication skills, ability to work collaboratively in a team environment, and willingness to learn new skills and technology
• Experience designing and documenting commercial APIs, preferably with Swagger/OpenAPI
• Current security clearance or willingness and ability to acquire one
• One or more of the Desired Qualifications

Desired Qualifications

• Experience working in the aerospace industry
• Experience building software to automate space operations
• Experience with mission scheduling software and/or schedule optimization
• Experience developing image processing/formation applications
• Experience building custom GIS applications, STAC, or other imagery catalog APIs
• DevOps/SRE-related background, such as:
• Experience developing Kubernetes/Docker containerized services
• Experience developing automated build and test pipelines in a CI/CD lifecycle
• Experience with app/infrastructure monitoring and alerting principles and best practices
• Experience with cloud and application security, access control, and identity management

• Flexible Time Off, Sick, Family & Medical Leave

• Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, LTD, STD (employer funded)
• Vol Life, Critical Illness, Accidental, Hospital Indemnity, Pet Insurance (employee funded)
• 401k with 3% non-elective company contribution
• Stock Options

Umbra is an Equal Opportunity Employer that is committed to inclusion and diversity. We take affirmative action to ensure equal opportunity for all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, Veteran status, or other legally protected characteristics.

Employment Eligibility Verification

In compliance with federal laws, all hired persons will be required to verify their identity and eligibility to work in the United States by completing the required Employment Eligibility Verification Form (I-9 Form) upon hire.

ITAR/EAR Requirements

This position may include access to technology and/or data that is subject to U.S. export controls pursuant to ITAR and EAR. To comply with federal export controls, all persons hired must be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, U.S. lawful permanent resident, refugee or asylee as defined by 8 U.S.C. § 1324b(a)(3), or must otherwise be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State and/or U.S. Department of Commerce as applicable. 

Pay Transparency
This job posting may cover multiple career levels. To ensure greater transparency, we provide base salary ranges for all roles, regardless of location. Our standard pay ranges are based on the role’s function and level, benchmarked against similar growth-stage companies. Compensation may vary based on geographical location, as certain regions may have different cost-of-living factors. The final offer will also be influenced by the candidate's skills, responsibilities, and relevant experience.

Compensation Range

The Compensation Range for this role is $123,000- $198,000.