What are the responsibilities and job description for the Lead Flight Software Engineer position at Approach Venture?
Lead Flight Software Engineer – Build and Guide the Future of Autonomous Spacecraft!
Denver, CO | Onsite
Opportunity Summary
We are developing a new class of modular spacecraft designed to autonomously assemble and operate in orbit. As the Lead Flight Software Engineer, you will own the design, implementation, and scaling of the entire spacecraft software stack, from testbed development to in-orbit control. This role blends hands-on technical depth with team leadership, giving you the chance to write flight code, shape architectures, and mentor engineers as we progress from early demonstration missions toward large-scale operational systems. This position is ideal for an engineer who thrives in a startup environment: someone eager to take full accountability, solve hard problems with limited resources, and help build both the software and the team that will carry us through our next phases of growth.
About Us
We are a venture-backed aerospace startup building scalable spacecraft infrastructure with modular designs that can assemble and operate autonomously in orbit. Our core team brings expertise from avionics, autonomy, electromagnetics, and GNC, and we are backed by top-tier investors. With near-term demonstration missions on the roadmap and an ambitious long-term vision, we are positioned to redefine how spacecraft are built, launched, and operated.
Job Duties
$165,000 - $190,000
Denver, CO | Onsite
Opportunity Summary
We are developing a new class of modular spacecraft designed to autonomously assemble and operate in orbit. As the Lead Flight Software Engineer, you will own the design, implementation, and scaling of the entire spacecraft software stack, from testbed development to in-orbit control. This role blends hands-on technical depth with team leadership, giving you the chance to write flight code, shape architectures, and mentor engineers as we progress from early demonstration missions toward large-scale operational systems. This position is ideal for an engineer who thrives in a startup environment: someone eager to take full accountability, solve hard problems with limited resources, and help build both the software and the team that will carry us through our next phases of growth.
About Us
We are a venture-backed aerospace startup building scalable spacecraft infrastructure with modular designs that can assemble and operate autonomously in orbit. Our core team brings expertise from avionics, autonomy, electromagnetics, and GNC, and we are backed by top-tier investors. With near-term demonstration missions on the roadmap and an ambitious long-term vision, we are positioned to redefine how spacecraft are built, launched, and operated.
Job Duties
- Define and own the architecture for spacecraft flight software, autonomy interfaces, and ground-to-space communication frameworks.
- Lead the development of state machines, health monitoring systems, and distributed fault management.
- Guide and mentor a growing team of engineers while remaining deeply hands-on in implementation.
- Partner with avionics and GNC teams to integrate EM actuation, sensing, and formation control systems.
- Drive software-in-the-loop (SIL) and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) verification campaigns across mission phases.
- Establish best practices, coding standards, and testing frameworks to ensure scalable, reliable flight software.
- Contribute to long-term roadmapping, from initial demo missions through future commercial and national security applications.
- 5 years of experience developing spacecraft flight software or autonomy systems.
- Deep expertise in C/C and Python, with hands-on experience in embedded real-time operating systems (RTOS).
- Proven background in distributed embedded systems, spacecraft communication protocols, or FSW architectures.
- Strong track record of technical leadership or mentoring in engineering environments.
- Comfortable with high accountability and guiding zero-to-one development efforts.
- Exposure to safety-critical or radiation-tolerant environments (DO-178, ECSS, or similar).
- Experience scaling software systems from prototypes to flight-ready deployments.
- Prior work in early-stage startups, rapid prototyping, or flight programs with aggressive timelines.
- Background in autonomy integration or advanced spacecraft control.
- Define and lead the flight software stack for groundbreaking spacecraft missions
- Balance leadership with hands-on technical ownership
- Opportunity to grow and shape a team in a scaling startup
- Collaborative and flexible work environment
- Competitive PTO policy
- Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage
- Meaningful early-stage equity options
- Strong career growth trajectory as missions and teams expand
$165,000 - $190,000
Salary : $165,000 - $190,000