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Loft Orbital

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Backend Engineer - Mission Operations Services

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Loft Orbital is looking for a Backend Engineer to join our Mission Operations Services (MOS) team. MOS owns the backend services that let Loft operators and customers command, monitor, and automate our satellite fleet through Cockpit, our mission control system. You’ll help build and scale the microservices that sit between ground and flight software, turning high-level intent into safe, reliable on-orbit operations.
You’ll work across multiple satellite platforms and collaborate closely with backend, flight software, embedded systems, test, and satellite operations teams. This is a hands-on engineering role where you’ll both build new systems and help debug live missions. We also offer SatDevOps training, so you don’t just write the tools - you actually use them to operate spacecraft.
If you’re excited about building backend systems that directly control satellites - and you like the idea of both shipping code and helping fly missions - we’d love to hear from you.

About this Role

  • Design and build backend tools for operations: services that power passes, autopilots, activities, and day‑to‑day satellite operations.
  • Handle commands and telemetry across multiple satellite buses and ground segment providers, with a strong focus on safety, robustness, and observability.
  • Write production backend code in Python, owning services end‑to‑end from design and implementation through deployment and maintenance.
  • Collaborate with flight software, embedded software, integration and test, and space infrastructure teams to integrate new satellite buses and capabilities into Cockpit.
  • Support internal users of Cockpit (operators, test engineers, solutions engineers) by improving APIs, workflows, and debugging tools.
  • Have the opportunity to take part in spacecraft operations through SatDevOps rotations, occasionally helping investigate anomalies and supporting real‑time incident response when needed.

    • Must Haves:

  • 4+ years of relevant backend software engineering experience in production environments
  • Solid Python development experience in a production environment.
  • Experience with Docker and container‑based development.
  • Hands‑on experience with backend web development frameworks (e.g., Django, Flask, FastAPI, etc.).
  • Proven API design skills (designing, documenting, and maintaining HTTP/GraphQL/REST‑style APIs).

    • Nice to Haves:

  • Experience with Django and/or GraphQL.
  • Strong database fundamentals and practical experience (e.g., Postgres, time‑series DBs).
  • Exposure to Kubernetes in production.
  • Familiarity with InfluxDB / TimescaleDB or other time‑series systems.
  • Background in mission‑critical, distributed, or real‑time systems (space or otherwise).
    • Who We Are: Founded in 2017, Loft provides governments, companies, and research institutions with a fast, reliable, and simple way to deploy missions in orbit.
    We integrate, launch, and operate spacecraft, offering end-to-end missions as a service across Earth observation, IoT connectivity, on-orbit AI, national security missions, and more. Leveraging our existing space infrastructure and an extensive inventory of satellite buses, Loft is reducing years-long integration and launch timelines to months. With more than 30 missions flown, Loft’s flight heritage and proven technologies enable customers to focus on their mission objectives.
    With a growing fleet on track to reach 30 satellites by 2027, we are scaling up quickly across our offices in San Francisco, CA | Golden, CO | and Toulouse, France to meet accelerating demand for space infrastructure.
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    What this application asks

    lever

    Resume/CV, Full name, Email, Phone, Current location, Current company, LinkedIn URL, Twitter URL, GitHub URL, Portfolio URL, Other website

    • Describe the backend system you’re most proud of owning. What did it do, why did it matter to its users or operations, and what key technical or design decisions did you personally push for? written answer
    • What is your notice period and when would you be available to start?
    • This role requires at least 3 days a week in the office, are you able to easily commute to the location the role is based in? choose one · optional
    • If not, would you be open to relocating? Please note, we do provide relocation assistance choose one · optional
    • Are you currently legally authorized to work in the United States? choose one · optional
    • Will you now or in the future require employer sponsorship to work in the United States choose one · optional
    • If you selected “Yes” to requiring sponsorship now or in the future, please specify your current visa or work authorization status (e.g. H-1B, TN, OPT, etc.) written answer
    • How did you hear about us? (LinkedIn, job board, recruiter outreach, employee referral, etc.) written answer · optional
    • Any other information you would like us to know? written answer · optional

    See also

    Python jobs 99,414 jobs Django jobs 2,551 jobs Backend jobs 16,127 jobs Kubernetes jobs 38,239 jobs Docker jobs 30,246 jobs PostgreSQL jobs 17,707 jobs GraphQL jobs 5,673 jobs Remote Worldwide jobs 12,594 jobs JavaScript jobs 23,800 jobs TypeScript jobs 36,140 jobs