Ground Software Engineer - Core
Summary
Backend/platform engineer on Loft Orbital's Core Ground Platform team, building shared services, workflow automation, AI tooling, CI/CD, message queues, and observability infrastructure, with optional spacecraft ops rotations (SatDevOps). Stack includes Kubernetes, Python/Django, NATS, Helm, and Terraform.
Wanna join the adventure?
Loft Orbital is looking for a Software Engineer to join our Core team within Ground Platform. The team develops the core capabilities that support Loft's ground platform, improve development workflows, and ensure platform reliability. You'll help build shared services and tools that benefit software teams across Loft.
You'll work on backend services, workflow automation, AI tooling, and platform infrastructure, with a focus on observability and reliability. You'll also have the opportunity to take part in spacecraft operations through SatDevOps rotations, helping investigate anomalies and supporting real-time incident response when needed.
If you're excited about improving how software is developed across Loft, contributing to key technical decisions, and building more reliable platform systems, we'd love to hear from you.
About this role:
- Evaluate and implement new technologies and software patterns that propagate to the entire Loft's software stack
- Lead the creation and evolution of Loft's AI tooling for development, review, and spacecraft anomaly investigation
- Develop central ground platform functionalities such as workflow automation, microservice inter-communication, and metrics
- Take responsibility for the reliability and performance of Loft's ground platform infrastructure, including message queues, CI/CD, and observability
- Have the opportunity to take part in spacecraft operations through SatDevOps rotations, occasionally helping investigate anomalies and supporting real‑time incident response when needed
- Collaborate with software engineers and satellite operators from all over the company to support and foster consistent, maintainable, and performant software solutions
Must Haves:
- Solid backend software development experience
- Hands-on knowledge of deployment and Infrastructure as Code
- Ability to define and maintain CI/CD pipelines
- Experience working with Kubernetes
Nice to Haves:
- Python development, particularly with Django
- Knowledge of GraphQL and Graphene
- Experience with message queues and streaming technologies (NATS)
- Knowledge of DevOps and observability tools (Helm, Terraform, OpenTelemetry, Prometheus, Loki, etc)
- Familiarity with AI tooling
- Frontend development with Vue and Web Components
Some of Our Awesome Benefits:
- 100% company-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance option for employees and dependents
- Flexible Spending (FSA) and Health Savings (HSA) Accounts offered with an employer contribution to the HSA
- 100% employer paid Life, AD&D, Short-Term, and Long-Term Disability insurance
- Flexible Time Off policy for vacation and sick leave, and 12 paid holidays
- 401(k) plan and equity options
- Daily catered lunches and snacks
- International exposure to our team in France
- Fully paid parental leave; 14 weeks for primary caregiver and 10 weeks for secondary caregiver
- Carrot Fertility provides comprehensive, inclusive fertility healthcare and family-forming benefits with financial support
- Off-sites and many social events and celebrations
- Relocation assistance when applicable
Skills
As published by lever · 10 questions · 4 written answers
Basics
Resume/CV, Full name, Email, Phone, Current location, Current company, LinkedIn URL, Twitter URL, GitHub URL, Portfolio URL, Other website
Short answers (1)
- What is your notice period and when would you be available to start?
Pick from a list (5)
- 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? optional
- If not, would you be open to relocating? Please note, we do provide relocation assistance optional
- Are you currently legally authorized to work in the United States? optional
- Will you now or in the future require employer sponsorship to work in the United States? optional
- Which programming language is explicitly mentioned in the job description? optional
Written answers (4)
- 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.)
- How did you hear about us? (LinkedIn, job board, recruiter outreach, employee referral, etc.)
- Any other information you would like us to know? optional
- Describe the most impactful system or platform you’ve owned that other teams relied on. Why did it matter to them, how did you keep it reliable in production, and what key technical decisions did you personally push for?