NTN Stack SW Architect (UK)
SpinLaunch NTN Stack SW Architect (UK)
Meridian is building a fundamentally new model for sovereign space infrastructure—delivering complete, owned Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellations that provide governments and commercial operators with full control, assured access, and sovereign communications capability at a fraction of the cost of developing these systems independently.
Backed by leading venture capital investors and engineering partners, we are rapidly scaling the design, production, and deployment of the satellites, ground systems, and network infrastructure that will power Meridian's next-generation constellations.
Joining Meridian means working at the forefront of one of the world's most ambitious space programs underway today - designing and building constellations that will put sovereign connectivity within reach of nations and operators worldwide. You'll be part of a close-knit, collaborative team that thrives in a fast-paced, innovative environment, where your work directly advances the design, development, and deployment of satellite constellations that governments and enterprises around the world will depend on for secure, resilient, and sovereign connectivity.
Your Mission on the Team:
As our Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN) Stack SW Architect, you will own the software architecture and platform-level development for the middleware, automation, and interfaces that connect the Meridian LEO constellation OSS/NMS/NOC with a 3GPP 5G Core (5GC), as well as broader NMS and NOC environments. This role requires a seasoned software engineering expert capable of architecting all of the software technology and security layers required to turn these diverse platforms into one coherent, seamless network solution.
In this critical leadership role, you will be the definitive software technology expert, working side-by-side with our telecommunication systems engineers to bridge complex systems. Your responsibilities include:
- Designing the middleware, automation frameworks, and software interfaces connecting a LEO constellation OSS/NMS/NOC to a 3GPP Core Network (5GC), the global Data Network, Constellation Gateways, and external NMS/NOC platforms.
- Architecting cloud-based microservices for large-scale software management platforms to enable complete network orchestration.
- Designing and implementing robust security layers and comprehensive cybersecurity architectures to ensure safe, reliable integration across all network boundaries and technologies.
- Leading other software engineers, conducting rigorous code reviews, providing technical mentorship, and driving project execution with an unwavering focus on engineering excellence.
- Implementing software solutions that strictly adhere to our performance, scalability, security, and maintainability objectives.
- Collaborating deeply with Systems Engineering and telecommunications experts to ensure seamless integration across all system and subsystem boundaries.
- Participating in architecture reviews, technical planning, and technology tool selection to ensure the highest standard of software quality.
- Interfacing directly with customers and external partners to provide integration support and drive feature development.
- Contributing strategically to platform roadmaps and long-term technology strategies for the Meridian constellation.
Basic Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in computer science, software engineering, electrical engineering, or a related field.
- 15+ years of professional software engineering experience, with a critical focus on developing middleware, automation, and interfaces for large-scale OSS, NMS, and NOC platforms.
- Expert-level understanding of cloud-based microservices, software technologies, and the modern tools required to architect network management software platforms.
- Proven experience integrating cloud-native services with 3GPP 5G Core networks based on secure networking frameworks.
- Strong grasp of cybersecurity design principles and the security layers inherent to satellite and large cellular networks, with the ability to connect different types of technologies into one coherent network solution.
- Experience utilizing Git, CI/CD platforms, building systems, static code analysis tools, and modern Linux development environments.
- Excellent communication and leadership skills, with a demonstrated ability to mentor junior engineers and lead technical initiatives.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Master's degree in computer science, software engineering, telecommunications, or a related field.
- Programming Languages: Advanced proficiency in languages optimized for high-performance microservices, network automation, and platform integration, such as Go, Rust, C++, Python, or Java.
- Cloud-Native & Container Orchestration (Tools/Environments): Deep expertise in containerization (e.g., Docker, containerd) and orchestration platforms (e.g., Kubernetes, Helm), alongside service meshes (e.g., Istio, Linkerd) for managing distributed cloud environments.
- Middleware, APIs, & Data Streaming (Technologies): Extensive hands-on experience architecting software interfaces using modern protocols and event-driven architectures (e.g., gRPC, REST, GraphQL, Apache Kafka, RabbitMQ).
- Automation & IaC (Tools): Demonstrated success utilizing Infrastructure as Code (IaC) and deployment automation tools (e.g., Terraform, Ansible, ArgoCD) across multi-cloud environments (AWS, Azure, GCP) or bare-metal telecom stacks.
- Security & Network Frameworks: Practical knowledge of Zero Trust Architecture, mTLS, OAuth2, and familiarity with 5G Service Based Architecture (SBA) and ETSI MANO.
- Experience working in ESA, defense, or similarly regulated environments.
Meridian Space UK Limited is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. Each individual has the right to work in a professional environment that promotes equal employment opportunity and prohibits discriminatory practices, including harassment. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.