Turion is developing the critical infrastructure of the space economy. We're doing this by building vertically integrated hardware and software: DROID, our line of space vehicles, and Starfire, our software suite covering simulation, modeling, planning, and operations.

We're a group of people who fell in love with the future sci-fi promised us, and we're building it into reality. We build hard things. We build them well. And we're just getting started.

We are seeking a dedicated Staff Ground Software Engineer to join our team in Irvine, CA. As a Staff Ground Software Engineer, you will architect, automate, and operate the mission‑critical infrastructure that powers Turion’s spacecraft operations. You will ensure that ground systems are highly available, observable, secure, and scalable, enabling operators to command satellites, process high‑volume downlinks, and respond quickly to on‑orbit events.

You’ll work across the full software and infrastructure lifecycle, influencing architectural decisions, developing core platform services, improving reliability, and driving engineering best practices. You will tackle complex distributed‑systems challenges involving:

Scale: orchestrating high‑rate telemetry ingestion, processing pipelines, and global operations

Reliability: building fault‑tolerant, resilient services for mission‑critical workflows

Automation: enabling fully automated deployments, testing pipelines, and operational workflows

Observability: delivering deep insight into system performance, failures, and spacecraft behavior

Security: safeguarding command paths, data integrity, and operational access control

You will partner closely with mission operators, flight software engineers, and cross‑functional teams to ensure our ground systems remain robust, maintainable, and operationally efficient as mission complexity grows.

This is a full‑time, exempt position based on‑site at our office in Irvine, California.

What You’ll Build

Mission Control Infrastructure

Core components of a scalable, cloud‑native platform for spacecraft operations

Automated deployment and operational tooling for satellite fleets

Reusable infrastructure modules and shared platform capabilities

Observability, telemetry, and alerting systems for real‑time operations

Key Responsibilities

Design, automate, and operate the infrastructure enabling spacecraft operations

Define architectural direction for mission‑critical systems, including autonomy, data pipelines, and real‑time processing

Build and maintain CI/CD pipelines, deployment frameworks, and environment‑level automation

Establish and uphold reliability and performance standards across ground systems

Lead and participate in on‑call rotations for high‑availability production environments

Partner with mission operators to turn operational needs into reliable services and tools

Drive engineering excellence through documentation, reviews, and technical mentorship

Improve the accessibility, efficiency, and reliability of satellite operations at scale

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, or equivalent experience

8+ years of software or infrastructure engineering experience, including ownership of major components or services

Strong experience with distributed systems

Expertise with cloud‑native and container‑based architectures

Deep Kubernetes experience (design, operation, and tuning)

Significant experience operating live, customer‑facing, cloud‑hosted systems

Demonstrated leadership in on‑call for high‑availability environments

Must be able to obtain and maintain a TS/SCI clearance.

Preferred Qualifications

Proficiency in Go

Expertise in multiple cloud stacks (e.g. AWS + Azure)

Experience with real‑time data processing or data engineering pipelines

Proficiency in database administration

Interest in space systems and mission operations

Staff Ground Software Engineer Salary Range: $175,000 - $225,000 USD

Employees may be asked to support alternate shifts, extended shifts, and/or travel during peak work periods.