Software Development Engineer, Test Platform
K2 Space · Los Angeles, CA ·
- Employment
- Full time
- Category
- Software engineering
- Visa sponsorship
- No
- Company size
- 201-500
- Salary
- USD 123,000 – 175,000 / year
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The Software Development Engineer, Test Platform will design and maintain test automation frameworks, CI/CD pipelines, and HIL/SIL infrastructure for satellite flight software. This role involves collaborating with engineering teams to ensure software reliability for spacecraft missions.
K2 is building the largest and highest-power satellites ever flown, unlocking performance levels previously out of reach across every orbit. Backed by over $1 billion in total funding from leading investors including Altimeter Capital, ICONIQ, Kleiner Perkins, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Redpoint Ventures, and T. Rowe Price — and with over $1 billion in signed contracts across commercial and US government customers, we're mass-producing the highest-power satellite platforms ever built for missions from LEO to deep space.
The rise of heavy-lift launch vehicles is shifting the industry from an era of mass constraint to one of mass abundance, and we believe this new era demands a fundamentally different class of spacecraft. Engineered to survive the harshest radiation environments and to fully capitalize on today's and tomorrow's massive rockets, K2 satellites deliver unmatched capability at constellation scale and across multiple orbits.
With multiple launches in 2027 and plans to scale to 100 satellites a year, we're Building Bigger — helping develop the solar system and build toward a Kardashev Type II (K2) civilization. If you are a motivated individual who thrives in a fast-paced environment and you're excited about contributing to the success of a high-growth Series D-funded company, we'd love for you to apply.
The Role
The software team at K2 builds software across the stack, from gateware & micro firmware to high level satellite control to Ground Software and all the associated testing, and we’re looking for an SDET who shares our belief that test infrastructure is a first-class engineering discipline. You will be embedded directly within the flight software team, working shoulder-to-shoulder with the engineers writing the code that flies our spacecraft owning the automation frameworks, test tooling, and HIL infrastructure that make rapid, confident software deployment possible.
This role is not a QA function. You will be a builder. In your first 6 months, you will design and ship core test automation frameworks and integrate them into our CI/CD pipelines. In your first year, you will own end-to-end test coverage across multiple spacecraft subsystems and lead HIL testing campaigns alongside flight software engineers, proving the software is ready to go to space. In your first two years, you will have operated your test systems against hardware that has been launched to orbit.
Responsibilities
Qualifications
Nice to Have
Compensation and Benefits:
If you don’t meet 100% of the preferred skills and experience, we encourage you to still apply! Building a spacecraft unlike any other requires a team unlike any other and non-traditional career twists and turns are encouraged!
If you need a reasonable accommodation as part of your application for employment or interviews with us, please let us know.
Export Compliance
As defined in the ITAR, “U.S. Persons” include U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents (i.e., Green Card holders), and certain protected individuals (e.g., refugees/asylees, American Samoans). Please consult with a knowledgeable advisor if you are unsure whether you are a “U.S. Person.”
The person hired for this role will have access to information and items controlled by U.S. export control regulations, including the export control regulations outlined in the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR). The person hired for this role must therefore either be a “U.S. person” as defined by 22 C.F.R. § 120.15 or otherwise eligible for a federally issued export control license.
Equal Opportunity
K2 Space is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with K2 Space is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.
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