Senior Software Engineer

We are seeking a Senior Software Engineer to design, develop, and evolve advanced core software applications supporting NOAA's Space Weather Observations Mission Operations Services (SWO-MOS) program. This critical position focuses on building highly scalable, fault-tolerant applications embedded within the project's core C2 baseline. The ideal engineer brings substantial experience developing and deploying mission-critical applications within real-time satellite management loops. This role is permanently based out of our engineering facility in Aurora, CO, with an expected travel requirement of up to 15% to support integration and deployment milestones at the Annapolis, MD operations center, and offers a flexible hybrid schedule with work-from-home on Fridays. Location: Aurora, CO (On-site / Hybrid) Clearance Required: Ability to obtain/maintain NOAA Public Trust / Secret Travel Requirement: Up to 15% travel to Annapolis, MD Key Responsibilities & Essential Functions Mission Software Development: Architect, code, and maintain robust backend and real-time computing software modules written in Java and C++ to interact directly with the program's OS/COMET® telemetry and command baseline. Flight Dynamics Software Integration: Develop software interface bridges and telemetry decommutation layers that feed directly into or extract parameters from NASA's General Mission Analysis Tool (GMAT) for real-time orbit metrics handling. Scalable Ingestion & Analytics Architecture: Design highly available and performant software subsystems tasked with archiving, trending, and distributing high-cadence environmental space weather instrument datasets under rigorous timeline mandates. AI & Machine Learning Integration: Incorporate and build software interfaces for artificial intelligence technologies to enhance anomalies detection, automate historical trending and telemetry analysis, and streamline complex satellite data workflows. Lifecycle Execution & Testing Support: Lead the engineering of clean, well-commented, and easily testable application layers. Drive the rapid prototyping, debugging, and continuous integration (CI/CD) delivery pipelines alongside security and testing groups. Required Qualifications & Experience Experience: 4+ years of professional software engineering experience centered on mission-critical applications or satellite ground operations software systems. (Exceptional candidates closely approaching this timeline will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis). Core Languages: Expert-level software development capability writing production-ready, highly optimized code blocks utilizing Java and C++. Core Systems Stack Familiarity: Direct programmatic or design experience interfacing with OS/COMET® command & control infrastructures or integrating orbital tracking frameworks derived from NASA's General Mission Analysis Tool (GMAT). Problem Solving: Advanced software engineering practices, deep debugging aptitude, and a commitment to code modularity, scalability, and long-term reliability. Education: Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or an equivalent technical core field. Preferred Qualifications & Compliance Familiarity or direct project exposure integrating AI/ML frameworks (e.g., Python-based modeling tools, predictive anomaly pipelines) into traditional Java/C++ enterprise backends. Familiarity with containerization and orchestration architectures (Docker, Kubernetes) and microservice patterns tailored for federal hybrid cloud deployment environments. Familiarity with regulatory frameworks safeguarding civil space architectures, including NIST SP 800-53, FISMA High, and ITAR compliance.