Spire Global is a space-to-cloud analytics company that owns and operates the largest multi-purpose constellation of satellites. Its proprietary data and algorithms provide the most advanced maritime, aviation, and weather tracking in the world. In addition to its constellation, Spire’s data infrastructure includes a global ground station network and 24/7 operations that provide real-time global coverage of every point on Earth.

Job Description

As a spacecraft automation engineer at Spire, you will be part of a close-knit team that is laser-focused on providing high-quality weather data to customers around the globe. You will write software that monitors and safeguards the operation of the GNSS radio-occultation (RO) payload in each of Spire’s nanosatellites, ensuring that we will be able to scale to a full constellation of more than 100 satellites delivering 100,000 RO weather profiles each day. Through this, you can positively impact people's lives and the society by improving weather forecast and providing data that are crucial for monitoring the changing climate.

Your day-to-day tasks will include, but will not be limited to, the following:

• Preparation and deployment of GNSS payload software on-orbit updates.
• Investigating and mitigating on-orbit payload anomalies that are escalated to the engineering team.
• Maintenance of a database of on-orbit software updates that is paired with the GNSS payload software & hardware versions across the Spire constellation.
• Supporting / guiding the GNSS payload checkout operations during the satellite commissioning period after each launch through data analysis, visualization, and detailed documentation (There are multiple launch campaigns every year).
• Design, implement, test, and deploy a system that monitors the GNSS payload's operation status, observation performance, and anomalies.
• Design, implement, test, and deploy a configuration management system for the GNSS payload to realize smooth and flexible operation of the constellation of satellites.
• Design, implement, test, and deploy a data management system for the GNSS payload to allow anyone in the company to easily and timely access downlinked data and data produced by ground tests.
• Creating and maintaining tools that enable the successful completion of all aforementioned duties.

Learn more about how our space-based GNSS observations make impacts

• Spire Earth Intelligence website
• Spire Blog: How NOAA is Improving Weather Forecasting with Commercial Radio Occultation (RO) Data
• EUMETSAT Press Release: In a first, EUMETSAT will buy meteorological data from a commercial supplier
• Spire Blog: Supporting Climate and Earth Science Research Through NASA’s CSDA Program

Must-have:

• Fluent in Python and has developed / published modules used by others using a package management system such as pipenv or poetry.
• Hands-on experience with Amazon Web Service (AWS), and the ability to manage, end-to-end, the design, implementation, and deployment of cloud-based services and applications using terraform.
• Experience with setting up / managing CI systems (Concourse, Jenkins, etc).
• Linux system administration and shell scripting skills.
• Basic knowledge of strongly-typed languages such as C, C++, Go, Java, or Rust.
• Detail-oriented personality; careful, methodological, and persistent in tracking down problems.
• Motivation for automating the in-orbit operation and the on-ground data processing of the GNSS payload for delivering critical weather data to the metrological centers across the globe.

Nice-to-have:

• Experience with designing or implementing GNSS / GNSS-RO / GNSS-R systems
• Experience with any field related to radio science, eg, RF design, EMI diagnosis / mitigation, etc.
• Experience with satellite operation or science instrument operation.
• Data analysis skills (statistics, hypothesis testing, and data visualization).

Spire is Global and our success draws upon the diverse viewpoints, skills and experiences of our employees. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender identity or veteran status.

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