Senior Software Engineer - Santa Barbara - Umbra Lab, Inc.

Description

Umbra is an American space technology company delivering advanced systems, from sensors to spacecraft, that empower customers worldwide with unmatched access to critical information from space. Our mission is simple and ambitious: redefine space— for people, systems, and missions in every domain. Umbra's ecosystem operates through three business units: Remote Sensing (the data), Space Systems (the components), and Mission Solutions (the platforms). Together, our teams develop capabilities that deliver persistent access, resilient performance, and mission‑ready solutions, advancing U.S. space leadership while keeping the world safe and informed.

About the Team

Remote Sensing – The Data

Remote Sensing is where Umbra got its start, and our agile Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) constellation remains the most capable on the market. We transform satellite data into real‑world, actionable insights that strengthen U.S. national security and intelligence, support disaster response, and advance scientific discovery. Our team delivers data at scale with unmatched quality, persistence, and the speed and responsiveness our partners demand.

If you want to work on cutting‑edge space technology that's redefining what's possible in remote sensing, you belong here at Umbra.

About the Job

We are seeking a Senior Software Engineer to join our Command, Control, and Communications team and help expand our capacity to design, build, and maintain the critical systems that support our autonomous satellite operations. The individual filling this position will collaborate with product owners and multidisciplinary engineering teams to analyze, develop, and maintain backend software. In this role, you will take ownership of key services alongside our existing engineers, helping distribute operational responsibility and accelerate our roadmap delivery.

Our aim is to hire this position to work in either our Santa Barbara/Goleta, CA office, Arlington, VA office, or Reston, VA office (coming soon).

Key Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and maintain reliable, scalable, and secure mission control and communications systems.
• Take shared ownership of critical services, reducing single‑threaded dependencies and improving team resilience.
• Contribute to architectural decisions and influence system design for reliability and maintainability.
• Collaborate with cross‑functional teams, including operations and platform engineering, to deliver end‑to‑end solutions.
• Participate in on‑call rotations and ensure system uptime and performance goals are met.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science in Computer Science or equivalent experience.
• 5-8+ years of professional experience developing highly available web services with server‑side scripting languages, preferably Python.
• 3-5+ years of experience designing, developing, and testing intuitive and well‑documented commercial RESTful API.
• Demonstrated foundational understanding of software architecture, event‑driven microservices, interface design, and automated testing patterns.
• 2+ years of professional experience developing automated build and test pipelines in a CI/CD lifecycle.
• Experience with database‑backed applications and relational database concepts, preferably Postgres.
• Solid understanding of cloud and application security, access control, and identity management.
• Good communication skills, ability to work collaboratively in a team environment, and willingness to learn new skills and technology.
• Experience developing Kubernetes/Docker containerized services.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government security clearance. Applicants must be U.S. citizens to obtain and maintain a security clearance.
• Experience with AWS or other cloud computing platforms.

Desired Qualifications

• Experience working in the aerospace industry.
• Experience building software to automate space operations.
• Experience building custom GIS applications, STAC, or other imagery based APIs.
• Strong understanding of infrastructure monitoring principles, best practices, and implementation.
• Experience designing and documenting APIs with Swagger/OpenAPI.
• Familiarity or proficiency with Rust.
• Active security clearance.

Benefits

• Flexible Time Off, Sick, Family & Medical Leave
• Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, LTD, STD (employer funded)
• Vol Life, Critical Illness, Accidental, Hospital Indemnity, Pet Insurance (employee funded)
• 401k with 3% non‑elective company contribution
• Stock Options
• Free parking
• Free lunch in office daily

Umbra is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate in hiring on the basis of sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religious creed, national origin, physical or mental disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law. U.S. Citizenship is required for all positions requiring an active U.S. Government security clearance or the ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance.

Employment Eligibility Verification

In compliance with federal laws, all hired persons will be required to verify their identity and eligibility to work in the United States by completing the required Employment Eligibility Verification Form (I‑9 Form) upon hire.

ITAR/EAR Requirements

This position may include access to technology and/or data that is subject to U.S. export controls pursuant to ITAR and EAR. To comply with federal export controls, all persons hired must be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, U.S. lawful permanent resident, refugee or asylee as defined by 8 U.S.C. § 1324b(a)(3), or must otherwise be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State and/or U.S. Department of Commerce as applicable.

Pay Transparency This job posting may cover multiple career levels. To ensure greater transparency, we provide base salary ranges for all roles, regardless of location. Our standard pay ranges are based on the role's function and level, benchmarked against similar growth‑stage companies. Compensation may vary based on geographical location, as certain regions may have different cost‑of‑living factors. The final offer will also be influenced by the candidate's skills, responsibilities, and relevant experience.

Compensation Range

The Compensation Range for this role is $155,000 - $185,000 DOE.