2 months ago
Pasadena, CA, USAStaff+
Base Salary
$171k - $215k/yr
Responsibilities
- Design, implement, test, and ship iterations of the DSN uplink software package.
- Lead and mentor a small team of software and test engineers while managing technical dependencies.
- Own and negotiate the software interface boundary with FPGA and mixed-signal hardware.
- Develop signal-processing capabilities including error correction, modulation, and signal generation for SDR systems.
- Architect and maintain high-rate hardware-to-software data paths with accountability for timing and data integrity.
- Define subsystem verification strategies and build automated testing capabilities.
- Maintain software release schedules and balance mission milestones with team resources.
- Make and defend technical architecture decisions to stakeholders and leadership.
- Present project updates and reviews to program leadership.
- Collaborate with internal subsystem stakeholders, external users, and engineers at DSN complexes in the United States, Spain, and Australia.
- Test and evaluate software deployments in laboratory and field environments.
- Travel occasionally, up to 5% of the time, to support installation, checkout, or deployment debugging.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical discipline with typically at least 9 years of related experience; or a master’s degree with at least 7 years; or a PhD with at least 5 years.
- At least 2 years of experience leading or mentoring software engineering teams, or demonstrated technical leadership on complex projects.
- Strong C++ and working proficiency in Python.
- Experience developing software that interfaces directly with hardware such as FPGA-based systems, data acquisition systems, embedded platforms, or instrumentation.
- Experience architecting high-rate data transport over PCIe, Ethernet, or comparable interfaces.
- Experience developing software subject to timing, throughput, and data-integrity requirements.
- Experience implementing production signal-processing algorithms including digital modulation, FIR/IIR filtering, and forward error correction.
- Experience with structured engineering processes, design reviews, and requirements-based verification.
- Experience testing and debugging software against real hardware in laboratory or operational field environments.
- Preferred experience with signal-processing systems, SDRs, UHD, RFNoC, formal communication protocols, CCSDS SLE, CI systems, Git, software testing frameworks, container orchestration, project planning, fielded software support, and cross-domain root-cause investigations.
- Strong verbal and written communication skills.
Benefits
- Health, dental, vision, wellbeing, and retirement plans.
- Paid time off, learning opportunities, rideshare, childcare, flexible scheduling, and parental leave.
- Benefits-eligible positions receive benefits on the first day of the month coincident with or immediately following the start date.
- Pasadena, California location with occasional travel of up to 5% to DSN complexes.
About NASA JPL
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory is a federally funded research and development center in Pasadena, CA, managed by Caltech. It designs, builds, and operates robotic spacecraft and science instruments for NASA, and develops ground systems like the Deep Space Network; notable missions include the Mars rovers and the Voyager probes. Founded in 1936, JPL is publicly funded and focuses on planetary, Earth, and astrophysics research and flight operations.