Back to jobs

Director of Software Engineering

Rockville, MD or Hawthorne, CA or Denver, CO

Quantum Space is redefining mobility and maneuverability in space. Our high-mobility spacecraft platforms support national security, civil, and commercial missions with unmatched flexibility and propulsion capability. We build fast and iterate quickly

Who We're Looking For

We're looking for a Director, Software Engineering to lead the development of the software systems that power our spacecraft, ground infrastructure, and mission operations.  This role is for a technical leader who combines deep software engineering expertise with proven organizational leadership. You have built and scaled high-performing engineering teams, delivered complex software systems for aerospace, defense, robotics, or other safety-critical environments, and understand how to balance speed, quality, and mission assurance. You are comfortable operating at both the strategic and technical levels—setting engineering direction, developing talent, and engaging directly with architects and engineers on critical technical decisions.

You know how to build software organizations that execute. You have experience leading multidisciplinary teams, establishing engineering processes that enable rapid delivery, and creating a culture of ownership and accountability. Whether supporting spacecraft autonomy, flight software, ground systems, mission planning, or cloud infrastructure, you understand that software is increasingly the differentiator for mission success.

Where You'll Make an Impact

  • Lead and grow Quantum Space's software engineering organization across flight software, ground systems, mission operations software, autonomy, and supporting infrastructure
  • Establish technical vision, engineering standards, and development processes that enable rapid, reliable delivery of mission-critical software
  • Partner with systems engineering, spacecraft engineering, mission operations, and executive leadership to align software roadmaps with company objectives
  • Drive software architecture decisions that support scalable spacecraft platforms, mission flexibility, and future product growth
  • Build and mentor engineering managers, technical leads, and individual contributors while fostering a culture of technical excellence and accountability
  • Oversee software development lifecycle activities including requirements management, architecture reviews, testing, verification, validation, and release management
  • Ensure software products meet mission assurance, cybersecurity, reliability, and performance requirements
  • Support customer engagements, technical reviews, and proposal efforts for government and commercial programs
  • Champion modern development practices including DevSecOps, CI/CD, automation, cloud-native architectures, and model-based engineering where appropriate
  • Collaborate across the organization to identify and remove execution bottlenecks while improving engineering effectiveness and product quality

What It Takes

  • Bachelor's degree or higher in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related technical discipline
  • 12+ years of software engineering experience, including significant leadership responsibility managing engineering teams and technical programs
  • Experience building and delivering complex software systems for aerospace, defense, robotics, autonomous systems, or other mission-critical environments
  • Proven success leading software organizations through periods of rapid growth and increasing technical complexity
  • Strong understanding of software architecture, distributed systems, cloud infrastructure, embedded systems, or flight software development
  • Experience managing engineering budgets, staffing plans, technical roadmaps, and organizational priorities
  • Demonstrated ability to balance technical excellence with execution speed in a fast-paced development environment
  • Strong communication skills with the ability to engage effectively with customers, executive leadership, and technical teams

Nice-to-Have Experience

  • Experience developing spacecraft flight software, autonomy systems, mission planning software, or ground systems
  • Familiarity with aerospace software standards, mission assurance practices, and software verification and validation processes
  • Experience supporting national security, defense, or civil space programs
  • Background in DevSecOps, cloud-native architectures, digital engineering, or model-based systems engineering
  • Experience scaling software teams from startup through growth-stage environments
  • Active U.S. Top Secret or TS/SCI clearance, or eligibility to obtain one

What You'll Get

  • Ownership – Lead and shape Quantum Space’s software engineering organization across flight software, ground systems, mission operations, autonomy, and supporting infrastructure
  • Impact – Directly influence the software systems and technical capabilities that enable mission success across national security, civil, and commercial space programs
  • Innovation – Drive the development of modern, mission-critical software through advanced architectures, DevSecOps, automation, cloud-native technologies, and other emerging engineering practices
  • Growth – Build and scale high-performing software teams, develop technical leaders, establish engineering processes, and help shape the software strategy of a rapidly growing space company
  • Compensation – Competitive salary, equity, and comprehensive benefits including medical, dental, vision, generous leave, HSA, 401(k) matching, and equity sharing

Location: Rockville, MD; or Hawthorne, CA; or Denver, CO

Base Salary: $220,000 to $280,000

The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a wide range of compensation factors. Actual salary offer may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations. Highly competitive equity grants are included in the majority of full time offers; and are considered part of Quantum Space's total compensation package.

Additional Requirements

To comply with U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including ITAR, applicants must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, protected individual per 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

Apply now. Join us in building the next generation of spacecraft.

 

Create a Job Alert

Interested in building your career at Quantum Space? Get future opportunities sent straight to your email.

Apply for this job

*

indicates a required field

Resume/CV

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Cover Letter

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Select...
Select...
Select...
Select...
Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.

As set forth in Quantum Space’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

Select...
Select...
Race & Ethnicity Definitions

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection. As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measure the effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categories is as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.

Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Form CC-305
Page 1 of 1
OMB Control Number 1250-0005
Expires 04/30/2026

Why are you being asked to complete this form?

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years.

Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp.

How do you know if you have a disability?

A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
  • Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS
  • Blind or low vision
  • Cancer (past or present)
  • Cardiovascular or heart disease
  • Celiac disease
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Deaf or serious difficulty hearing
  • Diabetes
  • Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders
  • Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
  • Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome
  • Intellectual or developmental disability
  • Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD
  • Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
  • Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports
  • Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS)
  • Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities
  • Partial or complete paralysis (any cause)
  • Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema
  • Short stature (dwarfism)
  • Traumatic brain injury
Select...

PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete.