Satellite Operations Manager Jobs in Virginia (NOW HIRING)

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 Ground Software Engineer to join our Remote Sensing software organization and help expand our capacity to design, build, and maintain the critical systems that support our autonomous satellite operations. This engineer will contribute to software systems across our mission planning, scheduling, command, control, and communications domains, partnering with product owners and multidisciplinary engineering teams to develop and operate the services that enable spacecraft operations at scale.

In this role, you will take ownership of key backend services alongside our existing engineers, helping distribute operational responsibility, improve system resiliency, and accelerate delivery across multiple mission-critical product areas.

This position is based on-site in either our Santa Barbara/Goleta, CA office, Arlington, VA office, or Reston, VA office (coming soon).

• Design, develop, and maintain reliable, scalable, and secure software systems that support satellite mission planning, scheduling, command, control, and communications.
• Take shared ownership of critical production services, reducing single-threaded dependencies and improving operational resilience.
• Contribute to architectural decisions and influence system design with a focus on reliability, scalability, maintainability, and security.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including operations, platform engineering, and flight software, to deliver end-to-end solutions.
• Participate in on-call rotations and ensure system uptime, performance, and operational excellence.
• Develop and maintain APIs, backend services, and data workflows that support autonomous satellite operations.
• Continuously improve observability, testing, deployment, and operational processes.

Requirements

• Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field.
• 5-8+ years of professional experience developing highly available backend services, preferably using Python.
• 3+ years of experience designing, developing, and testing commercial RESTful APIs.
• Experience developing software for aerospace ground systems, satellite operations, mission operations, command and control systems, or similarly complex operational environments.
• Demonstrated understanding of software architecture, event-driven microservices, interface design, and automated testing practices.
• 2+ years of professional experience developing automated build and test pipelines within a CI/CD environment.
• Experience building database-backed applications and working with relational databases, preferably PostgreSQL.
• Experience developing and deploying Kubernetes/Docker containerized services.
• Experience with AWS or other cloud computing platforms.
• Solid understanding of application security, access control, authentication, and identity management.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to collaborate effectively across engineering disciplines.

• Experience building software to automate space operations.
• Experience designing and implementing scheduling systems, optimization algorithms, or automated planning systems.
• Strong understanding of infrastructure monitoring, observability, and operational best practices.
• Experience designing and documenting APIs using Swagger/OpenAPI.
• Track record of improving team effectiveness through mentorship, documentation, or knowledge sharing.

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.

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.