Ground Systems Software Engineer

About this role

ABOUT LYNK

Lynk is the inventor of satellite direct to device or D2D technology, and has the world's only commercial license from the FCC to operate a commercial D2D system. Today, Lynk allows mobile network operators' subscribers to send and receive text messages to and from space via standard unmodified, mobile devices. Lynk's service has been tested and proven on all seven continents, has regulatory approvals in more than 30 countries and is currently being deployed commercially based on more than 40 MNO commercial service contracts covering approximately 50 countries.

Our technology will enable all 8 billion people on the planet to stay connected with the existing standard phone in their pocket. Everywhere. No matter what.

By joining Lynk, you will have the opportunity to directly touch the lives of billions. Your mission will be to bring mobile broadband to billions, pull hundreds of millions out of poverty, and save countless lives.

JOB SUMMARY

Lynk is looking for an experienced Software Engineer to join the Mission Operations team, focused on the ground segment of our satellite constellation. You will design, build, and ship the backend services, APIs, and automation that connect Lynk's global ground station network to our Mission Operations Software — the platform our operators use to command, monitor, and fly the constellation every day.

This is first and foremost a software development role. Our Mission Operations Software is a growing platform of Python microservices (FastAPI) with web dashboards (React and Vue), event-driven messaging (MQTT), and hybrid AWS/on-prem infrastructure managed as code. You will own services end to end: designing APIs and data models, writing well-tested code, reviewing your teammates' merge requests, running CI/CD pipelines, and operating what you ship. You will also help build the next generation of this platform as we move toward a cloud-native, event-driven architecture on AWS.

Because the software commands real satellites through real RF ground stations, the role also touches Linux systems, networking, and ground station hardware interfaces. You don't need to be an RF engineer, but you should enjoy writing software whose bugs and successes show up in the physical world, and working closely with the flight software, telecom, and ground site engineers who live there.

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES

SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT (THE MAJORITY OF YOUR TIME)

- Design, develop, test, and maintain backend services that schedule satellite contacts, prepare and transmit spacecraft commands, ingest and process telemetry, and manage ground station configuration.

- Build and evolve REST APIs and event-driven integrations (MQTT, message queues) between ground stations, network services, and Mission Operations tools.

- Write production-quality Python; contribute to shared libraries, service patterns, and developer tooling used across the Mission Operations codebase.

- Contribute to web dashboards and operator-facing tools (React/Vue) that visualize telemetry, contact schedules, and system health.

- Participate fully in the team's engineering practices: merge request reviews, automated testing, GitLab CI/CD, architecture decision records, and AI-augmented development workflows.

NEXT-GENERATION ARCHITECTURE

- Help design and implement Lynk's next-generation, cloud-native Mission Operations platform on AWS — event-driven services, managed API gateways and identity (Amazon API Gateway, Cognito), serverless and container workloads, and first-class observability.

- Migrate existing services incrementally from today's hybrid environment without disrupting live constellation operations.

GROUND STATION INTEGRATION & OPERATIONS

- Develop the software interfaces that integrate new and upgraded ground stations — network equipment, modems, RF systems — into the operational environment.

- Automate ground station deployment, configuration, monitoring, and recovery using infrastructure as code (Terraform, Ansible).

- Improve observability across the ground segment: telemetry pipelines, dashboards, alerting, logging, and metrics.

- Troubleshoot issues that span software, networks, and hardware interfaces; provide occasional on-call support for mission-critical operations.

DURING YOUR FIRST 12 MONTHS

- Ship early: Land your first merge requests into production Mission Operations services within your first weeks, and take ownership of one or more backend services within your first few months.

- Learn the domain: Build a working understanding of Lynk's ground segment — contact scheduling, command and telemetry flows, ground station architecture — deep enough to design features independently.

- Raise the engineering bar: Deliver measurable improvements in test coverage, deployment repeatability, and observability for the services you own.

- Shape the next generation: Contribute design and code to the cloud-native Mission Operations architecture, starting with early pilot services.

- Become a trusted responder: Serve as a reliable technical point of contact for ground station software troubleshooting and anomaly investigation.

TECHNICAL ENVIRONMENT

- Languages: Python, Rust and TypeScript in parts of the stack

- Backend: FastAPI microservices, MQTT and event-driven messaging, REST APIs, PostgreSQL

- Frontend: React and Vue dashboards

- Infrastructure & Deployment: AWS (moving toward API Gateway, Cognito, Lambda, and managed services), Proxmox/on-prem environments, Terraform, Ansible, Packer, GitLab CI/CD

- Practices: Merge-request-driven development with mandatory review, automated testing, infrastructure as code, log-based diagnostics, AI-augmented development workflows, Linux-centric development for high-availability systems

QUALIFICATIONS

- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience.

- 5+ years of professional experience developing produ

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