Mission Systems Software Engineer (Full Stack) - Mission Operations
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 seeking a Mission Systems Software Engineer to join our Mission Operations software team. This role blends software engineering with operational support, ensuring that the tools we build remain reliable, intuitive, and continuously improved.
You will design and develop mission-critical applications while acting as a technical partner to the Mission Operations Center (MOC). This is a hands-on engineering role where you will write code to solve real-world operational problems, diagnose production issues, and iterate on the tools used daily to operate the constellation. The team has end-to-end ownership of the Mission Operations software: build it, deploy it, support it, improve it.
This role is designed to grow. You’ll start by owning Level-2 support and feature delivery, while working closely with senior and principal engineers. Over time, you’ll take on larger features, deeper system ownership, and increased architectural responsibility as your skills and confidence grow. We are looking for a solid engineer with a track record of high performance who is eager to learn our stack and grow into a domain expert.
Core Responsibilities: Learn the system end-to-end: how it’s built, deployed, monitored, and used
Full Stack Software Development
Design, build, and maintain backend services (Python, Rust, Java, or similar) and frontend interfaces (React/Svelte/TypeScript).
Write clear, maintainable, production-quality code with unit tests and integration tests.
Implement user interface improvements and new features requested by satellite operators.
Level 2 Operational Support
Provide Level 2 support for mission operations tools, partnering directly with satellite operators to troubleshoot issues.
Investigate, reproduce, and diagnose production problems across backend, frontend, and data-processing components.
Develop operational runbooks, troubleshooting guides, and small automation scripts to streamline future support.
Improve reliability through better observability, logging, alerting, and diagnostics.
Support on-call rotations for critical operations.
Over time, the expectation is that engineers use recurring support issues as input to improve system design, tooling, and reliability.
Deployment and Reliability
Deploy mission systems and updates using existing CI/CD pipelines.
Monitor application performance and health to ensure system reliability.
Troubleshoot issues in containerized environments to identify if bugs are code-related or config-related.
Collaborate with other developers through code reviews, design sessions, and shared ownership of services.
You will become comfortable making changes to production systems and standing behind those changes
What You’ll Work on in Your First 12 Months
As part of a small, highly collaborative software team, you will:
Space Operations: Work daily with the Mission Operations Center, gaining a deep understanding of spacecraft and communication network operations
Take Ownership: Become the primary developer supporting specific mission operations tools.
Solve Problems: Handle L2 support escalations, delivering timely fixes that keep the satellites talking.
Build Features: Contribute to the next generation of telemetry review and anomaly-analysis tools.
Learn & Grow: Stand up or refactor backend services to support new mission needs (new satellite configurations).
Qualifications:
0–6 years of professional software development experience
Experience building or maintaining backend services (Python, Java, Go, C#, or similar)
Working knowledge of modern web development fundamentals (APIs, basic frontend, databases)
Practical experience building UIs using React, Svelte, Vue, or Angular (TypeScript preferred)
Familiarity with Git-based workflows and code reviews
Ability to debug, test, and reason about existing codebases (checking logs, reproducing bugs, isolating errors)
Willingness to work on-site and collaborate closely with operations teams
Curiosity, ownership mindset, and desire to grow as an engineer
Preferred Qualifications:
Experience or interest in Rust programming
Exposure to production systems, monitoring, or incident response
Experience working with cloud environments (AWS preferred)
Familiarity with testing, CI pipelines, or deployment workflows
Interest in reliability, scalability, and systems thinking
Experience working with time-series data, telemetry, or event-driven architectures.
Familiarity with Docker and basic cloud environments (AWS/Azure)
Experience working in operations-heavy, mission-critical, or real-time systems (e.g., aerospace, telecom, IoT, defense).
Job Location
Washington, DC area