Remote Sensing / Signal Processing Software Engineer
About Ursa Space Systems
Ursa Space Systems builds the software and AI agents that guide the acquisition, analysis, and integration of satellite and geospatial data into customer workflows, delivering valuable insights for global security and commodity markets. By leveraging satellite data and advanced analytics, Ursa Space provides fast, actionable information to a range of industries, including finance, energy, and defense.
Summary
We are seeking a Remote Sensing & Signal Processing Software Engineer to support the development of advanced geospatial and intelligence systems. This role is ideal for a technically versatile engineer who combines strong software engineering fundamentals with practical experience working with remote sensing, signal processing, SAR, RF/radar systems, and geospatial data.
The successful candidate will serve as a technical bridge between software engineering, development of algorithms, data processing, and systems engineering. This is a "full-stack" engineering role in the technical sense, requiring an understanding of how data moves from sensors and signal-processing algorithms through software pipelines, orchestration layers, analytics, and end-user applications.
Candidates should be comfortable working across multiple technical domains and contributing throughout the lifecycle of complex projects—from architecture and design through implementation, integration, testing, and deployment.
Experience working with SAR, SIGINT, MASINT, RF, radar, or other intelligence-related sensor data is highly relevant.
Key Responsibilities
- Design, develop, integrate, and maintain software supporting remote sensing and signal-processing applications.
- Develop software and algorithms for processing, transforming, analyzing, and exploiting complex sensor and geospatial data.
- Apply strong computer science and software engineering principles to technically complex problems.
- Develop and maintain applications and data-processing pipelines using Python and other appropriate programming languages.
- Contribute to full-stack software development, including backend services, data processing, orchestration, and APIs as applicable.
- Translate remote-sensing and signal-processing requirements into scalable software architectures and technical solutions.
- Work across the complete system to understand how sensors, SAR, RF/radar systems, signal processing, algorithms, data pipelines, software, and applications interact.
- Participate in system architecture, technical design, integration, and implementation activities.
- Develop and integrate algorithms for processing and exploiting remote-sensing and other sensor-derived data.
- Work with large, complex, and potentially heterogeneous datasets.
- Support the development of automated workflows and orchestration systems for data and algorithm processing.
- Collaborate with systems engineers, analysts, data scientists, software engineers, and domain experts.
- Participate in technical planning and contribute to project-level architecture and engineering decisions.
- Contribute to testing, debugging, performance optimization, and deployment.
- Document software architecture, technical designs, interfaces, and engineering decisions.
- Provide technical leadership on projects and workstreams.
- Based on the needs of the company, you may be required to work occasional nights and weekends
- All other duties as assigned
Required Qualifications
- 5+ years of professional experience in software engineering, algorithm development, signal processing, remote sensing, systems engineering, or a closely related field.
- Bachelor's degree or higher in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
- Strong understanding of computer science and software engineering fundamentals.
- Professional experience developing software using Python.
- Experience designing, developing, and integrating software systems rather than solely performing analysis or research.
- Experience working with remote-sensing, SAR, RF, or other signal-derived data.
- Understanding of signal-processing concepts and their application to real-world sensor systems.
- Ability to understand complex systems and the relationships between individual components.
- Experience contributing to software or systems architecture and technical design.
- Ability to work effectively across multiple technical disciplines and translate between software, algorithms, data, and systems engineering teams.
- Strong problem-solving, analytical, communication, and collaboration skills.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with SIGINT (Signals Intelligence) and/or MASINT (Measurement and Signature Intelligence) data.
- Experience working with SAR, RF, radar, electromagnetic, or other sensor modalities.
- Experience with geospatial data, remote sensing, imagery, or Earth-observation systems.
- Experience developing signal-processing or sensor-data algorithms.
- Experience with distributed data-processing systems or workflow orchestration.
- Experience with cloud-based software architectures and services.
- Experience developing APIs, backend services, or full-stack applications.
- Experience with containerization, CI/CD, automated testing, and modern software-development practices.
- Experience working with large-scale or high-volume sensor datasets.
- Systems engineering experience.
- Experience leading technical projects, workstreams, or multidisciplinary engineering teams.
- Experience serving as a technical lead or technical project manager.
- Experience working in the defense, intelligence, aerospace, or national-security sectors.
- Experience with government or DoD programs.
Compensation
- $135,000 - $145,000, relative to skills and experience
Location
- We are headquartered in Ithaca, NY and have a remote workforce in other locations throughout the United States.
Please note: applications without a relevant cover letter will not be considered. In your cover letter, we would like to hear your personal voice and learn about your sincere interest in Ursa Space Systems.
Benefits and Perks
- Competitive Compensation
- Discretionary PTO & Flexible Scheduling
- Stock Options
- 401(k) Match
- Medical, Dental and Vision Coverage for you and your dependents
- FSA & HSA Plans
- Employer-paid Life Insurance
- Employer-paid LTD and STD for Parental and Family Care
- 11 Paid Holidays
- Employee Resource Groups
- Educational Assistance Program
- Professional Development Opportunities
- And more…
Company Values
- Use the team
- Figure it out and own it
- Aim for elegant simplicity
- Empower diversity & inclusivity
- Do the right thing
- Be scrappy
