Flight Software Systems Engineer for Space Missions 80%-100%, Zurich, fixed-term 23.09.2026 | ETH Zürich | Space

This position is for a Flight Software Systems Engineer to support ETH Zurich's space projects, focusing on developing and integrating flight software for diverse small spacecraft. Key responsibilities include software architecture design, embedded C/C++ development, integration, verification, and operations support. A Master's degree in a related field and at least 5 years of professional experience in flight/embedded software, with strong C/C++ skills and systems-level software engineering expertise, are required.

• Take technical ownership of assigned flight software developments and act as the primary software interface to systems engineering, avionics, payload teams, mission operations, and external platform providers.
• Translate mission concept of operations into spacecraft behaviors and define flight software architectures and functional decompositions
• Allocate hardware-software functions, and define associated software requirements and interfaces.
• Translate mission and system requirements into software specifications, interface control documents, operational concepts, and verification plans.
• Develop embedded flight software in C and C++ and supporting tools and test scripts (e.g., Python), including device drivers, telemetry and telecommand handling, onboard data management, application software, and fault-management functions.
• Integrate flight software with onboard computers, sensors, actuators, payload electronics, communication interfaces, ground systems, and externally supplied spacecraft platforms.
• Set up and maintain flat-sat flight software testbeds
• Perform software-related trade studies covering processing capacity, memory, timing, bandwidth, autonomy, reliability, and fault tolerance.
• Develop real-time, event-driven, autonomous, synchronization, and GNC-related software functions where required.
• Establish and maintain software baselines, configuration control, versioning, build automation, continuous integration, release management, and requirements traceability.
• Develop and execute flight software unit tests, conduct integration, software-in-the-loop, processor-in-the-loop, hardware-in-the-loop, and system-level verification and validation activities.
• Support software risk management, anomaly investigation, non-conformance handling, and technical review boards.
• Support spacecraft and payload assembly, integration, and test activities, commissioning, in-flight software updates, telemetry analysis, and mission operations.
• Contribute to technical reviews, early-stage mission concepts, proposals, and software feasibility studies.
• Provide technical guidance to junior engineers, researchers, and student teams.
• You have a strong background in embedded and real-time software development combined with systems-level experience in software architecture, requirements engineering, interface definition, integration, and functional verification.
• You are comfortable working across mission, spacecraft, avionics, payload, software, and operations domains.

• Master’s degree in computer science, electrical engineering, computer engineering, aerospace engineering, robotics, or a related field.
• 5+ years of professional experience in flight software, embedded software, or mission-critical software systems.
• Strong programming skills in C and C++ for resource-constrained embedded targets.
• Experience with real-time operating systems, embedded Linux, or bare-metal development.
• Experience in software systems engineering, including architecture definition, functional decomposition, hardware-software allocation, requirements management, and interface control.
• Ability to translate mission and spacecraft requirements into software specifications, operational concepts, and verification strategies.
• Experience integrating flight software with avionics hardware, sensors, actuators, communication buses, payloads, or ground systems.
• Understanding of telemetry and telecommand, onboard data handling, timing, autonomy, fault management, and spacecraft operations.
• Hands-on experience with software integration, debugging, automated testing, and hardware-in-the-loop environments.
• Experience with configuration management, version control, release processes, technical baselines, and requirements traceability.
• Ability to assess software-related technical resources, including processing capacity, memory, timing, bandwidth, and reliability margins.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and communication skills, with the ability to work effectively in multidisciplinary and multicultural teams.
• Knowledge of radiation effects, redundancy, memory protection, watchdogs, and FDIR.
• Excellent command of English, both written and spoken
• German is an advantage but not required