Staff Software Engineer, Onboard Compute Architecture

About the role

Muon Space is seeking a Staff Architect for the High Performance Compute (HPC) team, to define and evolve the end-to-end architecture of our onboard compute platform. You'll be the technical center of gravity for software architecture, computation and data flows across FPGA, GPU, CPU, and onboard networking, pulling together architectural threads from across the team and shaping a coherent, mission-flexible compute platform that will fly on Muon spacecraft for years to come.

You will work at the intersection of mission requirements, payload capabilities, and platform architecture, ensuring today's designs meet tomorrow's mission needs, and that our compute platform remains modular, configurable, and reusable across a growing fleet of missions.

This position is hybrid and requires working on-site in our San Jose, CA office three days per week.

Responsibilities

• Own the software, data flow and computation architecture and design process for Onboard High Performance Compute
• Work closely with corresponding leads in Electrical Engineering and Product to drive the end to end requirements and design of onboard compute components.
• Gather architectural requirements from across the company (payload, mission ops, program management, and future mission concepts) and translate them into a forward-looking compute roadmap.
• Cluster and unify architectural concepts across the team into a coherent, documented, company-wide HPC architecture.
• Drive cross-discipline architectural alignment across FPGA, GPU, and CPU compute, onboard networking, timing; achieve consensus on data flows, processing pipelines, and compute partitioning, including hosting customer-provided routines and code.
• Champion a network-first onboard architecture with modular, configurable compute components that can be instantiated in mission-specific ways, and which enables the spacecraft to derive and perform limited autonomous activities.
• Partner closely with the Electrical Engineering team to ensure architectural decisions are executable in silicon procurement, PCB and module design, and harness design.
• Communicate architecture broadly through diagrams, design docs, white papers, and tech talks, so engineers, product and program managers, and leadership all share a common mental model of the platform.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field, plus 7+ years of professional experience in system-level or compute-platform architecture and implementation.
• Deep previous hands-on implementation experience across software, API design, FPGA programming, GPU programming or low level networking software.
• Proven track record architecting heterogeneous compute systems combining FPGA, GPU, and CPU elements, ideally in embedded, aerospace, or high-performance edge environments.
• Deep understanding of onboard networking and data-flow architectures, including Ethernet, DMA, zero-copy, and real-time streaming pipelines.
• Ability to balance architectural purity with mission pragmatism: designing for flexibility and reuse across many missions while shipping what today's missions need.
• Demonstrated experience driving cross-team architectural consensus across hardware, firmware, and software disciplines.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to produce architecture documents and roadmap material for both technical and executive audiences.
• Ability and willingness to obtain and maintain a U.S. security clearance. Active clearance is a plus.

Nice-to-Have Skills

• Direct experience with spacecraft avionics, payload compute, or space-grade FPGA/GPU platforms.
• Familiarity with onboard networking standards relevant to space (e.g. Ethernet, SpaceWire).
• Prior experience defining modular, mission-configurable compute platforms or product families.
• Background in safety- or mission-critical development processes.
• Prior authorship of architectural white papers or public technical publications.

Salary

The salary range for this role is $240,000 - $267,000, plus a competitive equity grant and comprehensive benefits package. Final compensation will be determined based on skills, qualifications, experience, and geographic location as assessed during the interview process. 

About Muon Space

Founded in 2021, Muon Space is an end-to-end Space Systems Provider that designs, builds, and operates LEO satellite constellations delivering mission-critical data. Our revolutionary, integrated technology stack enables customers to optimize every dimension of their missions for faster time-to-orbit and superior constellation remote sensing performance. Our state-of-the-art facility in the heart of Silicon Valley is optimized for manufacturing spacecraft and rapid, flexible payload integration at scale. From climate monitoring to national security, Muon Space is dedicated to delivering Earth Intelligence for a safer and more resilient world.

Taking Care of Our Team

At Muon salary is only part of our total compensation package. In addition to salary, full-time employees receive equity compensation as well as benefits including medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401k retirement plan, short & long term disability and life insurance. We also offer three weeks paid vacation for new employees, along with 12 paid holidays, unlimited sick time and paid parental leave. 

Our mission embraces the entire planet and we believe our team should too.  Muon is dedicated to creating a diverse and dynamic company and workforce. We believe in equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, age, national origin, citizenship, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, or gender identity. We value diversity in the workplace, and that starts with our applicants. We encourage you to apply, even if you don't check all the boxes, and we look forward to reviewing your application! In addition, if you need a reasonable accommodation as part of your application for employment or interviews with us, please let us know.

Muon is currently registered and able to hire in the following states:
AL, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, IL, IA, ID, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, NJ, NY, NC, OH, OR, PA, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA

ITAR/EAR Requirements

This position requires access to export controlled information. To conform to U.S. Government export regulations applicable to that information, applicant must either be (A) a U.S. person, defined as a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (green card holder), (iii) refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, (B) eligible to access the export controlled information without a required export authorization, or (C) eligible and reasonably likely to obtain the required export authorization from the applicable U.S. government agency. The Company may, for legitimate business reasons, decline to pursue any export licensing process.