Staff Engineer

Role: Lead / Staff Software Engineer | 📍 Full-Time | Permanent

Location: Berlin, Germany

Build the Future of Sovereign Space Infrastructure

We are partnering with a well-funded European deep tech company at a pivotal moment in their growth, pushing the boundaries of safety-critical software engineering for some of the most demanding and complex systems in existence.

We are looking for a Lead / Staff Software Engineer who thrives at the intersection of embedded systems, real-time software, and technical leadership. You will help shape a software engineering function from the ground up, setting the technical standard, leading engineers, and ensuring that complex, mission-critical systems work reliably end-to-end.

This is an opportunity to take genuine ownership of challenging technical problems, work alongside a highly skilled and diverse engineering team, and leave your mark on something that operates at the very edge of what software can do.

What You'll Do

• Stay hands-on — at least 50% of your time writing, reviewing, and owning code across the stack
• Lead the execution of complex software initiatives spanning multiple teams, epics, and layers of the technical architecture
• Act as the technical hub between the software team and other engineering disciplines, defining interfaces and ensuring the system works coherently end-to-end
• Contribute to and help shape the technical roadmap
• Set and uphold high standards for software quality, testing, and engineering excellence
• Lead and contribute to design reviews, code walkthroughs, and complex technical discussions
• Mentor and provide day-to-day guidance to the software engineers around you

What We're Looking For

• 8+ years of professional software engineering experience across at least two of the following domains: flight software, payload software, embedded software, real-time mission-critical software, ground control software, software validation and verification, product assurance and RAMS, development tools and infrastructure
• Proven experience working in regulated, safety-critical environments with formal standards such as DO-178, IEC 61508, or equivalent
• Strong C and C++ in a real-time or embedded context
• Python and Linux
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills — you can bridge software and non-software teams effectively
• The ability to work independently while staying aligned with team architecture and customer needs
• A genuine focus on detail, quality, and testing
• A track record of technical leadership as a technical lead, software architect, systems engineer, or technical authority for a business-critical area

Highly Desirable

• Experience with ECSS standards or equivalent aerospace / defence qualification frameworks
• Background in software systems engineering and technical writing
• Familiarity with DevOps, CI/CD pipelines, and development infrastructure in safety-critical environments
• Experience building or scaling engineering teams
• Exposure to cross-functional environments involving hardware, systems, and software disciplines