Software Engineer - Network

Role Build the software that moves data through Azora's space-ground optical network: link control, data plane services, scheduling, and the ground-side services that turn raw optical downlinks into reliable customer data delivery. You will implement the protocols and services the Network Architect defines – and help shape them with real implementation feedback.

Responsibilities

• Implement networking software for the ground segment: link management, framing/ARQ logic, data ingest pipelines, store-and-forward services, and customer delivery APIs.

• Build the pass scheduling and orchestration services that coordinate satellites, ground stations, and weather data in near-real time.

• Develop telemetry, tracking, and command (TT&C) software paths, including encrypted command uplink and telemetry processing.

• Write high-throughput data plane code capable of sustaining multi-Gbps downlink rates from receiver hardware to storage and network egress.

• Build monitoring, logging, and operational tooling for a distributed, multi-site network.

• Develop simulation and test harnesses for protocol behavior over fading optical channels (packet loss, burst errors, outages).

• Participate in on-call support of operational ground stations as the network scales.

Required Qualifications

• BS/MS in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related field.

• 4+ years of professional software engineering experience, with significant work in networked systems or distributed services.

• Strong skills in at least one of: Go, Rust, C++, or modern Python for backend/network services.

• Solid understanding of TCP/UDP, sockets, serialization, and performance tuning of network services.

• Experience with Linux systems programming and deployment (containers, systemd, CI/CD).

Preferred

• Experience with satellite ground systems, CCSDS protocols, or SDR/communications software.

• High-performance networking experience (DPDK, io_uring, kernel bypass, or 10/25/100GbE pipelines).

• Familiarity with cloud infrastructure (AWS/GCP), message queues, and time-series telemetry stacks (Prometheus, InfluxDB, Grafana).

• Exposure to DTN, custom ARQ protocols, or erasure coding for lossy links.

Location

This is an onsite/hybrid role based in Tempe, AZ or the Bay Area, CA – hardware work that’s hard to do remotely. Some travel expected for field deployment and vendor/manufacturing visits.

Benefits:

• Generous equity

• Competitive healthcare (including options for vision and dental)

• 401(k)

• Unlimited PTO

EEO & Reasonable Accommodations

• Azora is proud to be an equal opportunity employer.

• If you need a reasonable accommodation as part of your application for employment or interviews with us, please let us know by contacting [email protected]

Export Control

To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicants must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful permanent resident (iii) protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or (iv) be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

Salary ranges are based on the following criteria:

• Final salary is based on geographic location, experience, skills, and qualifications.

About this Company

Azora is building high-bandwidth communications infrastructure for environments where fiber can’t reach. This work spans LEO spacecraft constellations, lunar exploration missions, GEO satcom, deployable optical ground for defense, and data centers both on- and off-world. To enable rapid global proliferation Azora is developing compact and modular optical terminals small enough to deploy from a backpack, and space terminals that support high speed optical links from LEO out to the Moon.