About Lodestar

Lodestar's mission is to develop the first "Protect and Defend" capability for high-value space assets in orbit. Our flagship product, MITHRIL, is our hardware-agnostic, AI-enabled autonomy software suite that enables us to augment any off-the-shelf spacecraft with the ability to autonomously detect, characterise, and reversibly neutralise orbital threats. By building on the proven space heritage of our best-in-class satellite-bus partners and fully integrating MITHRIL into a single unified platform, we deliver an end-to-end, autonomous in-space bodyguarding service.

About the Job

We seek a talented Embedded Systems Engineer to design, develop, and deploy software for space applications. If you have a solid background in modern C++ development, embedded Linux experience, and want to play a critical role in advancing autonomy for space applications, we want to hear from you.

What You’ll Do

• Design and take ownership of core flight software for advanced space payloads and mission-critical systems.
• Develop updatable, fault-tolerant software to support complex autonomous operations in orbit.
• Prototype and validate key system concepts to de-risk development and establish technical feasibility and performance bounds.
• Build toward a scalable, modular, and reusable software stack that enables rapid iteration and future mission extensibility.
• Collaborate closely with hardware and AI/ML teams to enable seamless integration.
• Drive continuous improvement through iterative testing, data-driven feedback loops, and system-level refinement.

Qualifications

• BEng/MEng in Engineering, Computer Science, or equivalent experience.
• Strong proficiency in C++ / Python.
• Experience in developing in modern C++ for Linux based Real-Time Operating Systems (RTOS).
• Strong communicator and self-starter; able to work independently and in a collaborative team.
• Demonstrated skills in debugging and performance characterisation.
• Experience with Linux, Git, and CI/CD pipelines.

Preferred Skills & Experience

• Good understanding of communication protocols.
• Familiarity with containerization tools (e.g. Docker, Kubernetes) and OTA update provisioning.
• Experience with BSP generation, real-time kernel configuration, build and deployment processes.
• Experience with NVIDIA SoC platforms or similar embedded Linux systems.
• Background with the space industry.
• Demonstrated strong problem-solving skills and ability to work in a fast-paced environment.
• Proven experience in system integration and working with multidisciplinary teams.

Benefits

• Competitive Salary (based on experience)
• Equity pool options
• Vibrant, open-plan office in London
• 28 Days Annual Leave
• Private Medical Insurance
• Be part of a scrappy, dynamic, multidisciplinary, collaborative crew 🏴‍☠️

Important Information:

For security reasons background checks will be undertaken prior to any employment offers being made to an applicant. These checks will include nationality checks as it is a requirement of this position that you be eligible to access equipment and data regulated by the United States' International Traffic in Arms Regulations.

Under these Regulations, you may be ineligible for this role if you do not hold citizenship of United Kingdom, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Switzerland, the European Union or a country that is part of NATO, or if you hold ineligible dual citizenship or nationality. For more information on these Regulations, click here ITAR Regulations.