Lead Software Engineer Jobs in Los Angeles, CA

Northwood is on a mission to transform connectivity between Earth and space. Satellites are only as powerful as the ground systems that connect to them - without that critical infrastructure, they can’t be steered or send their data back to Earth. Northwood’s global ground network ensures that missions ranging from national security, to global connectivity, to disaster response can unlock their full potential and operate every day without fail. We take a vertically integrated approach to building an end-to-end ground system, delivering technology that is scalable and reliable for both government and commercial customers.

Backed by over $100M from investors like Andreessen Horowitz, Washington Harbour Partners, Alpine Space Ventures, Founders Fund, and others, Northwood has proven its ability to move fast – we’ve stood up a fully operational site in Australia in just 3 months, where similar efforts typically take years.

Northwood is rapidly scaling its global footprint, with 30+ sites planned across 2026 and 2027. We’re building and deploying infrastructure at a pace the industry hasn’t seen before. If you thrive on building quickly, solving hard problems, and seeing your work deployed globally on critical missions, we want you at Northwood.

LEAD SOFTWARE ENGINEER (CLOUD)

Northwood Space is looking for a Lead Software Engineer to own and grow our Cloud team in our Torrance office. Northwood's backend organization is split across three domains: Cloud, Ground, and Data. The Cloud team is responsible for all of Northwood's cloud services, the orchestration of our global ground station network, and the data plane responsible for routing gigabits to terabits per second of data across the world.

In this role, you will lead the team building the cloud platform that manages global antenna scheduling, customer booking, service provisioning, and network orchestration. You will set technical direction for scalable systems handling resource allocation, billing, and customer-facing APIs, while defining the boundaries and contracts between cloud, ground sites, and data systems. Your expertise in cloud architecture and distributed systems will be essential in creating reliable, performant services that handle complex scheduling constraints while delivering a simple customer experience.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead the Cloud team: set technical direction, mentor engineers, drive execution, and own delivery of Northwood's cloud services end to end

• Design and develop Northwood's cloud-based booking and reservation system for global antenna network access

• Build and maintain customer-facing APIs and portals for everything from scheduling and booking to automated network rerouting

• Implement sophisticated workflows that provide strong guarantees to our customers and make the most out of every site we deploy across the world

• Own the orchestration layer that coordinates antenna operations across our global network, including the interfaces and contracts between cloud services and on-site ground systems

• Design and operate the control plane, dataplane and telemetry delivery path, ensuring seamless integration across on-premises and cloud environments

• Develop billing and metering systems that accurately track resource usage and generate invoices

• Drive the design and implementation of a comprehensive monitoring solution to ensure continuous platform uptime

• Collaborate with the Ground and Data teams, site operations, and network operations to build a truly resilient global network

• Work with customers on defining secure and scalable interfaces for Telemetry, Tracking, and Control (TT&C) and payload data transfer, putting simplicity and extensibility first

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS

• 6+ years of professional software development experience

• 3+ years building and scaling cloud-based services and APIs in production environments

• Experience leading engineering teams or projects as a tech lead, with a track record of mentoring engineers and driving technical direction

• Experience with distributed scheduling systems, resource allocation, or booking platforms

• Proficiency in modern cloud infrastructure (AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud)

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience with one or more of the following languages:

  • Rust, Golang, Haskell, etc.

  • Open to other languages suitable for cloud services and distributed systems

• Experience building global-scale customer-facing platforms with high reliability requirements

• Experience defining service boundaries and interfaces across hybrid cloud and on-premises environments

• Knowledge of API design, authentication, and access control best practices

• Experience with event-driven architectures and message queues

• Experience with high-throughput data delivery, streaming pipelines, or telemetry systems

• Familiarity with billing systems, usage tracking, or subscription management

• Understanding of simulation and modeling (satellite propagation, etc.)

• Experience with Kubernetes, containerization, and CI/CD pipelines

• Knowledge of satellite communications or relevant domain experience (beneficial but not required)

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

Software Engineering Manager/Level 3: $174,000 - 218,000 per year

Software Engineering Manager/Level 4: $192,000 - 240,000 per year

Software Engineering Manager/Level 5: $208,000 - $260,000 per year

Your actual level and base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on job-related knowledge, skills, education, and experience.

Base salary is just one part of your total rewards package at Northwood. You may also be eligible for equity in the form of stock options or other long-term incentives, as well as potential performance bonuses. We offer comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, a 401(k) retirement plan, short- and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, paid parental leave, generous paid time off, and various other perks and discounts.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Northwood is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Northwood is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.

Compensation Range: $174K - $260K