About Northwood : Northwood is on a mission to transform connectivity between earth and space and bring the benefits of space to the masses through innovations in space communications technologies. If you like building quickly and seeing your work deployed in locations around the globe with real impact, we want you at Northwood. Job Level: The level of this position will be determined based on the qualifications and experience of the successful candidate. We are open to considering candidates of varying experience levels, from mid-career to principal developers. Role: Northwood Space is seeking a Software Engineer with a focus on core operating systems and high-performance networking to join our team in El Segundo. In this role, you will design, implement, and optimize software solutions that interact deeply with operating systems, file systems, and network stacks to deliver low-latency, high-throughput performance. You will tackle challenges such as kernel tuning, OS-level optimizations, and efficient resource management in both on-premises and cloud environments. Your work will empower our global ground station network infrastructure, supporting mission-critical applications and scaling data distribution systems. Responsibilities : OS-Level Optimization : Develop and tune operating systems and kernel settings to maximize performance for low-latency, high-bandwidth applications. Ensure efficient use of file systems and implement techniques like zero-copy networking. Networking Expertise : Design and implement robust data planes to move data quickly and securely across distributed systems, applying advanced TCP tuning and protocol optimization. Know how RTT kills throughput, and develop solutions to get around that Cloud and Containerization : Build scalable, cloud-integrated systems leveraging technologies like containers, hypervisors, and cloud-native solutions (AWS, EC2-level tuning, etc.). Distributed Systems : Create scalable, reliable distributed software architectures for managing data flows, telemetry, and control systems in hybrid cloud/on Basic Qualifications: 6 years of professional software development experience. 3 years of hands-on experience architecting and scaling distributed systems in production. Preferred Qualifications : Proficiency in Rust , Golang , C/C++ , Haskell , or other languages optimized for system-level or high-performance computing. Strong experience with: Linux kernel tuning and optimization. Networking protocols and IP-based communication. Cloud infrastructure (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud) with EC2-level tuning expertise. Building and deploying highly reliable distributed systems. Hypervisor and container technology and their integration with the OS. This role is ideal for a systems-focused engineer with a passion for bridging operating system performance with application needs in cloud and on-premises deployments. Compensation and Benefits: Compensation is determined by role, level, location, and alignment with market data. Individual level and base pay is determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on job-related skills, education, experience, and technical capabilities. In addition to base salary, Northwood offers long term incentives such as company stock, stock options, and cash awards, as well as discretionary bonus for performance. Northwood benefits include equity, health care, unlimited vacation, retirement savings and professional development. 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.
Software Engineer - Core OS & Networking (mid-late career)