iMETALX Inc. · 9 hours ago
Chief Software Architect
Sausalito, CA
Full-time
Onsite
Director/Executive
$180K/yr - $300K/yr
10+ years expiMETALX, Inc. is building the future of space autonomy, enabling space systems to perceive, reason, and act reliably in dynamic environments. They are seeking a Chief Software Architect to serve as the technical lead and systems-level architect for their spacecraft autonomy stack, defining and owning the end-to-end software architecture for autonomy capabilities supporting Space Domain Awareness and In-Space Servicing missions.
AerospaceData CenterSatellite CommunicationSpace Travel
No H1B
U.S. Citizen Only
Responsibilities
Architecture of the Autonomy Stack (Core Mission)
Define and maintain the end-to-end architecture for a production-grade spacecraft autonomy stack, spanning:
Perception + sensor ingest (EO/IR, multi-camera, star trackers, etc.)
Calibration, time-sync, and sensor health monitoring
World modeling / representation (relative state, scene understanding, object modeling)
State estimation interfaces (relative navigation, uncertainty propagation)
Decision & autonomy interfaces (planning hooks, constraints, safety gating)
Fault detection, fallback modes, and confidence-driven behavior switching
Build scalable, modular designs that transition cleanly from:
R&D prototypes → validated algorithms → flight/edge-capable products → mission operations
Including clear separation between:
+ offline training/evaluation pipelines
+ on-orbit/edge inference pipelines
+ mission operations tooling
Establish rigorous interface contracts and architectural guardrails so autonomy capabilities remain:
Reliable
Testable
Upgradeable
Safe to deploy into mission environments (especially for ISAM / RPOD scenarios)
Establish patterns for high-reliability autonomy software:
Modular architectures, clear interfaces, versioning
Deterministic execution where needed
Fault detection, fallback modes, and observability
Implement rigorous engineering practices without slowing innovation
Drive design decisions across the entire compute surface area:
Cloud data pipelines and model training
Simulation environments and evaluation infrastructure
Embedded inference on real hardware (e.g., GPU edge devices / flight-relevant compute)
Ensure production performance in real constraints:
Latency, memory, power, bandwidth, thermal constraints
Repeatability, robustness, recoverability
Work with DevSecOps to ensure architecture supports:
Secure builds, controlled release pipelines
Government security requirements, traceability, auditability
Secure deployment into customer/government environments CUI up to TS levels
Design for safety in autonomy contexts:
Bounded behaviors
Explicit failure modes
Confidence estimation and gating
Lead and mentor a multidisciplinary autonomy software team (:10+ engineers in year 1, and multiple teams in year 2)
Conduct design reviews, set coding standards, define architecture guardrails
Help recruit top-tier engineers and develop internal technical leadership
Stay current on the autonomy and perception research landscape:
CV foundation models, pose estimation, multi-view geometry
Neural implicit representations, 3D reconstruction
Tracking/filtering methods, uncertainty quantification
Translate research into deployable product capability:
Evaluate, prototype, validate, productize
Own perception stack architecture across software layers and teams
Drive end-to-end technical strategy, with clear tradeoffs and rationale
Create architecture artifacts:
+ system design documents, interface contracts, data schemas
+ "golden path" workflows for training → evaluation → deployment
Lead design reviews and ensure consistent implementation across teams
Enable continuous improvement in performance, scalability, and reliability
Partner with hardware teams to ensure:
+ deployment feasibility
+ sensor-to-model integration integrity
+ testability and validation strategy
Communicate architecture decisions clearly to:
+ leadership
+ program/customer stakeholders
+ government partners
Qualification
Required
10+ years of professional software engineering experience, with a strong emphasis on software architecture and design
Expert knowledge of computer vision and machine learning with hands-on experience developing production-grade systems
Demonstrated experience in developing systems for robotics or autonomous vehicles
Proficiency in Python and C++, with demonstrated ability to guide technical teams in software development processes
Experience with leading cross-functional teams in the development of complex systems
Familiarity with GPU-based programming (CUDA) or leading-edge methodologies in computer vision
Strong problem-solving skills and a thorough understanding of software performance optimization techniques
Ability and willingness to work on-site in Sausalito, CA
U.S. citizenship due to ITAR export-control restrictions; only U.S. citizens are eligible for this position
Preferred
Active U.S. Security Clearance
Demonstrated experience in developing space systems
Hands-on experience with cloud-native architecture and integration processes
Strong network of industry contacts and thought leadership within the software development community
Strong network of highly capable engineers with interest on tackling the hardest problems in space
Benefits
Health Insurance/Dental
Paid Time Off
401k
Performance Bonus
Equity
Company
iMETALX Inc.
IMETALX's vision is to create a future where space is accessible and sustainable for all.
2-10 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Early StageTotal Funding
$0.02MKey Investors
Catalyst AcceleratorTechstars
2024-02-22Non Equity Assistance
2023-09-11Pre Seed· $0.02M
Leadership Team
Nehal Gajjar
Founder and CEO
Company data provided by crunchbase