Title:  Spaceflight Simulation Software Engineer

Your Mission at Virgin Galactic

Join Virgin Galactic’s Flight Simulation & Mission Control team and help build the simulation systems used to prepare our pilots, engineers, and Mission Control teams for human spaceflight. Guided by our values, “Safety Above All”, we proactively manage the risks inherent in human spaceflight through our daily actions. Support the company strategy by holding ourselves and one another accountable for getting the work done.

We are seeking an experienced Software Engineer to develop, integrate, and maintain the high-fidelity simulation environments supporting Virgin Galactic’s next generation of spaceships.

This is not a traditional software development position. You will work directly with pilots, flight-test personnel, Mission Control operators, aerospace engineers, flight hardware, and real-time simulation systems. Your software will directly support engineering development, vehicle testing, pilot and Mission Control training, flight-test preparation, and ultimately commercial spaceflight operations.

The position is based in southern New Mexico, supporting operations at Spaceport America, with Las Cruces providing the primary residential community for many employees. If you enjoy solving complex real-time software problems and want to see your work used in an actual human-spaceflight operation, this is a unique opportunity to become part of Virgin Galactic’s mission.

What You’ll Do

• Design, develop, integrate, test, and maintain software for high-fidelity and desktop flight simulation systems.
• Develop and maintain real-time C/C++ simulation applications.
• Integrate aerodynamic and flight-dynamics models, avionics systems, vehicle systems, and real or virtual cockpit hardware into simulation environments.
• Develop and maintain interfaces between simulation software, cockpit hardware, avionics, Mission Control systems, and external engineering systems.
• Support real-time data acquisition, processing, visualization, recording, and network communication.
• Develop synchronization and data-sharing solutions for distributed simulation systems.
• Troubleshoot complex software, network, hardware, and simulator integration problems.
• Work directly with pilots and engineering teams to translate flight-test and training requirements into simulator capabilities.
• Support simulator configuration, verification, validation, and readiness for pilot training and integrated Mission Control simulations.
• Support development of failure scenarios and abnormal system behavior for training and flight-test preparation.
• Improve simulator reliability, maintainability, performance, and usability.
• Contribute to software architecture decisions and development of modular and scalable simulation systems.
• Participate in code reviews, configuration management, automated testing, and CI/CD activities.
• Support simulator operations and troubleshooting during critical training and flight-test activities.
• Work collaboratively across Flight Operations, Mission Control, Engineering, Avionics, Flight Sciences, and Flight Test.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related technical field, or equivalent relevant professional experience.
• Approximately 5+ years of professional software development experience.
• Strong proficiency in C and/or C++.
• Experience developing, integrating, or troubleshooting real-time, embedded, simulation, robotics, autonomous, aerospace, automotive, defense, or hardware-in-the-loop systems.
• Strong software debugging and problem-solving skills.
• Experience working with complex software/hardware interfaces.
• Working knowledge of networked systems and communication protocols such as TCP/IP and UDP.
• Experience with source-control systems such as Git.
• Ability to work effectively in a multidisciplinary environment with software engineers, hardware engineers, pilots, operators, and other technical teams.
• Strong interest in aviation, aerospace, simulation, or human spaceflight.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience with one or more of the following is beneficial:

• Flight simulation or aerospace simulation systems
• MATLAB/Simulink
• Simulink S-Functions
• Flight dynamics or aerodynamic models
• Hardware-in-the-loop or software-in-the-loop simulation
• Distributed real-time simulation
• Shared-memory architectures
• Avionics interfaces
• Cockpit hardware and control interfaces
• Real-time data acquisition and visualization
• Network troubleshooting tools such as Wireshark
• Python, C#, Bash, or similar scripting/programming languages
• Jenkins, Docker, or other CI/CD technologies
• Linux development environments
• Multithreaded software development
• UI development for engineering or simulator applications
• Flight-test environments
• Pilot training systems
• FAA or aerospace operational environments
• Pilot experience, whether private, commercial, military, experimental, or recreational, is a plus but is not required.

The annual U.S. base salary range for this full-time position is $88,477.00–$134,981.00. The base pay actually offered will vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, location, and experience and take into account internal equity. Other forms of pay (e.g., bonus or long term incentive) may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to a full range of medical, financial, and other benefits, dependent on the position offered. For more information regarding Virgin Galactic benefits, please visit https://vgcareers.virgingalactic.com/global/en/benefits

Who We Are

Virgin Galactic is an aerospace and space travel company, pioneering human spaceflight for private individuals and researchers with its advanced air and space vehicles. We are making the dream of space travel a reality, delivering spaceflight at an unprecedented frequency, with the development of next generation space vehicles. 

Export Requirements 
To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a U.S. Person (either a U.S. citizen, a lawful permanent resident or a protected individual as defined 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3) or be able to obtain the required authorization from either the U.S. Department of State or the U.S. Department of Commerce. The applicant must also not be included in the list of Specifically Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons maintained by the Office of Foreign Assets Control. See list here.

EEO Statement
Virgin Galactic is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Virgin Galactic is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status. 

Drug Free Workplace
Virgin Galactic is committed to a Drug Free Workplace.  All applicants post offer and active teammates are subject to testing for marijuana, cocaine, opioids, amphetamines, PCP, and alcohol when criteria is met as outlined in our policies. This can include pre-employment, random, reasonable suspicion, and accident related drug and alcohol testing. 

Phoenix Employment Requirements
For individuals seeking employment at our Phoenix Mesa Gateway Airport facility, employment is contingent upon you obtaining and maintaining a TSA authorized security badge.  This includes initial and annual mandatory background checks that are governed by TSA, and conducted by the Phoenix Mesa Gateway Airport badging office.