Flight Software Engineer at Red Canyon Engineering & Software
$124,800–$208,000
Jul 21, 2026
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Jul 23, 2026
What this job asks for AI summary
A senior embedded software engineering role focused primarily on satellite flight software — upgrading existing systems for new missions, developing and executing tests across multiple levels, and supporting anomaly resolution. A smaller portion of the work involves building modeling and simulation tools, including software models of payloads and satellite platforms. The role suits an experienced engineer with a strong background in embedded C/C++, real-time systems, and aerospace hardware/software development across the full project lifecycle.
Senior level · 8+ years · Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO · Bachelor's required · Contract
Pay in the description: $60–$100/hr
“or” means any one of them counts — you don't need all of them.
We read this from the posting text with AI. Skim the description below before ruling yourself out.
How this req sits in the market our data
Roughly 480 people in the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO area plausibly meet what this posting asks for (software developers). range 360–630
Applicant volume Moderate — A normal amount of company. The rare requirements below are what will separate a shortlisted application from the rest.
What the occupation pays Median $140,636 (middle half $126,359–$175,118). This posting is about at that midpoint.
Estimated from BLS employment for this occupation and area, per-skill prevalence across our listing corpus, and published wage benchmarks — as of Jul 28, 2026. It is a model, not a headcount.
Why we read it this way (8)
The $60–$100/hr compensation and the contract-heavy nature of Red Canyon's business model (they explicitly contract with NASA, DOD, Lockheed Martin, SpaceX, etc.) strongly suggest this is a contract/hourly engagement rather than a salaried full-time role, though the posting does not use the word 'contract' explicitly.
US Citizenship is required per the posting, likely due to the nature of work with NASA, DOD, and other government customers — though no specific security clearance is stated as a hard gate.
The experience minimum is 8 years with a Bachelor's degree or 6 years with a Master's degree; 8 years is used as the overall years minimum (the lower-degree path).
C and C++ are listed together ('Proficiency in C/C++') as a single requirement; they are emitted as separate skills with each listed as an alternative for the other, since both are commonly used independently in embedded/flight software contexts.
The 'Expertise in one or more of the following' block lists several specializations (embedded software, device drivers, RTOS, cybersecurity, GNC, hardware validation, software safety, network topology, simulators, requirements/config management) as a menu — only one is required. Embedded software development is marked required as the most central to the role's 75% flight software focus; the remaining specializations are marked preferred.
The posting lists both Denver, CO (home office) and Titusville, FL (regional office); Denver is used as the primary CBSA given it is described as the 'home office'.
Ignored 4 non-technology phrase(s) as skills (responsibilities/concepts, not named tools): Embedded software development, Device driver development, Real-time operating systems, Hardware-in-the-loop simulation.
Posting is for a contract engagement — the market benchmarks below price full-time roles, so read the comp comparison with that in mind.
Read the full posting
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