Senior Radar Systems Engineer

Umbra is an American space technology company delivering advanced systems, from sensors to spacecraft, that empower customers worldwide with unmatched access to critical information from space. Our mission is simple and ambitious: redefine space—for people, systems, and missions in every domain. Umbra’s ecosystem operates through three business units: Remote Sensing (the data), Space Systems (the components), and Mission Solutions (the platforms).Together, our teams develop capabilities that deliver persistent access, resilient performance, and mission-ready solutions, advancing U.S. space leadership while keeping the world safe and informed.

About the Team

Remote Sensing – The Data

Remote Sensing is where Umbra got its start, and our agile Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) constellation remains the most capable on the market. We transform satellite data into real-world, actionable insights that strengthen U.S. national security and intelligence, support disaster response, and advance scientific discovery. Our team delivers data at scale with unmatched quality, persistence, and the speed and responsiveness our partners demand.

If you want to work on cutting-edge space technology that’s redefining what’s possible in remote sensing, you belong here at Umbra.

About the Job
We are actively seeking a skilled and motivated individual to join Umbra's Radar Processing Group as a Senior Software Engineer. In this pivotal role, you will play a crucial part in the development of our processing pipelines. Your responsibilities will not only encompass the development and implementation of high-quality, robust software solutions but also involve maintaining and refining production-level services that are essential for the seamless operation of our entire processing chain. This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge projects that have a direct impact on our technological advancements and overall mission.

Our preference is for this position to be based in one of our offices in Santa Barbara/Goleta, CA, Arlington, VA, or Reston, VA. However, we will also consider highly qualified remote candidates.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and improve radar algorithms including: MTI, Passive RF, and SAR.
• Write production quality software with unit and integration testing.
• Support commercial and government teams in modeling, simulation, mission design, and systems analyses for current and future architecture.
• Monitor, evaluate and improve production throughput for cost and timeliness efficiency.
• Build, test, and maintain applications that run our satellites and tackle a variety of problems, including automating spacecraft operations, mission scheduling, command and telemetry pipeline, mission data pipeline, and anomaly response.
• Provide key software architecture expertise to cross-functional engineering and product teams.
• Help establish and adhere to DevOps practices that ensure that customer and satellite-operational needs are met with quality and performance.

Requirements

Required Qualifications

• Experience in writing algorithms specifically for SAR image processing.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience in a related STEM field (such as electrical engineering, physics, or computer science).
• 5+ years of professional experience in signal / image processing development.
• 5-8+ years of professional experience with Matlab or Python.
• Experience with version control software, preferably Git.
• Demonstrated foundational understanding of software architecture, event-driven micro-services, interface design, and automated testing patterns.
• Experience with database-backed applications and relational database concepts.
• Experience with parallel processing and HPC.

Desired Qualifications

• Advanced degree in a relevant STEM field.
• Proficiency in parallel processing and high-performance computing (HPC).
• Excellent communications skills, ability and desire to work collaboratively in a team environment, and willingness to learn new skills and technology.
• Comfortable working in a dynamic and fast-paced development environment.
• Proven experience in machine learning.
• 10+ years experience with Python's scientific stack: Numpy, Scipy, and Numba.
• Excited to share knowledge and experience across the engineering team.
• Experience designing, developing, and testing intuitive and well-documented RESTful APIs.
• Experience with C/C++, Rust, CUDA.
• Significant background with SAR processing.

Benefits

• Flexible Time Off, Sick, Family & Medical Leave
• Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, LTD, STD (employer funded)
• Vol Life, Critical Illness, Accidental, Hospital Indemnity, Pet Insurance (employee funded)
• 401k with 3% non-elective company contribution
• Stock Options
• Free parking in the building
• Free lunch in office daily

Umbra is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate in hiring on the basis of sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religious creed, national origin, physical or mental disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.

Employment Eligibility Verification

In compliance with federal laws, all hired persons will be required to verify their identity and eligibility to work in the United States by completing the required Employment Eligibility Verification Form (I-9 Form) upon hire.

ITAR/EAR Requirements

This position may include access to technology and/or data that is subject to U.S. export controls pursuant to ITAR and EAR. To comply with federal export controls, all persons hired must be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, U.S. lawful permanent resident, refugee or asylee as defined by 8 U.S.C. § 1324b(a)(3), or must otherwise be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State and/or U.S. Department of Commerce as applicable. 

Pay Transparency
This job posting may cover multiple career levels. To ensure greater transparency, we provide base salary ranges for all roles, regardless of location. Our standard pay ranges are based on the role’s function and level, benchmarked against similar growth-stage companies. Compensation may vary based on geographical location, as certain regions may have different cost-of-living factors. The final offer will also be influenced by the candidate's skills, responsibilities, and relevant experience.

Compensation Range

The Compensation Range for this role is $170,000 - $200,000 DOE.