LIVE FEEDVIEWS 1UTC —
POSTING ACTIVE · REQ-E6150 · FY26.Q3
Ground Systems Engineer (Developer)
I
ispace
[ COMPENSATION RANGE · ANNUAL · BASE ]
Not Disclosed
TECHNICAL STACK · 4 TAGS
§ 01OVERVIEW
ispace is looking for Ground Systems Engineer to join our growing team in Tokyo.
The Ground Systems team forms the backbone of ispace’s Test and Flight Operations, delivering the infrastructure, systems, and tools required to support mission testing and operational activities across the full mission lifecycle. This includes the design, development, and maintenance of the Mission Control Center, Mission Control Software, operational toolchains, and end-to-end test environments that ensure mission readiness.
As a Ground Systems Engineer, you will be responsible for the design, development, and maintenance of Mission Control Software supporting ispace’s global operations. You will oversee the end-to-end data flow between users and the spacecraft, ensuring reliable, secure, and efficient handling of telemetry and telecommand data. This includes defining and implementing data encoding, processing, and encryption mechanisms across the ground segment and its interfaces.
- Type: Full-time Position
- Location: Hybrid (Tokyo, Japan) On site at least twice a week with remote option
- Experience Level: See Qualifications below
- Group: JP Ground Systems Group, JP Test and Flight Operations Division
§ 02WHY THIS ROLE MATTERS?
As a Ground Systems Engineer, your work directly enables communication with the spacecraft and underpins every phase of mission test and execution. You play a pivotal role in ensuring that missions are conducted safely, reliably, and efficiently—designing and maintaining the infrastructure, software, and operational workflows that make real-time spacecraft operations possible. Your contributions not only ensure mission success, but also streamline operations and empower flight teams to perform at their best.
§ 03KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Collaborate with customers and internal stakeholders (System and Subsystem Engineers,AIT, Mission Operations, etc.) to gather requirements, and design, develop, document,procure, maintain, and deploy ground segment systems.
- Design, develop, and maintain cloud-native ground segment software applications andmicroservices, including mission control systems, automation tools, and data pipelines.
- Design, deploy, and maintain cloud infrastructure on AWS, including containerisedenvironments using Docker and Kubernetes, ensuring reliability, scalability, and security ofground segment services.
- Implement and maintain CI/CD pipelines (GitLab, Ansible) for continuous delivery of groundsegment software components.
- Oversee the integration of software components within the virtual infrastructure hosting theground segment, ensuring proper interfacing with spacecraft systems and external groundelements (e.g., EGSE, PIL components).
- Develop and execute test plans, procedures, and configurations, including end-to-end validation of communication and control links.
- Support V&V activities across the ground segment.
- Develop, test, and validate operational procedures.
- Participate in training activities and mission rehearsals to achieve certification for on-consoleoperations.
- Own and maintain Ground-to-Ground Interface Control Documents (ICDs), and contribute to Space-to-Ground ICDs with ground station providers.
- Support on-console operations, including 24/7 shift work and on-call duties during criticalmission phases.
Ground Segment Design, Infrastructure and Development
System Integration & Testing
Operations Support
§ 04REQUIRED SKILLS
- Language: Professional level English (written and verbal); Japanese is a plus.
- Experience: 3+ years of experience in ground systems engineering or software development for space missions (LEO, MEO, Deep Space, etc.).
- Cloud & Infrastructure: Hands-on experience with AWS and container orchestration using Docker and Kubernetes.
- Software Skills: Proficiency using Python and Bash; strong expertise in CI/CD tools such as Ansible, Gitlab.
- Operating systems: Solid knowledge of Linux; familiarity with Windows environments.
- Self-driven: Be organized and capable of planning and executing complex technical work with little oversight. Be driven, continuously self-improving, and proud of her/his work.
§ 05PREFERRED SKILLS
- Experience with mission control systems (e.g., Yamcs, Grafana).
- Familiarity with CCSDS protocols, telemetry processing, and commanding chains.
- Full-stack engineering experience developing high-availability tools in a productionenvironment.
- Experience with relational and non-relational databases (SQL, MongoDb, Influx, etc.)
- Familiar with network protocols and tools.
- Experience in the space industry.
We will prioritize candidates currently reside in Japan with valid working visa for the role.
Relocation will be required for overseas candidate.
#LI-SR1
§ 06REQUIREMENTS
Preferred skills
- Experience with mission control systems (e.g., Yamcs, Grafana).
- Familiarity with CCSDS protocols, telemetry processing, and commanding chains.
- Full-stack engineering experience developing high-availability tools in a productionenvironment.
- Experience with relational and non-relational databases (SQL, MongoDb, Influx, etc.)
- Familiar with network protocols and tools.
- Experience in the space industry. We will prioritize candidates currently reside in Japan with valid working visa for the role. Relocation will be required for overseas candidate. #LI-SR1
§ 07NICE TO HAVE
Description
- Experience with mission control systems (e.g., Yamcs, Grafana).
- Familiarity with CCSDS protocols, telemetry processing, and commanding chains.
- Full-stack engineering experience developing high-availability tools in a productionenvironment.
- Experience with relational and non-relational databases (SQL, MongoDb, Influx, etc.)
- Familiar with network protocols and tools.
- Experience in the space industry. We will prioritize candidates currently reside in Japan with valid working visa for the role. Relocation will be required for overseas candidate. #LI-SR1
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
- Where is this Ground Systems Engineer (Developer) role based?
- The role is based in Tokyo, Japan.
- What experience does ispace expect for this role?
- The posting is tagged as a mid-level role, typically 3+ years of experience. Check the requirements section for specifics.
- How was this posting sourced?
- This role was pulled directly from ispace's Lever careers site. Apply links open in the employer's own ATS — no reposts or aggregator middleware.
[ APPLICATION ROUTE ]LEVER · External ATS
Apply links open in the employer's official ATS. Always verify recruitment messages on the company's careers page before sharing personal information.
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