Robotics Software Engineer

Katalyst Description:

Katalyst is an American technology company focused on dynamic space operations.  We are building a fleet of dual-use multipurpose robotic space vehicles to create the future where maneuvering, upgrading, refueling, resupply and exploration are as routine as they are on Earth. Getting to space and overcoming the gravity well is only half the story. What you do there is the future. We are not building the trains. We are building the machines that lay down the tracks. By developing the foundational capabilities that make sustained, responsive operations possible, we enable a new era of space exploration that strengthens national security and ensures freedom of action in an increasingly contested domain.

Katalyst Culture:

Working at Katalyst is intense, hands-on, and deeply rewarding. You’ll take real ownership and see your work move from concept to operations in an environment where the problems are hard and the impact is real. We value humility, craftsmanship, and doing things the right way, even when it’s harder. You’ll work closely with thoughtful, driven teammates who push each other to do their best. 

Broomfield, CO. Onsite. Full time. This position may be filled at Engineer, Senior, or Principal level depending on experience. Pick the level where you are strongest, we interview against that bar.

Katalyst builds spacecraft that rendezvous with, capture, and service other spacecraft. Our vehicle is in orbit right now, and the robotic systems it carries, the arm, the vision pipeline, the docking capability, are the point of the mission, not a demo. The software that runs them is what you would own. Small team, real hardware, your code flies.

What you will do

• Own robotics-facing flight software end to end: motion and actuator control applications, the vision-to-GNC data path, and safe degraded behavior when hardware misbehaves

• Write modern C++ that commands real actuators, arms, gimbals, and mechanisms, and Python where it moves faster

• Take pose from camera to control loop: consume, validate, and gate vision solutions so guidance never acts on stale or bad data

• Prove your work on our hardware-in-the-loop bench and flatsat before it flies, then watch it fly and own what happens next

• Work directly with GNC, avionics, and operations, and defend your design decisions to the people who depend on them

What we need

• Strong C++ on real systems, and working Python

• Hands-on experience making software meet hardware: bring-up, debugging with real instrumentation, serial buses (CAN, RS-422, SPI/I2C, Ethernet)

• The instinct to challenge an assumption, back the challenge with data, and convince people. Engineers here make the call and defend it.

• Engineer: 2+ years. Senior: 6+ years. Principal: 10+ years. Years are a guide, not a gate. Robots, vehicles, instruments, or spacecraft all count, and aerospace experience is not required to succeed here. Plenty of what we need was learned on things that never left the ground.

• BS in engineering, computer science, robotics, or mechatronics, or equivalent proficiency. We mean the "or".

• US person (ITAR). No security clearance required, this is commercial servicing.

Nice to have

• Real-time/RTOS or embedded Linux flight software

• HIL or SIL test infrastructure you built or ran yourself

• Pose estimation, state estimation, perception consumption, or motion planning exposure

• ROS/ROS2, cFS, or other robotics and space middleware. We fly our own framework today, and we evolve it deliberately: if you bring strong patterns from somewhere else, you get a real voice in where the architecture goes, not a foreign codebase you are stuck with.

How we interview, because we think it matters

Three conversations and one working session, all of it with us in the room. A short screen, a 45-minute technical conversation, then a 2-hour on-site: a small synthetic codebase seeded with a real class of bug from orbit, your choice of problem track and level, using any tools you normally would, AI assistants included. You present and defend what you did to a small panel and walk a few ops scenarios. Everyone gets the same session, scored against the level you chose. Every stage is scheduled within 5 business days of the last, we fly you in for the on-site, and if you need an accommodation for any of it, say so and we work it out.

Additional Requirements: Must be willing to work extended hours and weekends as needed.

Compensation and Benefits: Your base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: job-related knowledge and skills, education, and experience. The anticipated salary range for this role is: Engineer $105,000 - $150,000, Senior $160,000 - $210,000, Principal $200,000 - $250,000, base plus equity for every engineer

Base salary is just one part of your total rewards package at Katalyst. You will also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of the Employee Stock Option and Equity Plan, as well as a relocation bonus and other discretionary bonuses. You will also receive access to comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, and unlimited Paid Time Off.

At Katalyst our work on projects involving the U.S. Department of Defense requires adherence to International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), 22 C.F.R. Parts 120-130, which requires compliance with U.S. export laws before allowing employees to perform certain positions. Currently, our available roles necessitate access to ITAR-controlled information, and as a result, Katalyst would have to ensure any non-US person is authorized access to ITAR information before the commencement of employment. We are committed to equal employment opportunities and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin.