Staff Software Engineer, Enterprise Services

About Us:

BlackSky is a real-time intelligence company. We own and operate the world's most advanced space-based intelligence platform and provide customers satellite imagery, automated analytics and high-frequency monitoring of strategic locations, economic assets and events from around the globe. BlackSky is trusted by the most demanding allied military and intelligence organizations and commercial companies to deliver foresight into critical matters that affect national security and the economy. BlackSky's data enables governments and businesses to see, understand and anticipate change as it happens, giving them the ultimate strategic advantage so they can act quickly. Our global team works with cutting-edge technology to make a difference around the world and prides itself on being people-first, customer-focused and fun.

The Enterprise Services Software Engineer designs, builds, and maintains production‑grade software systems within distributed, API‑driven architectures. This role focuses on developing scalable services, improving existing systems, ensuring system reliability, and supporting continuous integration and delivery across cloud environments. Engineers on this team collaborate directly with customers, partners, and cross‑functional teams within BlackSky to deliver high‑quality enterprise services and contributes to architectural decisions, performance improvements, and long-term maintainability.

This role is remote and candidates and will report to the Manager of Enterprise Services. The team operates primarily on East Coast time. While the locations listed in the job posting are ideal, we would love candidates near our Herndon, VA office. We may also consider remote candidates in certain states.

Responsibilities:

Design, develop, and maintain production‑grade enterprise software using Java, Go, and Python
Build and enhance distributed, API‑driven microservices and backend systems
Analyze user and system requirements to create scalable software designs
Improve performance, reliability, and maintainability across existing systems
Perform testing, debugging, and issue resolution throughout the development lifecycle
Document system components, workflows, and code for future maintenance
Support CI/CD workflows and cloud-based deployments in AWS environments
Other responsibilities assigned.

Required Qualifications:

A minimum of ten (10) years of professional software development experience.
Production-grade programming experience in Java; additional languages a plus.
Strong understanding of API-driven architectures and distributed systems.
Experience developing and maintaining microservices in enterprise environments.
Hands-on experience with AWS services and CI/CD pipelines.
Strong ability to troubleshoot complex system behaviors and performance issues.
Ability to clearly communicate and document technical concepts with cross-functional teams.
Strong communication skills for coordinating across engineering, DevOps, and customer teams.
Due to program requirements, this role requires US-born citizenship.

Preferred Qualifications:

Experience with containerized systems (Kubernetes/OpenShift).
Familiarity with message-driven architectures (RabbitMQ, Kafka, SNS/SQS).
Experience with relational databases and schema design (Postgres preferred).
Experience working in secure, on-prem, or air-gapped environments.
Experience in defense, aerospace, or similar mission‑critical domains.
Experience creating system diagrams, models, or architecture documentation.

Life at BlackSky for full-time benefits-eligible employees includes:

Medical, dental, vision, disability, group term life and AD&D, voluntary life and AD&D insurance
- BlackSky pays 100% of employee-only premiums for medical, dental and vision and contributes $100/month for out-of-pocket expenses!
15 days of PTO, 11 Company holidays, four Floating Holidays (pro-rated based on hire date), one day of paid volunteerism leave per year, parental leave and more
401(k) pre-tax and Roth deferral options with employer match
Flexible Spending Accounts
Employee Stock Purchase Program
Employee Assistance and Travel Assistance Programs
Employer matching donations
Professional development
Mac or PC? Your choice!
Awesome swag

The anticipated salary range for candidates in Seattle, WA is $140,000-160,000 per year. The final compensation package offered to a successful candidate will be dependent on specific background and education. BlackSky is a multi-state employer, and this pay scale may not reflect salary ranges in other states or locations outside of Seattle, WA.

BlackSky is committed to hiring and retaining a diverse workforce. We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer All Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

EEO/AAP/ Pay Transparency Statements: https://www.dol.gov/ofccp/regs/compliance/posters/pdf/eeopost.pdf
https://www.dol.gov/ofccp/regs/compliance/posters/pdf/OFCCP_EEO_Supplement_Final_JRF_QA_508c.pdf