--- title: 'Software Engineer at Venus Aerospace' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/software-engineer-venus-aerospace-houston-zcta6neszt08' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-07' --- # Software Engineer at Venus Aerospace - **Company:** Venus Aerospace - **Location:** Houston, TX - **Employment:** full-time - **Work type:** onsite - **Posted:** 2026-08-27 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-07 - **Apply:** https://jobs.lever.co/venusaero/1a9a3209-3e1f-4fd1-bf15-222abeebc76a ## Job description Who We Are: Venus Aerospace is revolutionizing rocket engine propulsion. With the first generational leap in rocket engine technology since Apollo, our proprietary Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine and Venus Detonation Ramjets deliver historic efficiency and performance across aerospace applications. We are building the next generation of propulsion platforms that enable breakthrough capabilities in space, defense, and commercial high-speed flight. Our team thrives on solving the toughest engineering challenges and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in aerospace. At Venus, we’re looking for bold engineers and innovators who want to make history and redefine the future of propulsion. The Role: Software Engineer We are seeking a full‑stack developer who is equally passionate about building high‑quality software and ensuring its reliability through robust automated testing.  We are helping to accelerate amazing advances in propulsion by building internal platforms to store, analyze, share, and integrate data with teams across the company. This role is ideal for someone who wants to contribute across our software stack while leading the creation of a scalable QA and test strategy for our integrated aerospace software ecosystem. You’ll be part of a small, high-impact software team that is developing front-end applications, back-end microservices, database platforms, automation tools, embedded systems support, and hardware test interfaces. You will also be the primary engineer driving software quality efforts across all these systems. ## What You'll Get To Do - Test Strategy & Quality Engineering: Build and maintain automated test frameworks for front-end, back-end, and integrated systems. Develop end-to-end, integration, regression, and performance test suites. Oversee CI/CD-driven quality gates, coverage metrics, and continuous testing practices. Work with embedded, hardware test, and propulsion teams to validate cross-functional systems. Establish a scalable QA process for the team, including documentation and best practices. - Full‑Stack Development: Create user-focused front-end tools using React, Grafana, and other modern UI technologies. Build and maintain back-end services using GoLang and PostgreSQL/TimescaleDB. Collaborate with other Venus teams to design software that simplifies workflows and enhances productivity. - Integrated Hardware, Test, and Data Systems: Support development of hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) systems, test stands, and automation platforms that are controlling the development of future propulsion systems. Help unify data acquisition, telemetry, and real-time systems into robust, testable architectures. Contribute to ground software and embedded system integration as needed. ## What You Have - Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or a related field, plus a minimum of three years of relevant professional experience. - Experience building and maintain automated test frameworks (unit, integration, E2E) - Experience designing tests for distributed systems, microservices, or large data platforms. - Experience with React, JavaScript, CSS, and other modern front-end technologies. - Experience with fundamental CRUD operations for PostgreSQL and TimescaleDB. - Experience with GraphQL for API interactions. - Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines, Git-based workflow (GitLab), and DevOps testing practices. - Ability to write documentation define QA processes, and partner with cross-functional teams. What Will Set You Apart - Experience with large-scale QA environments or having built QA foundations from scratch. - Experience with GitLab pipelines, Atlassian tools (Jira, Confluence), or systems engineering practices. - Experience with GoLang or Rust - Experience validating embedded systems, telemetry, or real-time hardware interfaces. - Experience with Hardware in the Loop (HIL) validation systems. ITAR Requirements This position involves access to technology that is subject to U.S. export controls. Any job offer made will be contingent upon the applicant’s capacity to serve in compliance with U.S. export controls. To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be able to meet ITAR requirements (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). You can learn more about ITAR here. Venus Aerospace is an Equal Opportunity Employer including Disabled/Veterans. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability. If you have a disability and believe you need a reasonable accommodation, please email careerassistance@venusaero.com or call (281) 203-0027.This email and phone number were created exclusively to assist job seekers whose disability prevents them from being able to apply online. Messages or any other purposes, such as following up on an application, third party staffing agencies, website technical issues, or any other issues not related to a disability, will not receive a response. Messages will be returned within five business days. For additional information about our Equal Opportunity Employment Policy, please visit our EEOP page. ## About Venus Aerospace ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Venus Aerospace is developing the first generational leap in rocket engine technology since the Apollo era, using a rotating detonation rocket engine (RDRE) to power hypersonic flight for space, defense, and commercial applications. - **Entity Type**: Private (Series A; Total Funding: $46M) - **Headquarters**: Houston, Texas, United States - **Founded**: 2020 - **Founders**: Sassie Duggleby (CEO) and Dr. Andrew Duggleby (CTO) ## Core Business - Primary industry/industries: Aerospace & Defense – Hypersonic propulsion, rocket engine manufacturing, high-speed flight systems. - Target customers: Government (defense, space agencies), commercial aerospace (satellite launch, high-speed transport), and private industry partners. - Mission/Purpose: “Connect the world and make it safer” by enabling one-hour global transport through revolutionary hypersonic technology. ## Products & Services - **Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine (RDRE)**: A breakthrough rocket engine that uses detonation waves for combustion, offering historic efficiency and low cost. Successfully test-flown in May 2025 – the first high-thrust RDRE flight ever. - **Venus Detonation Ramjet (VDR)**: An air-breathing engine combining RDRE with ramjet technology, designed to power vehicles from take-off to sustained hypersonic cruise (Mach 5+). Intended for both defense and commercial high-speed platforms. ## Market Standing - **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly disclosed (private company). - **Key Metric**: Total Funding – **$46M** across multiple rounds; Annual Revenue – **$2.8M** (estimated). - **Notable Investors/Partners**: - Prime Movers Lab (led Series A, $20M, April 2022) - Airbus Ventures (led $15.9M venture round, June 2023) - Texas Space Commission ($3.9M grant, April 2025) - Other partners include NASA, Virgin Orbit alumni team. - **Growth Signals**: - 28.7% headcount growth YoY (69 employees; +28 from previous year) - 27,085 LinkedIn followers (+36% YoY) - Successful first flight test of high-thrust RDRE in May 2025 - Actively hiring for 14 open positions (engineering, manufacturing, test, finance) ## Competitive Advantages - **First fundamental improvement in rocket engine technology in 60+ years** – RDRE eliminates complex turbopumps, reduces part count, and increases efficiency. - **Affordable by design** – Simple construction, standard materials, and reusability allow lower production and operating costs compared to traditional rocket engines. - **Proven flight test** – On May 14, 2025, Venus executed the world’s first high-thrust RDRE test flight, validating the technology. - **Scalable platform** – The same core engine architecture can be used for space launch, hypersonic missiles, and commercial air travel. ## Strategic Focus - Scale the RDRE and VDR engines for production and integration into defense platforms (e.g., hypersonic vehicles, drones) and commercial applications. - Secure additional government contracts and strategic partnerships. - Continue capital-efficient development while growing the team and infrastructure in Houston. - Pursue flight testing of the VDR air-breathing engine. ## Why Work Here - **Impact**: Join a small but fast-growing team working on the most significant propulsion breakthrough since the Apollo missions. - **Culture**: The company emphasizes “curiosity, collaboration, and balance,” trusting engineers to take bold swings and solve tough problems. - **Environment**: On-site work in Houston, Texas – a hub for aerospace innovation (Space City). Offices near major space players. - **Team**: Composed of alumni from Virgin Orbit, SpaceX, Blue Origin, NASA, and top engineering schools. Flat structure with high ownership. - **Growth**: Ability to shape the future of propulsion from an early stage; exposure to full product life cycle from design to flight test. ## Sources 1. [venusaero.com](https://www.venusaero.com/) 2. [venusaero.com/careers](https://www.venusaero.com/careers) 3. [venusaero.com/team](https://www.venusaero.com/team) 4. [linkedin.com/company/venusaero](https://www.linkedin.com/company/venusaero) 5. [jobs.lever.co/venusaero](https://jobs.lever.co/venusaero) ## Other roles at Venus Aerospace - [Principal Propulsion Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/principal-propulsion-engineer-venus-aerospace-oceanside-1m132n6ejwb4) — Oceanside, CA - [Paralegal](https://feeny.ai/job/paralegal-venus-aerospace-remote-fg2k8r2sw3ty) - [Test Technician](https://feeny.ai/job/test-technician-venus-aerospace-houston-zp9g05aq2w29) — Houston, TX - [Business Performance Lead](https://feeny.ai/job/business-performance-lead-venus-aerospace-remote-j22wtwdzc5sn) - [Test Operator](https://feeny.ai/job/test-operator-venus-aerospace-houston-xx10h2bcpamd) — Houston, TX - [Senior Test Operator](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-test-operator-venus-aerospace-houston-bvj8egbz9p4n) — Houston, TX - [Propulsion Drawing Checker/CAD Modeler](https://feeny.ai/job/propulsion-drawing-checker-cad-modeler-venus-aerospace-houston-38vq8haq0zzk) — Houston, TX - [Propulsion Engineer (2 positions)](https://feeny.ai/job/propulsion-engineer-2-positions-venus-aerospace-houston-62ccft8r62n4) — Houston, TX - [Senior RF Systems Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-rf-systems-engineer-venus-aerospace-houston-05gyrgq001kw) — Houston, TX - [Senior GNC Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-gnc-engineer-venus-aerospace-houston-sfkc09tmb39s) — Houston, TX