Your mission

In this role, you combine genuine technical contribution with strong people leadership. You write and review code alongside your team, create clarity in priorities, actively invest in the growth of your team members, and ensure that technical decisions align with company goals and customer needs. In doing so, you directly contribute to enabling satellite operators and space agencies to efficiently plan, monitor, and control their missions in an increasingly dynamic orbital environment.

Studies show that women are less likely to apply for a role if they do not meet 100 percent of the requirements. Please know that we still strongly encourage you to apply if you bring leadership potential, enthusiasm for software development, and a genuine interest in space technology. OKAPI:Orbits already brings together a highly diverse team and is actively committed to expanding this diversity further, as diverse teams consistently achieve better results and foster innovation.

Your tasks and responsibilities

Actively contributing to the design, implementation, and further development of Java-based services and event-driven systems as a hands-on member of the team
Taking responsibility for technical quality across the team's output, particularly in architecture, maintainability, testing, and operations
Driving technical decisions, conducting code reviews, and continuously improving development processes and team workflows
Supporting the further development of best practices around software engineering, deployment, monitoring, and operations
Disciplinary leadership of a Java team with currently five developers, including regular one-on-ones, feedback, and performance development
Actively fostering the individual growth of team members through coaching, mentoring, and creating space for ownership and learning
Supporting the team in planning, prioritizing, and successfully delivering development tasks in a sustainable and structured way
Contributing to the strategic development of the Software Engineering department alongside other leaders and technical experts
Working closely with other teams, Product Management, and additional stakeholders to translate requirements into robust technical solutions
Ensuring a reliable and efficient development process through meaningful standards, clear responsibilities, and strong team collaboration

Your profile

Several years of practical experience in software development with Java, with a strong focus on backend systems and event-driven architectures, for example using message queues or asynchronous processing
Demonstrated ability to motivate, develop, and retain engineers in a dynamic environment
Strong understanding of modern software architecture, with high standards for code quality, maintainability, and reliability
Confident with software development practices such as code reviews, testing, and Git workflows
Ability to communicate technical topics clearly to both engineers and non-technical stakeholders
Good English and German skills, both written and spoken, at a minimum of B2 level
Structured, self-reliant, and solution-oriented way of working
Experience in a technical or disciplinary leadership role, such as Team Lead, Tech Lead, or comparable position with real people responsibility
Experience building and scaling high-performing engineering teams from the ground up
Practical experience with Python in a backend or data-processing context
Knowledge of cloud technologies, containerization, or modern deployment processes, for example with Docker or Kubernetes
Experience with CI/CD pipelines and DevOps ways of working
Exposure to observability topics such as logging, metrics, or tracing
Experience in a regulated, safety-critical, or otherwise technically demanding environment
Interest in or experience with the space or aerospace domain

Why us?

Flat hierarchies, small teams, and flexible working hours
Onboarding in Braunschweig, afterwards on site in Braunschweig or hybrid
Early responsibility and direct influence on both technical and organizational development
Training budget for your personal and professional growth
Corporate benefits such as BahnCard 25/50, bike leasing, and German courses
Participation in space related events and conferences to help promote sustainable space operations
Free drinks in the office, monthly company lunch, and regular after work events

From Application to Offer: Our Hiring Process

You send us your application
We review your profile and get back to you with a short questionnaire
A first interview with our HR team
A second interview with a member of the team you would join
A final interview with the department lead