Senior Software Engineer - FlightAware Flight Tracking (Onsite)

Date Posted:

2026-04-20

Country:

United States of America

Location:

US-TX-HOUSTON-011 ~ 11 Greenway Plz ~ GREENWAY, Ste 2900

Position Role Type:

Onsite

U.S. Citizen, U.S. Person, or Immigration Status Requirements:

This job requires a U.S. Person. A U.S. Person is a lawful permanent resident as defined in 8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(20) or who is a protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3). U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, U.S. permanent residents, or individuals granted refugee or asylee status in the U.S. are considered U.S. persons. For a complete definition of “U.S. Person” go here. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-22/chapter-I/subchapter-M/part-120/subpart-C/section-120.62

Security Clearance Type:

None/Not Required

Security Clearance Status:

Not Required

Would you like to engineer software that provides businesses with real-time aviation data and allows family & friends to track their loved ones when traveling?

FlightAware is looking for a software engineer passionate about aviation and distributed systems to join our core flight tracking crew. In this backend-focused role, you will work alongside fellow engineers on our critical flight tracking systems to ensure FlightAware is always producing the highest quality and most accurate flight and surface tracking data in the industry. The data produced by our core flight tracking team underpins nearly every product offered by FlightAware, so your work will have a high impact on the entire FlightAware product suite. As a member of our team, you will build scalable, fault-tolerant software systems and solve meaningful, challenging problems.

FlightAware has built the world's leading aviation software platform, processing over 180+ million incoming messages an hour from over 34,000 individual data feeds—5 terabytes a day and growing! We provide the best, most complete, and most accurate real-time flight-tracking service and are proud to have built a wide variety of successful products on this foundation that have become central to the aviation industry at large.

Regardless of role, we expect excellent interpersonal and communication skills across all hires at FlightAware. We look for candidates who will thrive here, meaning they demonstrate clear communication, embrace open feedback, trust their colleagues, and are driven to execute, deliver, and complete projects independently and efficiently.

What you will do:

• Write high-quality, well-tested code for our systems to meet the needs of our customers—some of the largest airlines and airports in the world, along with those in countless other industries.
• Help articulate and deliver a long-term vision for maintaining and scaling our backend systems and the teams running them.
• Maintain and improve the company’s core flight tracking systems.
• Build new services to support new products, and revolutionize existing ones, using Rust & Python.
• Work with other engineers, product owners, and senior leadership to transform our product and technical vision into a tangible roadmap every quarter.
• Interact with customers in the industry to understand how our systems can better serve them.
• In addition, you could work on any of the following:
• Dig deep into our data fusion and interpretation algorithms to improve matching and information synthesis of live position and flightplan feeds.
• Detect data quality issues, identify their root causes, develop fixes, and design auditing to prevent future issues.
• Design, build, and maintain ETL pipelines to support data and analytical needs.
• Help design new distributed systems from scratch and bring them to production.

What you will learn:

• You will develop your technical acumen by working with cutting edge, in-demand technologies including Rust, Python, Kubernetes, Kafka, PostgreSQL, and more.
• You will gain experience working with real-time, distributed systems which process enormous volumes of data.
• You will become adept at solving aviation domain challenges & data problems to decipher what is true and accurate in order to produce our “single source of truth” data stream which powers FlightAware products.
• You will learn how to expand your impact as an engineer through activities such as mentoring junior engineers and becoming a go-to person in an area of expertise.
• You will work in a supportive environment with a team of people who treat each other with respect, and care about building and delivering high-quality software.

Qualifications you must have:

• Typically requires a degree in Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) and minimum 5 years prior relevant experience or an Advanced Degree in a related field and minimum 3 years of experience
• Must be authorized to work in the U.S. without sponsorship now or in the future. RTX will not offer sponsorship for this position.
• Professional experience building backend systems as a software engineer using languages and technologies such as Rust, Go, Python, Kubernetes, Kafka, PostgreSQL, or similar; containerization & orchestration with Docker; strong practical knowledge of the Linux command line.

Qualifications we prefer:

• Experience writing well-documented and highly tested code.
• Experience working with distributed systems or real-time APIs with demanding reliability and SLA requirements.
• Experience with queueing frameworks (RabbitMQ, Kafka, etc.).
• Passionate about general developer tooling and productivity.
• Experience with Nix for build and dependency management.
• Knowledge of cloud native tools like Flux, Open Telemetry, Prometheus, Grafana, Terraform, or similar.
• Knowledge of cybersecurity best practices and secure software design.
• A track record of acquiring new skills, proactively solving problems, applying new technology in the workplace and openness to new approaches.
• Excited about improving the world’s foremost flight tracking and aviation platform.
• You are a private pilot, or you are looking to pursue your private pilot license.

What We Offer:

Some of our competitive benefits package includes:   

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance  

• Three weeks of vacation for newly hired employees  

• Generous 401(k) plan that includes employer matching funds and separate employer retirement contribution, including a Lifetime Income Strategy option  

• Tuition reimbursement program 

• Student Loan Repayment Program  

• Life insurance and disability coverage  

• Optional coverages you can buy pet insurance, home and auto insurance, additional life and accident insurance, critical illness insurance, group legal, ID theft protection 

• Birth, adoption, parental leave benefits 

• Ovia Health, fertility, and family planning  

• Adoption Assistance           

• Autism Benefit  

• Employee Assistance Plan, including up to 10 free counseling sessions  

• Healthy You Incentives, wellness rewards program 

• Doctor on Demand, virtual doctor visits  

• Bright Horizons, child and elder care services 

• Teladoc Medical Experts, second opinion program  

•  And more!  

Avionics: 

Avionics delivers advanced cockpit displays, vision systems, and comprehensive digital solutions for global government, commercial and business aviation customers. We provide connectivity and managed data services to ensure safety and seamless communication for passengers, crews, and militaries, from aircraft and airports to air traffic management. Join us in creating solutions that connect the world, one flight at a time. Start your application today.

Please ensure the role type (defined below) is appropriate for your needs before applying to this role.

Onsite: Employees who are working in Onsite roles will work primarily onsite. This includes all production and maintenance employees, as they are essential to the development of our products. 

At Collins, the paths we pave together lead to limitless possibility. And the bonds we form – with our customers and with each other -- propel us all higher, again and again.  

Apply now and be part of the team that’s redefining aerospace, every day. 

As part of our commitment to maintaining a secure hiring process, candidates may be asked to attend select steps of the interview process in-person at one of our office locations, regardless of whether the role is designated as on-site, hybrid or remote.

The salary range for this role is 86,800 USD - 165,200 USD. The salary range provided is a good faith estimate representative of all experience levels. RTX considers several factors when extending an offer, including but not limited to, the role, function and associated responsibilities, a candidate’s work experience, location, education/training, and key skills.

Hired applicants may be eligible for benefits, including but not limited to, medical, dental, vision, life insurance, short-term disability, long-term disability, 401(k) match, flexible spending accounts, flexible work schedules, employee assistance program, Employee Scholar Program, parental leave, paid time off, and holidays. Specific benefits are dependent upon the specific business unit as well as whether or not the position is covered by a collective-bargaining agreement.

Hired applicants may be eligible for annual short-term and/or long-term incentive compensation programs depending on the level of the position and whether or not it is covered by a collective-bargaining agreement. Payments under these annual programs are not guaranteed and are dependent upon a variety of factors including, but not limited to, individual performance, business unit performance, and/or the company’s performance.

This role is a U.S.-based role. If the successful candidate resides in a U.S. territory, the appropriate pay structure and benefits will apply.

RTX anticipates the application window closing approximately 40 days from the date the notice was posted. However, factors such as candidate flow and business necessity may require RTX to shorten or extend the application window.

RTX is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability or veteran status, or any other applicable state or federal protected class. RTX provides affirmative action in employment for qualified Individuals with a Disability and Protected Veterans in compliance with Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Vietnam Era Veterans’ Readjustment Assistance Act.

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