IT Solutions Engineer at Umbra in Santa Barbara, CA

Umbra is an American space technology company delivering advanced systems, from sensors to spacecraft, that empower customers worldwide with unmatched access to critical information from space. Our mission is simple and ambitious: redefine space—for people, systems, and missions in every domain. Umbra’s ecosystem operates through three business units: Remote Sensing (the data), Space Systems (the components), and Mission Solutions (the platforms). Together, our teams develop capabilities that deliver persistent access, resilient performance, and mission-ready solutions, advancing U.S. space leadership while keeping the world safe and informed.

About the Job

Umbra is seeking an IT Solutions Engineer – Lab Systems to serve as the connective layer between our enterprise IT infrastructure and the Space Systems pre-launch test and simulation environments. This role is the first member of a new Solutions Engineering function under IT — a team dedicated to integrating IT-managed systems into mission-critical development and testing infrastructure.

The ideal candidate is part systems administrator, part lab systems engineer: someone who understands how to bridge enterprise IT standards with hands-on hardware support in a dynamic, R&D-heavy environment. You’ll be embedded with the Space Systems engineering teams to manage and evolve the computing, networking, and systems administration layer supporting Umbra’s pre-launch and in-orbit simulation platforms.

Your mission will be to support the deployment of, administer, and maintain the infrastructure layer supporting Umbra’s Space Systems Infrastructure landscape, including but not limited to: Flatsat and Hardware-in-the-Loop (HITL) test environments — ensuring that Space Systems engineers can reliably execute development, integration, and regression testing across distributed lab systems.

You will operate at the intersection of IT Core Infrastructure and Space Systems engineering, maintaining physical and virtual environments that enable simulation, telemetry, and networked subsystem testing.

This position is based on-site in our Santa Barbara/Goleta, CA office.

Key Responsibilities

Automation & DevOps Support

• Collaborate with the Flight Software team to integrate CI/CD pipelines into lab hardware, ensuring nightly regressions and system builds run seamlessly.
• Develop and maintain automation scripts for system provisioning, environment resets, and network reconfiguration.

Systems Administration & Infrastructure Support

• Deploy, manage, and maintain test and simulation servers, engineering workstations, RF systems, and networked lab resources across multiple simulation environments.
• Administer Linux/Windows-based hosts and NUCs used for telemetry, CI builds, and mission simulation.
• Configure and monitor remote log-in and development access, VPN tunnels, and authenticated user sessions for engineering teams.
• Coordinate with Umbra’s IT Infrastructure team to ensure compliance with CMMC and FedRAMP controls for systems operating in hybrid lab/production networks.

Lab Systems Integration

• Build and maintain Ethernet and RF-based test networks linking simulator nodes, OBCs, Spectralnet systems, and downlink/collect switch networks.
• Support and troubleshoot hardware-in-the-loop test environments, including device connectivity and IP-based power control systems.
• Work with Space Systems Hardware Engineering to support integration of new simulation configurations.
• Maintain accurate network and system documentation, including IP address maps, PSU channel configurations, and RF switch control tables as seen in the simulation design reference & Diagrams.

Security & Compliance

• Implement and maintain endpoint management and monitoring aligned with Umbra’s IT policies.
• Work with Compliance and Security teams to ensure all lab systems adhere to data-handling standards.

Cross-functional Collaboration

• Partner closely with Hardware Test Infrastructure Engineers to delineate responsibilities:
  • HW Engineers: schematic/drawing creation, electrical test equipment, physical integration.
  • IT Solutions Engineer: environment provisioning, connectivity, system health, and network administration.
• Serve as the liaison between IT and Space Systems, translating engineering lab requirements into scalable, secure IT services.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Systems Engineering, or related discipline; or equivalent hands-on experience.
• 3+ years of experience supporting Linux/Windows hybrid environments in lab, R&D, or production settings.
• Strong experience designing and maintaining CI/CD pipelines (e.g., GitLab CI, GitHub Actions, Jenkins) for software and/or hardware-integrated systems.
• Experience with infrastructure automation using scripting or configuration management tools (e.g., Python, Bash, PowerShell, Ansible).
• Solid understanding of networking fundamentals (TCP/IP, VLANs, DNS, routing, firewalls) in distributed or lab environments.
• Experience with remote access and system orchestration (SSH, VPN, RDP) in multi-system environments.
• Hands-on experience provisioning and managing compute and lab infrastructure (servers, lab machines, network switches, PDUs).
• Proven ability to work closely with engineering teams to support hardware-in-the-loop (HITL) or simulation-based development environments.
• Experience building or supporting automated test and deployment workflows across multiple systems.

Desired Qualifications

• Experience implementing Infrastructure as Code (IaC) and configuration management (e.g., Ansible, Terraform).

• Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, Systems Engineering, or related discipline, or equivalent hands-on experience.

• Familiarity with containerization and orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes).

• Experience supporting hardware-integrated CI pipelines or test automation frameworks.

• Familiarity with satellite, aerospace, or robotics systems, including Flatsat or simulation environments.

• Experience managing or supporting RF-related test hardware.

• Understanding of telemetry collection systems and distributed test infrastructure.

• Knowledge of CMMC Level 2 and/or FedRAMP Moderate compliance frameworks.

• Experience scaling CI/CD systems across teams or programs.

• Flexible Time Off, Sick, Family & Medical Leave

• Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, LTD, STD (employer funded)

• Vol Life, Critical Illness, Accidental, Hospital Indemnity, Pet Insurance (employee funded)

• 401k with 3% non-elective company contribution

• Stock Options

• Free Parking

• Free lunch in office daily

Umbra is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate in hiring on the basis of sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religious creed, national origin, physical or mental disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.

Employment Eligibility Verification

In compliance with federal laws, all hired persons will be required to verify their identity and eligibility to work in the United States by completing the required Employment Eligibility Verification Form (I-9 Form) upon hire.

ITAR/EAR Requirements

This position may include access to technology and/or data that is subject to U.S. export controls pursuant to ITAR and EAR. To comply with federal export controls, all persons hired must be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, U.S. lawful permanent resident, refugee or asylee as defined by 8 U.S.C. § 1324b(a)(3), or must otherwise be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State and/or U.S. Department of Commerce as applicable.

Pay Transparency

This job posting may cover multiple career levels. To ensure greater transparency, we provide base salary ranges for all roles, regardless of location. Our standard pay ranges are based on the role’s function and level, benchmarked against similar growth-stage companies. Compensation may vary based on geographical location, as certain regions may have different cost-of-living factors. The final offer will also be influenced by the candidate's skills, responsibilities, and relevant experience.

Compensation Range

The Compensation Range for this role is $115,000 - $135,000 DOE.