Payload Integration Engineer - Level 4
$127,000–$193,000 year
On-sitePasadena, California, United States or Pasadena, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
Job Summary
Lead payload integration and systems engineering for Sophia missions, owning the payload-to-bus boundary from concept through on-orbit commissioning. Define interfaces, drive technical trades, and manage risks while supporting electro-optical imager integration for the first TILE demonstration. Plan and execute integration campaigns, coordinate environmental testing, and lead anomaly disposition across mechanical, electrical, thermal, and software domains. Integrate vendor software APIs into flight environments and validate the end-to-end data path. Provide technical leadership to avionics, software, and spacecraft partners, driving consensus without direct management authority. This role supports Sophia's scaling of distributed edge computing capabilities in space with a focus on innovative, environmentally responsible platforms.
Required Qualifications
- B.S. in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Optical Engineering, Physics, or related engineering discipline
- 8+ years of spacecraft systems engineering, payload engineering, or payload integration experience
- Experience supporting at least one payload or spacecraft from requirements through launch or significant integration milestones
- Hands-on experience owning payload integration and verification activities
- Experience developing and managing payload-to-bus ICDs covering mechanical, electrical, thermal, software, operational, and data interfaces
- Hands-on experience supporting I&T floor activities, anomaly resolution, red-line management, and verification
- Hands-on experience with electro-optical payloads, imaging systems, optical alignment, calibration, and performance verification
- Ability to integrate vendor software APIs and SDKs while working effectively with embedded software and firmware teams
- Strong written and verbal communication skills with demonstrated ability to build consensus across engineering disciplines
- U.S. Person status
- Primary in-person location in Pasadena, California
Desired Qualifications
- Experience serving as payload technical lead or subsystem technical lead on a spacecraft program
- Experience leading cross-disciplinary payload integration across multiple engineering organizations
- Experience with SWIR, MWIR, LWIR, hyperspectral, RF, or optical communications payloads
- Familiarity with optical communications terminal technologies and high-speed space data links
- Experience supporting rideshare, CubeSat, SmallSat, or rapid demonstration missions
- Experience with SpaceWire, GigE Vision, MIPI CSI, RS-422, CAN, Ethernet, MIL-STD-1553, and CCSDS protocols
- Familiarity with MBSE, SysML, DOORS, Jama, Polarion, Cameo, or Innoslate
- Experience supporting launch campaigns, LEOP, and on-orbit commissioning
- Active or previous DoD security clearance
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