Note: The job is a remote job and is open to candidates in USA. BlackSky is a real-time intelligence company that operates a sophisticated space-based intelligence platform. They are seeking a Staff Electro-Optical Payload Engineer to design, test, and integrate new electro-optical payload concepts, working closely with various engineering teams to enhance satellite performance.
Responsibilities
- Develop comprehensive integration, requirements verification, and test strategies for EO payloads
- Develop and maintain optical and sensor test facilities
- Test payloads and support the production team as they integrate your payloads onto satellites
- Partner with engineering, program management, and production to ensure comprehensive and efficient end-to-end validation of payload test from plan through design and execution
- Define requirements for and oversee the design and build of test Ground Support Equipment (GSE) and other test infrastructure for the payload
- Support the development of new EO payload architectures and concepts
- Simulate and analyses new sensors, designs, and/or phenomonologies to support R&D and technical strategy development
- Develop optical system requirements associated with new designs
- Provide technical assistance and oversight with design procurement and integration
- Support the characterization and commissioning activities of orbital imaging systems
- Evaluate on-orbit imaging systems performance, compare with your ground predictions, and evolve your test & performance prediction capabilities
- Other job-related duties as assigned
Skills
- At least 10 years of experience in technical engineering roles involving the specification, modeling, design, integration, and/or test of imaging or non-imaging optical systems and associated components/subsystems, particularly the testing of space-based optical systems
- Bachelor's degree in optical engineering, physics, or other area of appropriate technical focus (or equivalent experience of four additional years)
- Hands-on laboratory experience and familiarity with typical optical test and meteorology instrumentation and practices, e.g., interferometers, theodolite/laser tracker, optical alignment
- Proficiency in at least one computer language with an emphasis on numerical or technical computing
- Strong technical grasp of the physics of optical image formation and associated detector phenomenology, especially in the visible and infrared spectra
- Proficiency with radiometry, optical imaging and detection figures of merit, and optical system performance modeling/estimation/simulation
- Adept with developing concise specifications for optical systems within a well-defined, systematic requirements framework
- Familiarity with satellite/payload interface and CONOPs constraints and associated systems engineering
- Due to program requirements, this position requires holding US citizenship
- Post graduate degree in a relevant technical field
- Direct experience in spaceborne optical remote sensing systems
- Direct experience in focal plane array design and engineering
- Direct experience in satellite radiometric, spatial, and spectral calibration
- Proficiency with numerical and technical programming in Python
- Familiarity and experience with a technical discipline complementary to optics, e.g., mechanical, thermal, electrical engineering
Benefits
- Medical, dental, vision, disability, group term life and AD&D, voluntary life and AD&D insurance
- BlackSky pays 100% of employee-only premiums for medical, dental and vision and contributes $100/month for out-of-pocket expenses!
- 15 days of PTO, 11 Company holidays, four Floating Holidays (pro-rated based on hire date), one day of paid volunteerism leave per year, parental leave and more
- 401(k) pre-tax and Roth deferral options with employer match
- Flexible Spending Accounts
- Employee Stock Purchase Program
- Employee Assistance and Travel Assistance Programs
- Employer matching donations
- Professional development
- Mac or PC? Your choice!
- Awesome swag
Company Overview