Optical Payload Engineer

• 4-7+ years of hands-on engineering experience developing, integrating, testing, or operating EO/IR, imaging, optical payload, airborne sensing, or comparable electro-optical systems.
• Strong fundamentals in imaging system performance, including detector behavior, radiometry, signal-to-noise ratio, MTF, and image-quality concepts.
• Experience with one or more of the following: imaging sensors, detectors, optical assemblies, electro-optical hardware, focal plane systems, or optical payload subsystems.
• Working knowledge of optical performance characterization, calibration, and validation.
• Understanding of image-quality and noise contributors including detector noise, stray light, thermal effects, structural stability, and jitter.
• Familiarity with performing or reviewing SNR calculations and image-quality or performance budgets.
• Awareness of key imaging-system trade-offs involving aperture, focal length, detector pitch, sensitivity, performance, cost, and schedule.
• Experience supporting complex hardware/software integration and test activities.
• Exposure to optical alignment, radiometric calibration, environmental testing, or analysis of payload test data is highly valuable.
• Familiarity with environmental qualification concepts for spacecraft, aerospace, or similarly demanding engineered systems.
• Awareness of spacecraft-level considerations including thermal distortion, radiation effects on detectors and electronics, structural stability, vibration, jitter, and platform-generated disturbances.
• Ability to translate technical and mission-performance goals into clear requirements, interfaces, test approaches, and verification plans.
• Strong collaboration and communication skills, particularly when working across engineering and scientific disciplines.
• A proactive and accountable approach to engineering work, with the ability to organize technical activities, identify issues, and drive them toward resolution.
• Sound engineering judgment and a willingness to learn, take on increasing ownership, and grow your technical depth.

Joining Tomorrow.io as an Optical Payload Engineer means:

• Make a measurable global impact — help develop space-based sensing technologies that improve weather forecasting and resilience worldwide.
• Work on real space hardware — contribute directly to optical payload development, integration, testing, launch, and on-orbit performance.
• Solve multidisciplinary engineering problems — work across optics, imaging systems, spacecraft engineering, atmospheric science, and mission operations.
• Grow your technical ownership — work alongside experienced engineers and scientists while taking increasing responsibility for payload performance and mission execution.
• Build with mission-driven teams — join an environment that values technical rigor, accountability, collaboration, and thoughtful execution.

If your experience is close but doesn’t fulfill all requirements, please apply.

Tomorrow.io is on a mission to build a special company.

To achieve our goal, we are focused on hiring people with different backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences.

This position requires access to technology that is controlled under U.S. export control laws and regulations.

Accordingly, this position is restricted to U.S. citizens, permanent residents and protected individuals unless and until any required licenses are obtained.

Tomorrow.io is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, sexual stereotypes, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. Tomorrow.io participates in the E-Verify program in all US states, as required by law.

At tomorrow.io we have established a workplace culture that values fairness and equal opportunities and we believe it is crucial for fostering a positive and productive environment.

Regularly reviewing and adjusting pay practices to align with legitimate drivers of pay, such as job level, geographic location, and performance, demonstrates a commitment to maintaining equity within the organization.

This commitment to ongoing assessment and improvement is key to creating a workplace that is not only diverse and inclusive but also fair and just.

The anticipated salary range for this role i s $150-180k subjec t to local market and candidates skills and experience.

Comprehensive health benefits, unlimited paid time off and other benefits included.

Relocation assistance may be offered/available for certain roles.

Tomorrow.io is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for candidates with disabilities in our recruiting process.

If you need any assistance or accommodations due to a disability, please let us know at jobs@tomorrow.io

Selected by TIME Magazine as one of the Top 100 Most Influential Companies in the World, Tomorrow.io is the world's leading Resilience Platform™.

Combining next-generation space technology, advanced generative AI, and proprietary weather modeling, Tomorrow.io delivers unmatched forecasting and decision-making capabilities.

Trusted by six of the top ten Fortune 500 companies, Tomorrow.io empowers organizations to proactively manage weather-related risks, opportunities, and enhance operational efficiency.

From cutting-edge weather intelligence to real-time early warning systems, Tomorrow.io enables predictive, impact-based action for a safer, more resilient future.

Learn more at Tomorrow.io.

Ethos: Our ethos guides us in everything we do - The people of Tomorrow are here to make an impact, they show true grit, and always put people first.

How we roll: We believe that magic happens when people work together.

The People of Tomorrow take ownership with a bias for action.

We believe in transparency and directness, putting work before ego, and empathy.

The People of Tomorrow have a can-do attitude, are resilient, and curious.

They are growth oriented, value people striving to be experts, and love to have fun.

Here, your success is achieved by your impact and deliveries and not by the hours you put in.

We have flexible hours and unlimited vacation days policy.

The People of Tomorrow show empathy, mutual respect and work as one diverse team.

We grow fast and move faster but we always see people first.

Each person has their own career growth path for we believe that the only way for the company to grow is if you grow.