Payload Integration Engineer - Level 4

This position is primarily in-person in Pasadena, California, with occasional hybrid flexibility based on business needs.

U.S.

Person status is required due to ITAR/EAR export-control regulations.

U.S.

Persons generally include U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents (green card holders), and certain protected individuals as defined by applicable regulations.

• Serve as the primary internal technical owner for payload accommodation across Sophia missions.
• Own payload-to-bus Interface Control Documents (ICDs), including mechanical, electrical, thermal, software, operational, and data interfaces.
• Lead requirements flow-down, verification planning, CONOPS development, and payload verification activities.
• Perform and review accommodation trade studies involving mass, power, thermal, data, pointing, and operational constraints.
• Maintain payload integration technical risks, support FMEA activities, and lead anomaly disposition.
• Define technical requirements supporting future optical communications terminal integration.

• Plan and execute payload integration and test campaigns from initial integration through launch readiness.
• Develop integration procedures, verification plans, test procedures, checkout scripts, and anomaly resolution processes.
• Define MGSE and EGSE requirements supporting payload integration activities.
• Coordinate payload environmental testing including thermal vacuum, vibration, shock, and EMI/EMC campaigns.
• Support launch campaigns, pre-launch verification, LEOP, and on-orbit payload commissioning.

• Provide technical leadership on electro-optical payload performance, including radiometry, MTF, SNR, pointing stability, optical alignment, and calibration.
• Verify end-to-end optical performance through integration, environmental testing, and flight commissioning.
• Support vendor selection, procurement, and long-lead planning for current and future payloads.
• Evaluate emerging EO, hyperspectral, RF, and optical communications payload technologies.

• Integrate vendor-provided software APIs and SDKs into Sophia's ground testbed and flight environments.
• Develop a working understanding of imager embedded software and firmware, including boot sequences, command and telemetry protocols, operating modes, frame timing, and fault behavior.
• Define and validate the end-to-end data path from payload sensors into Sophia's onboard compute platform.
• Serve as the technical interface between payload vendors and Sophia's software and flight software teams throughout integration.

• Drive consensus across avionics, software, GNC, thermal, mechanical, mission operations, and spacecraft partners.
• Provide technical leadership across payload integration activities, influencing engineering decisions and coordinating technical execution across multiple disciplines without direct management authority.
• Prepare technical memos, engineering briefings, review packages, and customer technical content.
• Support proposal efforts, ROM estimates, technical reviews, and future payload opportunities.
• Lead technical discussions while partnering with the Lead for Formulation & Customer Delivery on customer-facing activities.

• 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.

• 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.