Payload Data Processing Engineer

DUDE CHEM; Berlin; Hybrid; EUR 70.000 - 110.000; Vollzeit

Benefits dieser Stelle

VSOP for permanent employees

Flexible hybrid work models

Zusammenfassung

constellr is seeking a Payload Data Engineer to bridge satellite payloads, onboard processing and ground-based image processing. You will work at the intersection of sensor physics, electronics and spacecraft systems to understand data generation and optimize processing for onboard implementation.

You will be a key technical interface between payload, satellite/DPU and ground processing, covering VNIR, SWIR, MWIR and TIR imaging systems and driving topics independently in a remote-first team.

Qualifikationen

• Degree in physics, electrical/electronics engineering, aerospace engineering, remote sensing, computer engineering/science or related field.
• Several years of relevant professional experience with EO satellite imaging systems, payload data or sensor/image processing.
• Strong understanding of imaging sensors, detectors, imaging modes and ideally TDI and compression architectures.
• Understanding of onboard timing: multiple clocks, PPS synchronization, and how timestamp errors arise and are corrected.
• Solid understanding of L0–L1C (L2a a plus) processing, radiometric and geometric aspects of optical/thermal sensors.
• Strong Python skills for analysis, prototyping and algorithm development.
• Ability to understand performance-critical software and work across the boundary between algorithms and hardware.
• Ability to work independently, take ownership and communicate effectively across disciplines.

Aufgaben

• Develop a deep understanding of payload data, metadata, imaging modes and detector behavior and how this influences processing.
• Work with TDI and block-TDI concepts and translate instrument modes into processing-chain designs.
• Trace artifacts from ground product back to detector, electronics or spacecraft origin.
• Analyze timing, synchronization and telemetry, including clocks, PPS, drift, temperatures, attitude and pointing data.
• Develop sensor and payload-data simulators for new satellite systems with realistic formats and timing behavior.
• Support instrument characterization, commissioning and in-orbit performance analysis.
• Contribute to design of next-generation onboard processing, considering compute, memory, power, data rate, latency and radiation.
• Adapt ground algorithms to onboard constraints, possibly porting from Python to C++ or Rust.
• Act as a bridge between payload/satellite engineering, operations and ground processing.

Kenntnisse

Python

Algorithms

Embedded systems

C++

Rust

EO satellite imaging

Ausbildung

Physics

Electrical/Electronics Engineering

Aerospace Engineering

Remote Sensing

Tools

C++

Rust

Embedded systems

Jobbeschreibung

At constellr, we're harnessing the power of space to solve one of Earth’s greatest challenges: climate resilience & security in a changing world. Our thermal satellite constellation delivers the most accurate land surface temperature data on the market, equipping commercial players, governments, defence agencies, and global institutions with the thermal intelligence they need to make strategic decisions– from national security and infrastructure to agriculture and climate resilience.
As a fast-scaling company with offices in Brussels, Freiburg, Munich, Washington and Toulouse, our multidisciplinary team of engineers, scientists, and strategists is building the future of space-based Earth observation

Your Role

We are looking for a Payload Data Engineer to bridge the gap between our satellite payloads, onboard processing and ground-based image processing.

You will work at the intersection of sensor physics, electronics, spacecraft systems, signal processing and software. Your role is to understand how the imaging instrument and spacecraft generate data, how this behavior affects our processing algorithms, and how processing concepts can be optimized for future onboard implementation.

You will be a key technical interface between payload, satellite/DPU and ground processing, working across VNIR, SWIR, MWIR and TIR imaging systems.

You will own your topics and drive them independently in a remote-first team.

Key responsibilities

• Develop a deep understanding of the payload data, metadata, imaging modes and detector behavior, and of how detector, optical and electronics design influences processing algorithms and product quality.
• Work with TDI and block-TDI concepts and translate instrument operating modes into appropriate processing-chain designs.
• Follow data from L0 to L1C and trace artifacts and anomalies from the ground product back to their detector, electronics or spacecraft origin.
• Analyze timing, synchronization and telemetry, including multiple clocks, PPS synchronization, drift, offsets, temperatures, attitude and pointing information.
• Develop sensor and payload-data simulators for new satellite systems, including realistic data formats, metadata, timing behavior and imaging artifacts.
• Support instrument characterization, commissioning and in-orbit performance analysis.
• Contribute to the design of next-generation onboard processing, potentially up to L1C, taking into account DPU and platform constraints such as compute, memory, power, data rate, latency, real-time and deterministic processing, and radiation.
• Adapt ground algorithms to the constraints of the onboard processor. You define what the algorithm must look like to fit the hardware. This may include moving prototypes from Python to C++ or Rust.
• Act as a technical bridge between payload/satellite engineering and operations and the ground processing.

Job requirements

About you

Required:

• Degree in physics, electrical/electronics engineering, aerospace engineering, remote sensing, computer engineering/science or a related field.
• Several years of relevant professional experience with EO satellite imaging systems, payload data or sensor/image processing.
• Strong understanding of imaging sensors, detectors, imaging modes and ideally TDI and compression architectures.
• Understanding of onboard timing: multiple clocks, PPS synchronization, and how timestamp errors arise and are corrected.
• Solid understanding of L0–L1C (L2a a plus) processing, including radiometric and geometric aspects of optical/thermal sensors.
• Strong Python skills for analysis, prototyping and algorithm development.
• Ability to understand performance-critical software and work across the boundary between algorithms and hardware.
• Ability to work independently, take ownership and communicate effectively across disciplines.

Nice to Have:

• C++ or Rust, or experience porting algorithms to constrained, embedded or real-time targets.
• Experience with onboard processing or payload data handling units.
• Sensor/instrument simulation and synthetic data generation.
• Image compression and high-throughput data handling.
• Radiometric calibration, NUC and sensor characterization.
• MWIR/TIR-specific experience in sensor design and processing needs.

Why join constellr?

• High-Impact National Security Mission:Be part of an ambitious mission to launch the world’s first commercial thermal infrared constellation, delivering sovereign-grade "behavioural" intelligence from space to close critical blind spots for defence, intelligence, and maritime surveillance agencies.
• Fast-Paced "New Space" Innovation:Work at the leading edge of a rapidly evolving defence sector. By leveraging modern, agile New Space methodologies, you will help design, build, and deploy dual-use thermal payloads into operational orbit at a speed and scale that traditional aerospace models simply cannot match.
• Broad Interdisciplinary Exposure:Accelerate your professional growth by collaborating daily with a diverse, international cohort of astrophysicists, software developers, and defence-system engineers.
• Inclusive & Scientific Culture:Join a high-trust team deeply committed to diversity, inclusion, and scientific excellence, where academic curiosity is paired with high autonomy and a flat hierarchy.
• Financial Upside & Well-being:Benefit from a Virtual Share Option Plan (VSOP) for permanent employees, giving you a true stake in the company's growth, alongside highly flexible hybrid working models.