EO/IR Systems Engineering Manager — Lead Space Payloads

Menlo Ventures; Laguna Beach (CA); On-site; USD 190,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

True Anomaly is seeking an innovative Electro-Optical Systems Engineering Manager to lead a small, agile team responsible for the design, development, integration, and testing of high-performance, affordable optical systems for seeker and autonomous orbital vehicles. This includes RPO suites, LiDAR, hyperspectral imaging, and other EO/IR payloads.

Reporting to the VP of New Product Engineering, you will work closely with Business Development and the Program Office to define and execute the EO

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Optical Engineering, Physics, Electrical Engineering, or related field (Master's preferred)
• 10+ years of professional experience in electro-optical systems design and development for aerospace, defense, or high-reliability applications
• Experience with EO/IR imaging systems, including detector selection, optical design, and system-level performance modeling
• Experience with proximity operations or seeker sensor architectures, LiDAR, or hyperspectral imaging payloads
• Strong understanding of radiometric analysis, optical performance budgeting, and image quality assessment
• Familiarity with SWaP-constrained design trade-offs for spacecraft payloads
• Demonstrated ability to lead engineering teams and deliver complex hardware on schedule

Responsibilities

• Own the technical direction for EO/IR payload systems, including seekers, RPO sensor suites, LiDAR, and hyperspectral imaging systems
• Lead, mentor, and grow a team of electro-optical engineers across the full payload development lifecycle
• Oversee end-to-end EO systems development: requirements definition, optical and systems design, component selection, analysis, procurement, integration, and test
• Evaluate and down-select between vertically integrated and COTS solutions based on performance, cost, schedule, and mission risk
• Partner with the VP of New Product Engineering, Business Development, and Program Office to define and maintain the company's EO systems development roadmap
• Develop and maintain optical performance budgets, including radiometric, signal-to-noise, and resolution analyses
• Ensure payload designs meet mission requirements for reliability, thermal performance, radiation tolerance, and SWaP constraints
• Manage schedules, budgets, staffing, and technical risk across multiple EO payload programs
• Collaborate with avionics, systems engineering, GNC, and software teams to ensure seamless spacecraft integration
• Drive compliance with applicable aerospace standards and lead design reviews with internal stakeholders and customers
• Communicate product development status and issues with leadership and stakeholders

Skills

EO/IR design

Team leadership

Systems engineering

Optical design

Requirements definition

Risk management

SWaP trade-offs

Project management

Education

Bachelor's in Optical Engineering

Master's preferred

Tools

Zemax/ OpticStudio

CODE V

Job description

True Anomaly is seeking an innovative Electro-Optical Systems Engineering Manager to lead a small, agile team responsible for the design, development, integration, and testing of high-performance, affordable optical systems for seeker and autonomous orbital vehicles. This includes RPO suites, LiDAR, hyperspectral imaging, and other EO/IR payloads.

Reporting to the VP of New Product Engineering, you will work closely with Business Development and the Program Office to define and execute the EO