Observations Program Architect

Aeolus; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 175,000 - 275,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Full benefits

On-site in San Francisco

Job summary

Aeolus, based in San Francisco, develops atmospheric intelligence through integrated hardware and software for advanced weather prediction. You will design, deploy and expand an autonomous sensor fleet, defining team structure and scaling operations to support our long-range hurricane research goals.

You will work with the applied science group to specify atmospheric perception requirements and translate them into deployable sensing solutions, calibrations, and data backbones for our

Qualifications

• 5+ years commercial experience developing hardware technologies.
• Deep, hands‑on experience with at least one remote sensing technology.
• Experience with multi-sensor fusion and state estimation.
• Fleet management, operations and scaling experience.
• Experience with simulation and synthetic sensor data.
• Track record managing OEMs/suppliers through EVT/DVT/PVT or equivalent.
• Experience in product lifecycle management and parallel development.
• Comfort engaging with engineering, science, product, and customer-facing conversations.
• PhD in a technical field or equivalent life experience.
• Atmospheric science and remote sensing exposure.
• High-altitude/airborne/UAS/spaceborne platform experience.
• Bayesian estimation or geophysical/astronomical retrievals.
• RF engineering, signals of opportunity, or related areas.
• ITAR/defense customer exposure.
• FAA/FCC coordination for airborne systems.
• Early-stage hardware team-building.

Responsibilities

• Define, implement, scale and iterate sensor payload system architecture.
• Build high fidelity sensor simulations.
• Collaborate with atmospheric scientists on next generation retrievals.
• Manage system from design to field deployment and scaling.
• Manage OEMs, sensor vendors, and integration partners.
• Collaborate across tech and product teams to refine requirements.
• Lead iterative development cycles with input from technical and product teams.
• Hire, mentor, and grow a team spanning sensor engineering, integration, autonomy and field operations.

Skills

Hardware development

Remote sensing

Sensor fusion

Fleet management

Simulation & synthetic data

OEM management

Product lifecycle

Cross-disciplinary communication

Team building

RF engineering

ITAR/export controls

Education

PhD in electrical engineering or physics

Job description

Aeolus works at the nexus of hardware, software and atmospheric science to create atmospheric intelligence and reduce weather risk.Our numerical weather prediction models are the first of their kind and specifically designed for our long range goals of making hurricanes weaker.The models are data hungry and currently available public and private data sources are not enough.To feed these models, we are building an autonomous fleet for our future hurricane intervention.

Your role will be to design, deploy and expand that fleet. You will define the team composition and grow this organization.You will work with our applied science team to understand what we want to perceive in the atmosphere and then come up with the solution to do so.Your team will identify, model, integrate and calibrate the sensors that can retrieve the state data that informs our models.You will scale our fleet, coordinate their operations and build the data backbone for our intelligence capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Define, implement, scale and iterate sensor payload system architecture
• Build high fidelity sensor simulations
• Collaborate with atmospheric scientists to propose, identify, assess and implement next generation retrievals
• Manage and build system from design to sensor definition to field deployment and scaling
• Manage OEMs, sensor vendors, and integration partners
• Collaborate across the technical and product organization to define and refine requirements and objectives
• Manage iterative development cycles with input from technical and product teams
• Hire, mentor, and grow a team spanning sensor engineering, integration, autonomy and field operations

Qualifications

• 5+ years commercial experience developing hardware technologies
• Deep, fundamental and hands‑on experience with at least one remote sensing technology
• Experience with multi-sensor fusion and state estimation
• Fleet management, operations and scaling experience
• Experience with simulation and synthetic sensor data
• Track record managing OEMs suppliers through EVT/DVT/PVT or equivalent
• Experience in product lifecycle management and parallel product development
• Comfort engaging in engineering, science, product, and customer‑facing conversations
• PhD in electrical engineering, physics, similar technical field or equivalent life experience
• Atmospheric science and remote sensing
• High‑altitude, airborne, UAS, or spaceborne platform experience
• Bayesian estimation, inverse problems, geophysical or astronomical retrievals
• Experience with RF engineering, signals of opportunity, stereophotogrammetry or similar areas
• Prior defense or intelligence customer work, including under ITAR
• FAA or FCC coordination for experimental or commercial airborne systems
• Early‑stage hardware team‑building

Compensation and logistics

Base salary range: 175-275k, plus meaningful equity. The final offer depends on level, experience, and interview performance. Full benefits.

On‑site in San Francisco. Some work is export‑controlled; applicants must be U.S. persons as defined under ITAR.

Aeolus Labs is an equal opportunity employer. Employment decisions are based on qualifications, experience, and business needs.