Payload Integration Engineer

Seasats; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 95,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive insurance

401k matching

Four free lunches per week

Pet-friendly office

Unlimited/Flex PTO

Job summary

Seasats in San Diego is looking for a Payload Integration Engineer to support the integration of payloads on autonomous surface vehicles. The role involves working with engineering teams to ensure payload capabilities are evaluated and tested. Ideal candidates will have a Bachelor's in engineering or related fields, 3-5 years of experience in hardware systems, and some programming skills in C or C++. The position offers competitive benefits including insurance, 401k matching, and flexible PTO.

Qualifications

• 3-5 years of experience in hardware systems.
• Familiarity with PCBAs.
• Willingness to follow and improve documented procedures.

Responsibilities

• Support integration of payloads onto vehicles.
• Conduct research and testing to evaluate payload capabilities.
• Develop test plans and documentation.

Skills

Building, assembling, or testing hardware systems

Strong attention to detail

Clear written and verbal communication skills

Programming experience in C or C++

Education

Bachelor’s degree in relevant engineering fields

Tools

Basic electronics assembly or testing

Job description

Payload Integration Engineer

San Diego, CA (in‑office)

$95,000 - $130,000 / yr + stock options, 401k matching, and other benefits

Role Overview

Seasats’ autonomous surface vehicles (ASVs) operate at sea for months at a time, carrying a wide variety of payloads. Ensuring those payloads are correctly integrated, tested, and documented is critical to every mission we run.

As a Payload Integration Engineer, you’ll support the integration of payloads onto our vehicles. You’ll work closely with engineers, the testing team, and cross‑functional partners to help bring payloads from early development through testing and into production. This role is hands‑on and detail‑oriented, with an emphasis on learning, execution, and building repeatable processes.

Role Details

• Conducting research and testing to evaluate payload capabilities
• Understanding and in some cases designing electrical systems, components, and products
• Working closely with the sales team to translate customers’ system requirements into payload specifications
• Coordinating with engineers to develop test hardware, wiring harnesses, mechanical interfaces, etc. to build and test payload integrations
• Requirements management, system integration, test plan development, and test execution throughout a payload system’s entire development, demonstration, and production phases
• Developing test plans and documentation such as user manuals, integration guides and troubleshooting guides
• Helping troubleshoot integration issues across electrical, software, and system boundaries
• Supporting the transition of payloads from R&D into production, including test setup and data‑handling workflows
• Serving as a technical point of contact for payload questions, with mentorship and support from electronics team members

About You

• A Bachelor’s degree or relevant coursework in electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, computer engineering, computer science, or a related field (or equivalent hands‑on experience)
• 3‑5 years of experience building, assembling, or testing hardware systems (academic, personal, or professional)
• Familiarity with PCBAs and basic electronics assembly or testing
• Some programming experience in C or C++ (e.g., test scripts, simple tools, or embedded coursework)
• Strong attention to detail and willingness to follow and improve documented procedures
• Clear written and verbal communication skills

Nice (but not essential) skills:

• Exposure to embedded systems, robotics, or autonomy platforms
• Basic networking knowledge (e.g., static IPs, SSH, device setup)
• Startup, research, or R&D team experience

About Seasats

At Seasats, we’re passionate about delivering maritime robotics solutions to redefine the maritime industry. Our primary products are autonomous surface vehicles (ASVs), designed to carry sensors at sea for months at a time. Our ASVs provide persistent monitoring and data acquisition to defense, scientific, and commercial customers, and have autonomously crossed both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. Here, you’ll find the space and opportunity to do your life’s best work.

Benefits

• Competitive insurance (including a 99% employer‑covered Gold HMO plan or other options)
• 401k matching up to 4% of salary
• Four free lunches per week
• An employee activity fund
• A pet‑friendly office
• Unlimited/Flex PTO

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

We appreciate diverse perspectives and life experiences, and we’re committed to building a team that reflects a wide range of backgrounds. Seasats provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination of any type based on race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender identity), national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected under federal, state, or local law.