Payload & Platform Systems Integration Engineer

KLA Industries; Germantown (MD); On-site; USD 110,000 - 135,000; Full time

Job summary

KLA Industries in Germantown, MD is seeking a Systems Integration Engineer to own the integration, testing, and troubleshooting of EO/IR payloads within customer platforms. This role serves as the technical bridge between engineering teams, U.S.-based customers, and prime contractors.

The position requires hands-on work across hardware, software, and mechanical interfaces, with 35% travel and international training.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Systems, Electrical, Mechanical, Computer Engineering)
• 3+ years of experience in systems engineering, integration, test engineering, or field engineering roles
• Hands-on experience with system-level integration and troubleshooting
• Experience working with government, defense, or security customers
• Prior customer-facing technical role (Field Engineer, Systems Integrator, Solutions Engineer)
• Ability to operate without detailed manuals in dynamic environments
• Strong root cause analysis and problem-solving skills
• Ability to travel 35% annually with 2-3 weeks training internationally
• Experience working with integrated hardware systems (components, subsystems, payloads) and interfaces
• Experience supporting software-enabled systems or SDK-based integrations
• Understanding of communication protocols, data flow, and system interfaces
• Experience in troubleshooting software issues related to upgrades or configuration
• Experience executing or supporting test procedures and system validation
• Strong collaboration with international teams

Responsibilities

• Lead integration of EO/IR payloads into customer platforms
• Understand and validate payload-to-platform interfaces including power, data, mechanical, and communication protocols
• Support prime and sub-contractor integration scenarios
• Translate customer system requirements into actionable technical execution
• Perform system-level troubleshooting to identify origin at component/subsystem/interface level
• Analyze test outputs, logs, and data for root cause and corrective actions
• Decide on component replacement, subsystem removal, or escalation to engineering
• Support rapid issue resolution during factory, integration, and field testing
• Perform assembly, disassembly, and maintenance of payloads and systems
• Trace wiring and connectors to isolate faults
• Validate proper power delivery, signal flow, and mechanical connections
• Support hardware inspections and system validation at customer sites
• Support software/SDK integrations and troubleshoot data flow
• Work with software engineers to resolve bugs and configuration issues
• Interpret logs and errors to support debugging
• Execute and support defined test procedures for payloads and systems
• Coordinate training, documentation, and knowledge transfer

Skills

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

3+ years experience

Systems thinking

Root cause analysis

Customer-facing

Travel 35%

Troubleshooting

Hardware integration

Software SDK integration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering

Tools

System integration

Job description

KLA Industries in Germantown, MD is seeking a Systems Integration Engineer to own the integration, testing, and troubleshooting of EO/IR payloads within customer platforms. This role serves as the technical bridge between engineering teams, U.S.-based customers, and prime contractors.

The position requires hands-on work across hardware, software, and mechanical interfaces, with 35% travel and international training.