Principal Electrical Engineer – Infrared Sensor Payloads

Jobtailor; Centennial (CO); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Jobtailor is seeking a senior Systems Engineer to lead the infrared sensor payload program for space missions. You will own the requirements, architecture, interfaces, performance, development, integration, verification, and on-orbit performance while guiding suppliers through design reviews and testing.

The role requires a strong systems engineering background, experience with EO/IR sensor performance analysis, and the ability to lead multidisciplinary teams in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• Significant space EO/IR sensor systems experience.
• Strong systems engineering with requirements development, decomposition, and verification.
• Experience with infrared sensor performance analysis.
• Ability to lead multidisciplinary teams.
• Active Top Secret clearance preferred.

Responsibilities

• Serve as lead interface and technical authority for the infrared sensor payload program.
• Own requirements, architecture, interfaces, performance, development, integration, verification, and on-orbit performance.
• Provide technical oversight of payload suppliers through design reviews and testing.
• Lead definition, decomposition, and verification of mission- and payload-level requirements.
• Maintain end-to-end understanding of sensor-to-track performance.

Skills

Systems Engineering

IR Sensor Analysis

Modeling & Simulation

Technical Leadership

Mission Processing Algorithms

Requirements Development

Architecture Development

Performance Management

Verification & Validation

Target Detection

Education

Bachelor's degree in STEM field

Advanced degree preferred

Tools

MATLAB

Python

C++

Monte Carlo analysis

Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL)

Data Processing

Job description

Responsibilities

• Serve as lead systems engineering interface and technical authority for the program’s infrared sensor payload
• Own requirements, architecture, interfaces, performance, development, integration, verification, and on-orbit performance
• Provide technical oversight of payload suppliers through design reviews, technical interchange meetings, risk reviews, testing, and delivery
• Lead definition, decomposition, allocation, and verification of mission- and payload-level requirements
• Maintain end-to-end understanding of the sensor-to-track performance chain
• Provide technical leadership for missile detection and tracking algorithm development, review, and verification
• Translate mission performance requirements into algorithm requirements, interfaces, test objectives, and verification criteria
• Lead modeling, simulation, and analysis of end-to-end mission performance
• Evaluate infrared sensor performance and maintain performance budgets and technical margins
• Manage spacecraft-to-payload electrical, mechanical, thermal, data, timing, pointing, jitter, line-of-sight, and processing interfaces
• Coordinate with spacecraft GNC and systems engineering teams
• Resolve payload and algorithm anomalies, non-conformances, performance shortfalls, and technical risks
• Support payload integration and test, spacecraft-level testing, hardware-in-the-loop testing, mission simulations, calibration, and end-to-end verification
• Define and evaluate test scenarios and mission performance metrics
• Support launch, early orbit operations, payload checkout, calibration, and on-orbit performance characterization
• Evaluate on-orbit data and recommend improvements to calibration, processing, algorithms, or operational concepts
• Interface with customers, suppliers, algorithm developers, and mission partners
• Present technical information, analyses, risks, and recommendations to leadership, customers, suppliers, and review boards
• Mentor engineers and provide technical leadership across multidisciplinary teams

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Systems Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Physics, Applied Mathematics, Computer Science, or a related technical discipline and typically 14 or more years of relevant experience
• Higher-level degree may substitute for relevant experience
• Relevant technical experience may be considered in lieu of required education where appropriate
• Significant experience developing, integrating, or evaluating space-based EO/IR sensor systems or comparable advanced remote-sensing systems
• Strong systems engineering background including requirements development and decomposition, architecture development, interface definition, technical performance management, verification and validation, and risk management
• Experience with infrared sensor or payload performance analysis
• Experience with target detection, tracking, estimation, sensor fusion, or related mission-processing algorithms
• Ability to lead complex technical activities involving multiple engineering disciplines and external suppliers
• Experience with modeling and simulation for sensor, algorithm, or mission-level performance
• Experience developing and presenting technical assessments and recommendations
• Ability to work in a fast-paced development environment with aggressive schedules and significant technical complexity
• Ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret U.S. Government security clearance with SCI eligibility
• U.S. Citizenship status is required
• Preferred: Active Top Secret U.S. Government security clearance with SCI eligibility
• Preferred: Experience with space-based missile warning, missile tracking, missile defense, or OPIR missions
• Preferred: Experience with PWSA, particularly the Tracking Layer
• Preferred: Understanding of missile and hypersonic threat phenomenology, infrared signatures, Earth and atmospheric backgrounds, and viewing geometry
• Preferred: Experience with wide-field-of-view infrared payloads
• Preferred: Knowledge of infrared focal plane arrays, optical systems, radiometry, detector performance, calibration, image processing, and sensor characterization
• Preferred: Experience with missile tracking algorithms, estimation techniques, multi-sensor and multi-spacecraft track fusion, onboard mission processing, MATLAB, Python, C++, Monte Carlo analysis, hardware-in-the-loop or processor-in-the-loop simulations, spacecraft pointing/jitter/alignment/timing/navigation, payload integration, calibration, launch and early orbit operations, and U.S. defense or intelligence space programs

Core Competencies

Demonstrates expertise in systems engineering for infrared sensor payloads, including requirements development, performance analysis, and algorithm verification. Proven ability to lead multidisciplinary teams and manage complex technical activities in fast-paced environments.

Highest-signal resume keywords

• Systems Engineering
• Infrared Sensor Performance Analysis
• Modeling and Simulation
• Technical Leadership
• Mission Processing Algorithms

ATS Optimization Keywords

Hard Skills

• Requirements Development
• Architecture Development
• Performance Management
• Verification and Validation
• Target Detection
• Tracking Algorithms
• Sensor Fusion
• MATLAB
• Python
• C++

Soft Skills

• Technical Communication
• Mentoring
• Collaboration

Certifications & Qualifications

• Top Secret U.S. Government Security Clearance
• SCI Eligibility

Industry Keywords

• Space-Based EO/IR Sensor Systems
• Missile Tracking
• Missile Defense
• OPIR Missions
• Infrared Focal Plane Arrays

Tools & Technologies

• Hardware-in-the-Loop Testing
• Monte Carlo Analysis
• Spacecraft Pointing
• Calibration Techniques
• Data Processing