Seeker Responsible Engineer

Menlo Ventures; Laguna Beach (CA); On-site; USD 155,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, Dental, Vision

HRA/HSA options

PTO and paid holidays

401K

Parental Leave

Job summary

True Anomaly is seeking an exceptional Seeker Responsible Engineer to lead the technical development and integration of seeker sensor systems for a critical spacecraft program.

You will own the full signal chain from optical collection to image processing, coordinating hardware, software, and test disciplines while guiding multidisciplinary teams toward a technically coherent, mission-ready design. This role requires deep EO expertise and strong leadership to drive program success.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Optical/Electrical Engineering or related field (Master's preferred)
• 7+ years of professional experience in electro-optical system design and development across VNIR to LWIR
• Experience as a system or subsystem Responsible Engineer with ownership of requirements, integration, and verification for EO systems

Responsibilities

• Own technical direction, integration, and performance accountability for the seeker sensor system from concept through on-orbit operation
• Decompose system requirements into subsystems with full traceability from mission need to verified performance
• Coordinate multidisciplinary teams spanning optical, detector, electronics, firmware, and software to ensure a coherent seeker design
• Apply radiometric budgeting to allocate signal, noise, and margin across the sensor design to meet requirements
• Develop and maintain calibration methodologies and on-orbit CONOPS for reliable mission performance
• Apply synthetic image generation and image processing to support model-based testing and algorithm development
• Define and support seeker integration, characterization, and qualification test campaigns with traceable results
• Generate and maintain technical documentation including specifications, interfaces, analyses, and test plans
• Present design status and results to customers and stakeholders at reviews
• Collaborate with EO Systems Engineering Manager and Payloads team to ensure seamless integration with spacecraft

Skills

System engineering leadership

Requirements decomposition

Radiometric analysis

Education

Bachelor's degree in Optical/Electrical Engineering or related field

Tools

FRED

ASAP

Job description

Space is a warfighting domain. True Anomaly seeks those with the talent and ambition to build the technology that secures it.

OUR MISSION

True Anomaly delivers decisive capabilities for space superiority. We build autonomous spacecraft, advanced payloads, mission software, and space-based interceptors — enabling the U.S. and its Allies to secure the space environment and counter threats from the ultimate high ground.

OUR VALUES

• Be the offset.We create asymmetric advantages with creativity and ingenuity.
• What would it take? We challenge assumptions to deliver ambitious results.
• It’s the people. Our team is our competitive advantage and we are better together.

YOUR MISSION

True Anomaly is seeking an exceptional Seeker Responsible Engineer to lead the technical development and integration of seeker sensor systems for one of our most critical spacecraft programs. In this role, you will serve as the single technical authority for the seeker — owning the full signal chain from optical collection through image processing and ensuring a technically coherent, mission-ready design across hardware, software, and test disciplines. You will bring deep expertise across the electro-optical spectrum from VNIR through LWIR, a rigorous command of radiometric analysis and system performance modeling, and the leadership presence to drive requirements, coordinate multidisciplinary teams, and represent the seeker system with confidence to customers and program stakeholders. This is a high-visibility role with direct impact on True Anomaly's most consequential payload development efforts.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Serve as the Responsible Engineer for the seeker sensor system, owning technical direction, integration, and performance accountability from concept through on-orbit operation
• Drive the generation and decomposition of system-level requirements into subsystem and component specifications, ensuring full traceability from mission need to verified performance
• Manage multidisciplinary development efforts spanning optical, detector, electronics, firmware, and software teams to ensure a technically coherent seeker design
• Apply radiometric budgeting to allocate signal, noise, and margin across the sensor design, validating that performance predictions meet mission requirements
• Develop and maintain a strong understanding of calibration methodologies and on-orbit CONOPS to ensure the seeker performs reliably throughout its mission lifecycle
• Apply synthetic image generation and image processing techniques to support model-based testing, algorithm development, and signal chain performance troubleshooting
• Define and support seeker integration, characterization, and qualification test campaigns, ensuring traceability of test results to requirements
• Generate and maintain technical documentation including system specifications, interface requirements, analysis reports, and test plans
• Present design status, analysis results, and program updates clearly and confidently to customers and internal stakeholders at design reviews and program milestones
• Collaborate with the EO Systems Engineering Manager and broader Payloads team to ensure the seeker integrates seamlessly with the spacecraft platform

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree in Optical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics, or related field (Master's preferred)
• 7+ years of professional experience in electro-optical system design and development, with demonstrated experience across the full EO spectrum from VNIR through LWIR
• Experience as a system or subsystem Responsible Engineer, with ownership of requirements, integration, and performance verification for a complex EO system
• Demonstrated expertise in radiometric analysis, signal chain performance modeling, and noise budgeting for EO sensor systems
• Experience with EO sensor calibration methodologies and on-orbit CONOPS development
• Familiarity with synthetic image generation tools and image processing techniques for model-based testing and algorithm development
• Experience generating technical documentation and presenting program status and analysis results to customers and stakeholders
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

• Experience with seeker or homing sensor development for aerospace or defense applications
• Familiarity with optomechanical design and thermal modeling as applied to EO sensor systems
• Experience with stray light modeling tools (FRED, ASAP, or similar)
• Experience with space-qualified EO detector and focal plane array technologies across VNIR, MWIR, and LWIR bands
• Familiarity with GNC interface requirements for seeker-guided systems, including line-of-sight stabilization and tracking algorithms
• Experience working in a fast-paced, startup environment or a similarly dynamic setting

COMPENSATION

• Base Salary: Denver: $155,000 - 220,000 | Long Beach: $165,000 - $230,000
• Equity + Benefits including Health, Dental, Vision, HRA/HSA options, PTO and paid holidays, 401K, Parental Leave

Your actual level and base salary will be determined on a case-by‑case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: job-related knowledge and skills, education, location, and experience.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

• Work Location—Successful candidates will be located near Denver or Long Beach.
• Work environment—the work environment; temperature, noise level, inside or outside, or other factors that will affect the person's working conditions while performing the job.
• Physical demands—the physical demands of the job, including bending, sitting, lifting and driving.

To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

True Anomaly is committed to equal employment opportunity on any basis protected by applicable state and federal laws. If you have a disability or additional need that requires accommodation, please do not hesitate to let us.