Senior Earth Observation Engineer – Optical Payloads

Cerebras; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 145,000 - 205,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Paid time off

401(k) plan

Equity options

Relocation assistance

Parental leave

Job summary

Loft is recruiting a Senior Earth Observation Engineer to serve as the technical authority for optical payloads, image quality, and mission performance across our Earth observation initiatives.

You will derive mission requirements with customers, coordinate with suppliers and internal teams, and shape calibration, testing, and data-processing strategies to deliver reliable imagery to clients. This role blends hands-on work with strategic planning in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• You have 5 or more years of demonstrated experience as a space systems engineer on earth observation missions.
• You are very familiar with image quality metrics and imagery calibration aspects (geometric, radiometric, spectral, etc.).
• You have good experience in optical payloads.
• You have coded in Python for at least one year.
• You have strong communication and organizational skills.
• You challenge norms in aerospace engineering and testing activities, and/or have experience in a fast-paced development environment.
• You handle pressure positively and are always ready to put in the hands-on work.

Responsibilities

• Work with Earth observation customers to derive mission and payload requirements, along with verification techniques, and flow these down to software and hardware teams, including suppliers
• Follow and drive optical payload suppliers' development and test activities
• Develop, with the AIT and OPS teams, the on-ground and in-orbit test and calibration strategy
• Develop the on-board and on-ground data processing strategy
• Support the Lead Systems Engineer in mission CONOPS development
• Support business development activities for optical payload customers and Earth observation virtual missions
• Support test procedures and participate in integration, test campaigns, launch, and in-orbit commissioning
• Contribute to and own the development of the company's Earth observation roadmap

Skills

Space systems engineering

Image quality metrics

Python

Communication

Fast-paced development

Job description

Loft is recruiting a Senior Earth Observation Engineer to serve as the technical authority for optical payloads, image quality, and mission performance across our Earth observation initiatives.

You will derive mission requirements with customers, coordinate with suppliers and internal teams, and shape calibration, testing, and data-processing strategies to deliver reliable imagery to clients. This role blends hands-on work with strategic planning in a fast-paced environment.