Senior EO/IR Image-Processing Engineer for Space Systems

Rocket Lab USA; Tucson (AZ); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Rocket Lab USA in Tucson, AZ seeks a Senior Algorithm Engineer II for EO/IR image analysis, developing advanced algorithms for space payloads and collaborating with ML, optical design, and vehicle modeling teams.

You will transition image-processing algorithms to real-time implementations, validate performance, and document results for government customers; background in Python and CV is valued.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree with 8+ years of experience, master's with 5+ years, or Ph.D. with 2+ years in physics, optical sciences, computer science, mathematics, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, or a related discipline with demonstrated EO/IR experience.
• Strong experience designing, implementing, testing, and optimizing image processing and computer vision algorithms for EO/IR sensors.
• Broad experience in computer vision topics: image stabilization/registration, 3-D camera modeling, pose reconstruction, object detection & tracking, background suppression.
• Proficiency in Python with strong programming skills.
• Demonstrated experience in image-system modelling and simulation.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; ability to document work and present results to diverse audiences.

Responsibilities

• Develop, validate, and deploy EO/IR image-processing algorithms for space payloads with real-time requirements.
• Leverage physics of optical sensors and image formation to build modeling and simulation frameworks for mission imagery.
• Use simulations to generate data for ML training and algorithm validation.
• Apply classical and deep learning methods to detect and track low-SNR objects in EO/IR imagery.
• Collaborate with software/firmware teams to translate algorithms into high-performance implementations.
• Maintain and improve deployed algorithms; troubleshoot fielded systems and ensure reliability.
• Analyze large EO/IR datasets to extract analytics and assess algorithm performance.
• Document results and present them to technical and government stakeholders.
• Attend technical meetings and support project development activities.

Skills

Python

Image processing

Computer vision

Object detection

Tracking

Image stabilization

Camera modeling

Pose reconstruction

Background suppression

C/C++

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree

Ph.D.

Tools

Python

Simulation frameworks

Job description

Rocket Lab USA in Tucson, AZ seeks a Senior Algorithm Engineer II for EO/IR image analysis, developing advanced algorithms for space payloads and collaborating with ML, optical design, and vehicle modeling teams.

You will transition image-processing algorithms to real-time implementations, validate performance, and document results for government customers; background in Python and CV is valued.