Senior Optical Payload & Earth Observation Engineer

Loft Orbital Solutions; Golden (CO); On-site; USD 130,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

100% company-paid medical, dental, and

Vision insurance

Flexible Time Off

401(k) plan and equity options

Relocation assistance

Job summary

Loft is seeking a Senior Earth Observation Engineer to act as the technical authority for optical payloads, image quality, and mission performance across Loft. You will define performance requirements, drive payload development and testing, and support calibration and commissioning across a growing fleet of spacecraft.

You will help build the data processing and image-quality foundation to turn raw payload data into sellable imagery, enabling Loft to simulate, calibrate, and deliver imagery

Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience as a space systems engineer on Earth observation missions (5+ years).
• Familiarity with image quality metrics and imagery calibration (geometric, radiometric, spectral).
• Experience with optical payloads and data processing pipelines.

Responsibilities

• Derive mission and payload requirements from Earth observation customers and translate them to software/hardware teams and suppliers.
• Follow and drive development and test activities with optical payload suppliers.
• Develop on-ground and in-orbit test and calibration strategies with AIT and OPS teams.
• Develop on-board and on-ground data processing strategies.
• Support the Lead Systems Engineer in CONOPS development.
• Support business development for optical payload customers and Earth observation missions.
• Contribute to test procedures and participate in integration, test campaigns, launch, and in-orbit commissioning.
• Contribute to and own the Earth observation roadmap development.

Skills

Space systems engineering

Image quality metrics

Optical payloads

Communication

Fast-paced development

Hands-on work

Pressure handling

Tools

Python

Job description

Loft is seeking a Senior Earth Observation Engineer to act as the technical authority for optical payloads, image quality, and mission performance across Loft. You will define performance requirements, drive payload development and testing, and support calibration and commissioning across a growing fleet of spacecraft.

You will help build the data processing and image-quality foundation to turn raw payload data into sellable imagery, enabling Loft to simulate, calibrate, and deliver imagery