Senior Space Instrument Systems Engineer

CU Boulder; Boulder (CO); On-site; USD 145,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

Dental benefits

Tuition assistance

ECO Pass transit

Paid time off

Job summary

CU Boulder’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) seeks a Principal System Engineer to provide technical leadership for flight instrument development across Earth, planetary, heliophysics, and astrophysics missions.

You will lead instrument architecture, requirements, interfaces, and verification, while mentoring engineers and guiding reviews throughout formulation, development, and operations.

Qualifications

• At least 10 years of aerospace systems engineering experience.
• BS or higher degree in engineering, physics, mathematics, or a related technical field.
• Strong technical background in another engineering discipline.
• Experience leading development of a flight instrument.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary engineering teams.
• Experience with requirements development, interface control, and verification.
• Experience through environmental testing and delivery.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the technical conscience for an instrument, ensuring engineering decisions align with mission objectives.
• Mentor junior systems engineers and shape systems engineering practices.
• Lead instrument-level technical reviews and verification planning.
• Define and evolve instrument architecture, requirements, interfaces, and trade studies.
• Coordinate spacecraft-to-instrument interfaces and ensure resources are managed (mass, power, thermal, data).
• Oversee instrument development activities including environmental testing, calibration, and characterization.

Skills

Aerospace systems engineering

Multidisciplinary team leadership

Systems engineering leadership

Requirements development

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering/physics/math

Tools

IBM DOORS Next

Job description

CU Boulder’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) seeks a Principal System Engineer to provide technical leadership for flight instrument development across Earth, planetary, heliophysics, and astrophysics missions.

You will lead instrument architecture, requirements, interfaces, and verification, while mentoring engineers and guiding reviews throughout formulation, development, and operations.