Senior Space Payload Systems Engineer – EO/IR

LV8D Solutions; Chantilly (VA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

LV8D Solutions in Chantilly, VA seeks a Space System Payload Engineer to lead design, integration, testing, and operation of payload systems for government and defense space programs. You will apply systems engineering across requirements, verification, validation, and mission integration.

Experience with EO/IR sensors, link budgets, sensor modeling, and mission data analysis is valued, along with collaboration across multiple teams and clear technical documentation.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in STEM with 8–12 years of relevant experience.
• Understanding of DOD/IC satellite systems and architecture.
• Excellent interpersonal, leadership, and problem-solving skills; independently effective in a government/contractor team.
• Experience in DOD/IC acquisition and program management processes.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Willingness to travel domestically.

Responsibilities

• Experience supporting the design, integration, testing, and operation of space payload systems for government, commercial, or defense space programs.
• Familiarity with spacecraft payload architectures including EO/IR sensors, imaging payloads, or scientific instrumentation.
• Knowledge of systems engineering processes throughout the payload lifecycle including requirements development, verification, validation, and mission integration.
• Experience conducting payload performance analysis, link budgets, sensor modeling, or mission data analysis.
• Familiarity with environmental and qualification testing including vibration, thermal vacuum, EMI/EMC, and functional testing for spaceflight hardware.
• Experience working within multi-disciplinary engineering teams supporting spacecraft bus, mission operations, and ground segment integration.
• Proficiency with engineering and analysis tools such as MATLAB, Python, STK, LabVIEW, DOORS, Cameo, or equivalent modeling and simulation environments.
• Understanding of space environment impacts including radiation effects, thermal constraints, orbital dynamics, and reliability considerations.
• Ability to support technical reviews including SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR, and mission readiness reviews.
• Experience developing technical documentation, interface control documents (ICDs), verification plans, and test procedures.
• Strong analytical, troubleshooting, and problem-solving skills with the ability to work in fast-paced mission environments.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with experience presenting technical information to customers and program leadership.
• Support initialization and characterization activities across the NRO enterprise and with the development contractors.
• Coordinate proposed requirements changes across SPO organizations and with mission analysis and acquisition teams to ensure completeness of review across the acquisition.
• Support initialization and on-orbit calibration and validation activities.
• Attend Segment level design reviews and program management reviews to assess design maturity, requirements compliance and to provide informed technical recommendations to the customer.
• Review acquisition milestone design documentation for adequacy, accuracy and completeness, and identify cost, schedule and technical risks/opportunities, and provide mitigation strategies.
• Support technical and programmatic reviews and meetings, as required.

Skills

Communication

Leadership

Problem-solving

Travel domestically

Education

Bachelor's degree in STEM

Tools

MATLAB

Python

STK

LabVIEW

DOORS

Cameo

Job description

LV8D Solutions in Chantilly, VA seeks a Space System Payload Engineer to lead design, integration, testing, and operation of payload systems for government and defense space programs. You will apply systems engineering across requirements, verification, validation, and mission integration.

Experience with EO/IR sensors, link budgets, sensor modeling, and mission data analysis is valued, along with collaboration across multiple teams and clear technical documentation.