Senior Spacecraft Payload Engineer — Onsite Field Office

SES S.A Brazil; Sterling (VA); On-site; USD 121,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

SES is seeking a Senior Payload Engineer for Space Programmes in Sterling, VA. You will provide resident payload engineering support across all procurement phases, overseeing design, integration and launch campaigns at manufacturer sites, while ensuring quality and compliance.

Your role includes coordinating with the Field Office, supporting PM investigations, and contributing to RFI/RFP discussions. Strong end-to-end link budgets and training delivery are expected.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree or PhD in Telecommunications, Electrical Engineering or related discipline.
• 7+ years of applicable experience in Space Engineering.
• Experience with payload mission specification and operations.

Responsibilities

• Ensure payload equipment units meet end-to-end system performance requirements.
• Verify payload test procedures comply with contractual requirements.
• Participate in design, test readiness, and review meetings at manufacturer facilities.
• Oversee build, test, and integration flow for payload components.
• Review anomaly investigations and verify corrective actions are implemented.
• Provide 24/7 on-call support during payload system testing.

Skills

Payload subsystems

Test and validation

Stakeholder coordination

Education

Master’s or PhD in Telecommunications/Electrical Engineering

Job description

SES is seeking a Senior Payload Engineer for Space Programmes in Sterling, VA. You will provide resident payload engineering support across all procurement phases, overseeing design, integration and launch campaigns at manufacturer sites, while ensuring quality and compliance.

Your role includes coordinating with the Field Office, supporting PM investigations, and contributing to RFI/RFP discussions. Strong end-to-end link budgets and training delivery are expected.