Optical Payload Engineer

Tomorrow.io•Golden, CO

3d•Onsite

About The Position

Tomorrow.io is seeking an Optical Payload Engineer to support the development, integration, and verification of electro-optical and infrared payloads for our weather observation constellation. In this role, you will work at the intersection of optical engineering, imaging systems, spacecraft engineering, and atmospheric science. You will help translate mission and scientific objectives into instrument requirements, support payload performance analysis and verification, and contribute throughout integration, test, launch, and operations. This is an ideal opportunity for an engineer with strong EO/IR and imaging fundamentals, practical experience with optical or electro-optical hardware, and the potential to take increasing ownership of complex space payloads and mission performance.

Requirements

4-7+ years of hands-on engineering experience developing, integrating, testing, or operating EO/IR, imaging, optical payload, airborne sensing, or comparable electro-optical systems.
Strong fundamentals in imaging system performance, including detector behavior, radiometry, signal-to-noise ratio, MTF, and image-quality concepts.
Experience with one or more of the following: imaging sensors, detectors, optical assemblies, electro-optical hardware, focal plane systems, or optical payload subsystems.
Working knowledge of optical performance characterization, calibration, and validation.
Understanding of image-quality and noise contributors including detector noise, stray light, thermal effects, structural stability, and jitter.
Familiarity with performing or reviewing SNR calculations and image-quality or performance budgets.
Awareness of key imaging-system trade-offs involving aperture, focal length, detector pitch, sensitivity, performance, cost, and schedule.
Experience supporting complex hardware/software integration and test activities.
Ability to translate technical and mission-performance goals into clear requirements, interfaces, test approaches, and verification plans.
Strong collaboration and communication skills, particularly when working across engineering and scientific disciplines.
A proactive and accountable approach to engineering work, with the ability to organize technical activities, identify issues, and drive them toward resolution.
Sound engineering judgment and a willingness to learn, take on increasing ownership, and grow your technical depth.

Nice To Haves

Exposure to optical alignment, radiometric calibration, environmental testing, or analysis of payload test data is highly valuable.
Familiarity with environmental qualification concepts for spacecraft, aerospace, or similarly demanding engineered systems.
Awareness of spacecraft-level considerations including thermal distortion, radiation effects on detectors and electronics, structural stability, vibration, jitter, and platform-generated disturbances.

Responsibilities

Support the development, integration, verification, and performance assessment of optical payload systems for weather observations.
Translate mission and scientific data needs into payload requirements, interfaces, performance budgets, and verification plans in collaboration with senior engineers and atmospheric scientists.
Support optical and imaging performance analyses, including radiometry, signal-to-noise ratio, image-quality budgets, detector performance, and MTF.
Support the design, characterization, and validation of imaging sensors, optical payload subsystems, detectors, and electro-optical hardware.
Evaluate payload performance drivers including aperture, focal length, detector pitch, stray light, thermal gradients, structural stability, jitter, and spacecraft interfaces.
Support radiometric calibration and characterization activities to ensure payload performance and data quality meet mission objectives.
Assess thermal, structural, and environmental effects on optical alignment and image quality.
Demonstrate understanding of payload integration and test activities, including optical alignment, calibration, environmental testing, and test-data analysis.
Work across payload, spacecraft, software, systems, and science teams to identify technical risks and resolve integration and performance issues.
Establish and maintain clear technical requirements, interfaces, verification documentation, test results, and engineering analyses.
Support payload activities throughout the lifecycle, from design and integration through launch, commissioning, and on-orbit operations.