Payload Engineer

Outpost • Los Angeles, CA

3h • $140,000 - $170,000 • Onsite

About The Position

Outpost is an orbital logistics company developing reusable Earth-return vehicles for in-space manufacturing, on-orbit warehousing, and global delivery. Its CarryAll vehicles are designed to return payloads ranging from 200 kilograms to 10 metric tons and be refurbished and launched again.

The Payload Engineer establishes the payload engineering discipline within the Mission Engineering team, which defines mission execution from launch integration and on-orbit operations through deorbit, reentry, descent, and recovery. Working with structures, thermal, avionics, harnessing, and integration and test engineers, this role defines payload accommodations and represents them to customers during mission scoping, design reviews, integration, and post-flight payload return. The position is based in Playa Vista, California, and is in-person five days per week.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, or a related field.
• At least 5 years of experience designing, integrating, or qualifying spacecraft, payload, or launch vehicle hardware.
• Demonstrated understanding of the space environment and its effects on hardware, including launch loads, vibration, shock, thermal cycling, vacuum, outgassing, and radiation.
• Experience designing flight structures, mounting hardware, or enclosures from concept through drawing release, using CAD tools and working knowledge of GD&T.
• Working knowledge of electrical interfaces, including flight connector selection, harness design and routing, pinout definition, and grounding.
• Experience authoring or managing ICDs, requirements, and verification plans.
• Familiarity with structural and thermal analysis to define requirements and review analysis results.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills, including direct engagement with customers and external partners.
• Must be a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident of the U.S., a protected individual as defined by 22 C.F.R. § 120.15, or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with in-space manufacturing, microgravity research, or biopharmaceutical processing hardware.
• Experience as the responsible engineer for a hosted or customer-furnished payload through flight.
• Experience with reentry, return, or recovered payloads, including post-landing payload retrieval and handover.
• Experience with environmental test campaigns and standards such as GSFC-STD-7000 (GEVS) and SMC-S-016.
• Experience with pressurized enclosures, active or passive thermal control, or payload conditioning systems.
• Experience with contamination control and cleanroom operations (ISO Class 7 or better).
• Experience with launch vehicle or rideshare payload interfaces and payload user guides.

Responsibilities

• Define payload accommodations for each CarryAll vehicle, including usable volume, mass and center-of-gravity limits, mechanical load paths, power, data, and environmental control capabilities.
• Develop and maintain the standard payload interface, including mounting patterns, fastener and adapter hardware, connectors, and electrical interface definitions.
• Author and maintain the Payload User Guide, payload Interface Control Documents (ICDs), and payload requirements and verification matrices.
• Design customer-specific payload bays, enclosures, brackets, and adapter structures from concept through detailed design, drawing release, and verification.
• Define and verify payload environments across mission phases, including launch loads, vibration, shock, thermal, vacuum and pressure, radiation, reentry deceleration, and landing loads.
• Specify payload environmental control approaches, including thermal conditioning, pressurization, humidity, and contamination control, in coordination with other subsystem engineers.
• Define payload electrical interfaces with avionics and harness teams, including connector selection, harness routing, grounding, and EMI/EMC considerations.
• Serve as the primary technical point of contact for payload customers, translate their needs into requirements, and lead interface working groups and design reviews.
• Support mission feasibility assessments and customer proposals with payload accommodation trades and capability definitions.
• Plan and support payload integration, fit checks, environmental testing, and post-recovery payload de-integration.
• Establish payload integration processes, handling procedures, and documentation standards that scale across multiple concurrent missions.

Benefits

• Annual performance-based bonuses.
• Meaningful equity in Outpost.
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage; the company covers the base tier of medical insurance and all vision and dental premiums.
• Company-provided short- and long-term disability coverage and life insurance.
• Paid time off and 9 paid holidays.
• 401(k) with company match.
• Daily DoorDash lunch stipend, unlimited snacks, coffee, and tea.
• Pet-friendly office.
• Monthly company happy hours and events.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level