{"id":259641,"url":"https://alion.io/job/blacksky-staff-electro-optical-payload-engineer","title":"Staff Electro-Optical Payload Engineer","company":{"id":63425,"name":"BlackSky","domain":"blacksky.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/blacksky","size_band":"11-50","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Greenhouse","truth_index":{"grade":"A","score":87,"open_postings":6,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":0.333,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":92,"computed_at":"2026-09-25T05:45:01Z"}},"role":"Industrial Engineering","role_family":"Industrial Engineering","seniority":"staff","employment_type":null,"work_mode":"remote","remote_scope":"stated_countries","remote_scope_basis":"posting_text","remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":[],"countries":[],"hiring_countries":["US"],"hiring_countries_total":1,"salary":{"min":155000,"max":180000,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":180000},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":10,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":true,"technologies":[{"name":"Python","optional":true}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-07-06T15:54:59Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-08-27","last_verified_at":"2026-09-26T00:51:28Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":81,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":81},"description":"Staff Electro-Optical Payload Engineer\nAbout Us:\nBlackSky is a real-time intelligence company. We own and operate the world's most advanced space-based intelligence platform and provide customers satellite imagery, automated analytics and high-frequency monitoring of strategic locations, economic assets and events from around the globe. BlackSky is trusted by the most demanding allied military and intelligence organizations and commercial companies to deliver foresight into critical matters that affect national security and the economy. BlackSky's data enables governments and businesses to see, understand and anticipate change as it happens, giving them the ultimate strategic advantage so they can act quickly. Our global team works with cutting-edge technology to make a difference around the world and prides itself on being people-first, customer-focused and fun.\nBlackSky is looking for a strong Staff EO Payload Engineer to work with BlackSky’s Payload and Constellation Engineering teams to architect, design, and test new EO payload concepts to broaden our growing portfolio of imaging payloads. You’ll have the opportunity to influence the design and development of new payloads, develop the associated integration and test strategies, and support instruments through on-orbit commissioning and longer-term characterization and calibration. You’ll work closely with and support our Image Processing and Satellite Operations organizations to help design the processing and operations frameworks to characterize, optimize, and improve payload performance for satellites throughout their operational lifetimes on orbit. Your particular emphasis will be on the testing and satellite integration of a new payload and its sensors across its entire lifecycle. You will have the exciting opportunity to not only develop a new payload but also a new optical test facility for it.\nBecause of the emphasis on testing and integration, this role needs to be proximal to our satellite production facility in Tukwila, WA once hardware starts arriving. This means that while a candidate can start remote but must be local by the end of 2026 and comfortable in a hybrid capacity. \nResponsibilities:\nDevelop comprehensive integration, requirements verification, and test strategies for EO payloads.\nDevelop and maintain optical and sensor test facilities.\nTest payloads and support the production team as they integrate your payloads onto satellites.\nPartner with engineering, program management, and production to ensure comprehensive and efficient end-to-end validation of payload test from plan through design and execution.\nDefine requirements for and oversee the design and build of test Ground Support Equipment (GSE) and other test infrastructure for the payload.\nSupport the development of new EO payload architectures and concepts.\nSimulate and analyses new sensors, designs, and/or phenomonologies to support R&D and technical strategy development.\nDevelop optical system requirements associated with new designs.\nProvide technical assistance and oversight with design procurement and integration.\nSupport the characterization and commissioning activities of orbital imaging systems.\nEvaluate on-orbit imaging systems performance, compare with your ground predictions, and evolve your test & performance prediction capabilities.\nOther job-related duties as assigned.\nRequired Qualifications:\nAt least 10 years of experience in technical engineering roles involving the specification, modeling, design, integration, and/or test of imaging or non-imaging optical systems and associated components/subsystems, particularly the testing of space-based optical systems.\nBachelor's degree in optical engineering, physics, or other area of appropriate technical focus (or equivalent experience of four additional years).\nHands-on laboratory experience and familiarity with typical optical test and meteorology instrumentation and practices, e.g., interferometers, theodolite/laser tracker, optical alignment.\nProficiency in at least one computer language with an emphasis on numerical or technical computing.\nStrong technical grasp of the physics of optical image formation and associated detector phenomenology, especially in the visible and infrared spectra.\nProficiency with radiometry, optical imaging and detection figures of merit, and optical system performance modeling/estimation/simulation.\nAdept with developing concise specifications for optical systems within a well-defined, systematic requirements framework.\nFamiliarity with satellite/payload interface and CONOPs constraints and associated systems engineering.\nDue to program requirements, this position requires holding US citizenship.\nPreferred Qualifications:\nPost graduate degree in a relevant technical field.\nDirect experience in spaceborne optical remote sensing systems.\nDirect experience in focal plane array design and engineering.\nDirect experience in satellite radiometric, spatial, and spectral calibration.\nProficiency with numerical and technical programming in Python.\nFamiliarity and experience with a technical discipline complementary to optics, e.g., mechanical, thermal, electrical engineering.\nLife at BlackSky for full-time US benefits eligible employees includes:\nMedical, dental, vision, disability, group term life and AD&D, voluntary life and AD&D insurance\nBlackSky pays 100% of employee-only premiums for medical, dental and vision and contributes $100/month for out-of-pocket expenses!\n15 days of PTO, 11 Company holidays, four Floating Holidays (pro-rated based on hire date), one day of paid volunteerism leave per year, parental leave and more\n401(k) pre-tax and Roth deferral options with employer match\nFlexible Spending Accounts\nEmployee Stock Purchase Program\nEmployee Assistance and Travel Assistance Programs\nEmployer matching donations\nProfessional development\nMac or PC? Your choice!\nAwesome swag\nThe anticipated salary range for candidates in Seattle, WA is $155,000-180,000 per year. The final compensation package offered to a successful candidate will be dependent on specific background and education. BlackSky is a multi-state employer and this pay scale may not reflect salary ranges in other states or locations outside of Seattle, WA.\nBlackSky is committed to hiring and retaining a diverse workforce. We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. All Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.\nTo conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. #LI-Hybrid\nEEO/ Pay Transparency Statements:\nhttps://www.dol.gov/ofccp/regs/compliance/posters/pdf/eeopost.pdf\nhttps://www.dol.gov/ofccp/regs/compliance/posters/pdf/OFCCP_EEO_Supplement_Final_JRF_QA_508c.pdf","description_format":"text","description_chars":7171,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":10,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":false},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":["Parental leave","Professional development"],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"United States","iso":"US","kind":"country"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Space & Aerospace","Earth Observation"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-09-05T11:44:39Z"}],"liveness":{"score":35,"band":"fade","label":"Fading","p_open":1,"p_active":0.581,"p_room":0.6,"age_days":80,"expected_fill_days":92,"reasons":["conf:0","velocity","win:late","crowd:"],"computed_at":"2026-09-25T05:45:01Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":180000,"is_top_pay":false},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/blacksky-staff-electro-optical-payload-engineer","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/blacksky-staff-electro-optical-payload-engineer.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-09-26T04:11:00Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","usage":{"tier":"crawler","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":4562,"day_limit":5000,"remaining_today":438,"minute_limit":60,"resets_at":"2026-09-27T00:00:00Z"}}}