Payload System Engineer

Job description

Team & Reporting Line: Mission & Space Segment

Our Mission  

At constellr, we're harnessing the power of space to solve one of Earth’s greatest challenges: climate resilience & security in a changing world. Our thermal satellite constellation delivers the most accurate land surface temperature data on the market, equipping commercial players, governments, defence agencies, and global institutions with the thermal intelligence they need to make strategic decisions- from national security and infrastructure to agriculture and climate resilience. 

As a fast-scaling company with offices in Brussels, Freiburg, Munich, Washington and Toulouse, our multidisciplinary team of engineers, scientists, and strategists is building the future of space-based Earth observation

Your Role

As a Payload System Engineer, you’llbe part of the Mission and Space Systems team. You’llcollaborate daily with the other engineers of the team as well as the operations teams, and external partners. Your role will be instrumental in both supporting the performance of our orbiting satellites by developing deep technical knowledge of our current payload and shaping the future of our constellation by contributing to the design and development of our next generation payload. 

Key responsibilities

• Derivation of technical requirements for the payload from the top level requirements performing design trade-offs targeting the most efficient solution with respect to technological and programmatic constraints  
• Co-design and co-development of the payload together with partners  
• Detailed opto-mechanical design of our next generation payloads 
• Support, implementation, and management of supplier reviews 
• Write and maintain requirement specifications, coordinate with procurement and AIT teams to ensure supplier performance 
• Define and maintain payload budgets (radiometry, image quality and data rate…)  
• Perform payload functional and performance analysis and tests 
• Support operational concept definition, mission analysis and system-level performance assessment with payload related inputs  
• Support in the completion of all necessary payload documentation for the certification and qualification of the flight systems as well as associated verification requirements, incl. evaluation of tests results  
• Collaborate with the other teams to define necessary requirements and interfaces  
• Participate in the payload and satellite level AIT activities and support their planning and definition  

Job requirements

About you  

Required:  

• Degree in engineering, physics or science  
• Proven experience (>5years) in optical payload design for space applications, ideally infrared instruments  
• Ability to commit to the plan and deliver the expected results on time, or to report proactively if any deviations are foreseen  
• Ability to rapidly expand application specific knowledge sets and skills where necessary and to quickly familiarize with new areas of responsibility  
• Very good written as well as spoken English skills  
• Very good soft skills to build constructive relationships with suppliers and other teams within the company.  
• Opto-mechanical design  

Nice to Have: 

• Optical design experience on Zemax.  
• Optical AIT experience  
• Familiarity with Python.  

Why join constellr?

• High-Impact National Security Mission:  Be part of an ambitious mission to launch the world’s first commercial thermal infrared constellation, delivering sovereign-grade "behavioural" intelligence from space to close critical blind spots for defence, intelligence, and maritime surveillance agencies.
• Fast-Paced "New Space" Innovation:  Work at the leading edge of a rapidly evolving defence sector. By leveraging modern, agile New Space methodologies, you will help design, build, and deploy dual-use thermal payloads into operational orbit at a speed and scale that traditional aerospace models simply cannot match.
• Broad Interdisciplinary Exposure:  Accelerate your professional growth by collaborating daily with a diverse, international cohort of astrophysicists, software developers, and defence-system engineers.
• Inclusive & Scientific Culture:  Join a high-trust team deeply committed to diversity, inclusion, and scientific excellence, where academic curiosity is paired with high autonomy and a flat hierarchy.
• Financial Upside & Well-being:  Benefit from a Virtual Share Option Plan (VSOP) for permanent employees, giving you a true stake in the company's growth, alongside highly flexible hybrid working models.