{"id":1217065,"url":"https://alion.io/job/lodestar-software-engineer-i-payload-engineer","title":"Software Engineer I: Payload Engineer","company":{"id":716996,"name":"Lodestar","domain":"lodestar.space","url":"https://alion.io/company/lodestar-2","size_band":null,"is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Greenhouse","truth_index":{"grade":"B","score":75,"open_postings":3,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":1,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":null,"computed_at":"2026-09-28T05:45:00Z"}},"role":"Backend","role_family":"Backend","seniority":"junior","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Los Angeles, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":99000,"max":133000,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":133000},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":null,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":true,"technologies":[{"name":"Multimodal AI","optional":false},{"name":"Python","optional":false},{"name":"Computer Vision","optional":true}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-09-25T09:01:56Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-09-25","last_verified_at":"2026-09-29T01:29:28Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":3,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":3},"description":"About Lodestar\nLodestar's mission is to develop the first \"Protect and Defend\" capability for high-value space assets in orbit. Our flagship product MITHRIL is the critical hardware & software necessary to augment any off-the-shelf spacecraft with the ability to autonomously detect, characterise, and reversibly neutralise orbital threats. By building on the proven space heritage of our best-in-class satellite-bus partners and fully integrating MITHRIL as a single platform, we deliver a fully autonomous end-to-end protection spacecraft service.\nAbout the Job\nAs aPayload Engineer I at Lodestar, you'll be joining the payload team as a primary delivery engineer on CORONA, a SpaceWERX Direct-to-Phase-II program to take an integrated autonomous sensing and effector payload from laboratory breadboard to qualified engineering model.\nYou'll help design, build, integrate and test the payload across optics, mechanical, avionics and software. Working alongside the Founding Engineer and senior systems, GNC, electronics and optics engineers, you'll take the engineering model through 18 months and nine milestones, with design reviews in front of USSF, Space Systems Command and AFRL at each gate.\nThis is an early-career role with a deliberately broad scope. We're looking for hands-on building experience and fast learning rather than a long track record, and you'll own the engineering model from day one with the support to grow into it.\nWe proudly have an \"extreme ownership\" oriented engineering culture.\nWhat You’ll Do\nOwn the payload engineering model day to day, end to end: requirements, design, build, integration, test and write-up\nDevelop payload, autonomy, effector, power, thermal and pointing requirements, and the ICDs between payload, avionics and spacecraft bus\nPrepare SRR, PDR and CDR packages, and keep the verification matrix and risk register current between gates\nIntegrate the engineering model: effector subsystem, edge-compute avionics, and a multimodal sensor suite (optical, LiDAR, radar)\nCarry out optical alignment and performance verification, and feed corrective design iterations back into the build\nRun hardware-in-the-loop testing in the Void Lab, closing the loop from perception through to pointing against simulated orbital targets\nSupport environmental qualification (TVAC, launch vibration, EMC/EMI), including pre- and post-test functional testing and the anomaly and corrective-action trail\nDeliver an end-to-end ground demonstration on a payload-in-the-loop testbed\nProduce customer-facing documentation: test reports, qualification dossier, and final performance assessment against KPPs\nBasic Qualifications\nBachelor's or Master's degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical or Electronic Engineering, Physics, Optics or Photonics, Robotics, Computer Science, or demonstrated equivalent knowledge\n0-2 years of professional experience. Early-career candidates, including recent graduates, are encouraged to apply\nHands-on evidence of building something real and making it work, such as a university cubesat or rocketry team, research lab, Formula Student, a hardware internship, or a project taken from nothing to working. We weight this far above grades\nWorking proficiency in Python\nPreferred Skills & Experience\nSpace exposure in any form: cubesat program, hosted payload, space or defense internship, or a space-focused Master's project\nOptics and photonics bench work (laser safety experience, e.g. ANSI Z136, a plus)\nComputer vision\nClosed-loop pointing and control\nEnvironmental test and integration\nSystems engineering practice\nEmbedded or real-time software\n\nITAR Requirements\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. Learn more about the ITAR here.\nCompensation & Benefits\nPay Range for this role:(P1) Entry: $99,000 - $133,000 / year\n\nMeaningful equity incentives as part of our employee option pool\nFlexible PTO with generous paid vacation, holidays, and sick leave\nComprehensive medical, dental & vision coverage\n401(k) retirement plan with company match\nLos Angeles\nAdditional Information\nCompensation bands are determined by role, level, location, and alignment with market data. Individual level and base pay is determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on job-related skills, education, experience, technical capabilities and internal equity. In addition to base salary, for full-time hires, you may also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of stock options , and access to medical, vision and dental coverage, as well as access to a 401(k) retirement plan.\nLodestar is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Lodestar is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.","description_format":"text","description_chars":5242,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":null,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":false},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":["Equity","Retirement plans","Stock options"],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"United States","iso":"US","kind":"country"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Space & Aerospace"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-09-25T10:14:11Z"}],"liveness":{"score":90,"band":"hot","label":"Hiring now","p_open":1,"p_active":0.903,"p_room":1,"age_days":2,"expected_fill_days":15,"reasons":["conf:2","velocity","win:early","comp:junior"],"computed_at":"2026-09-28T05:45:00Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":133000,"is_top_pay":false},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/lodestar-software-engineer-i-payload-engineer","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/lodestar-software-engineer-i-payload-engineer.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-09-29T03:49:54Z","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":3613,"day_limit":5000,"remaining_today":1387,"minute_limit":60,"resets_at":"2026-09-30T00:00:00Z"}}}