Staff Electro-Optical Payload Engineer

BlackSky

Engineer developing Electro-Optical payload concepts for satellite operations in collaboration with BlackSky’s Payload and Constellation teams. Focusing on integration, testing, and performance in a hybrid setting.

Posted 7/6/2026full-timeTukwila • Washington • 🇺🇸 United StatesLead💰 $155,000 - $180,000 per yearWebsite

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Develop comprehensive integration, requirements verification, and test strategies for EO payloads.
Develop and maintain optical and sensor test facilities.
Test payloads and support the production team as they integrate your payloads onto satellites.
Partner with engineering, program management, and production to ensure comprehensive and efficient end-to-end validation of payload test from plan through design and execution.
Define requirements for and oversee the design and build of test Ground Support Equipment (GSE) and other test infrastructure for the payload.
Support the development of new EO payload architectures and concepts.
Simulate and analyses new sensors, designs, and/or phenomonologies to support R&D and technical strategy development.
Develop optical system requirements associated with new designs.
Provide technical assistance and oversight with design procurement and integration.
Support the characterization and commissioning activities of orbital imaging systems.
Evaluate on-orbit imaging systems performance, compare with your ground predictions, and evolve your test & performance prediction capabilities.
Other job-related duties as assigned.

Requirements

What you’ll need

At 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.
Bachelor's degree in optical engineering, physics, or other area of appropriate technical focus (or equivalent experience of four additional years).
Hands-on laboratory experience and familiarity with typical optical test and meteorology instrumentation and practices, e.g., interferometers, theodolite/laser tracker, optical alignment.
Proficiency in at least one computer language with an emphasis on numerical or technical computing.
Strong technical grasp of the physics of optical image formation and associated detector phenomenology, especially in the visible and infrared spectra.
Proficiency with radiometry, optical imaging and detection figures of merit, and optical system performance modeling/estimation/simulation.
Adept with developing concise specifications for optical systems within a well-defined, systematic requirements framework.
Familiarity with satellite/payload interface and CONOPs constraints and associated systems engineering.
Due to program requirements, this position requires holding US citizenship.

Benefits

Comp & perks

Medical, dental, vision, disability, group term life and AD&D, voluntary life and AD&D insurance
BlackSky pays 100% of employee-only premiums for medical, dental and vision and contributes $100/month for out-of-pocket expenses!
15 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
401(k) pre-tax and Roth deferral options with employer match
Flexible Spending Accounts
Employee Stock Purchase Program
Employee Assistance and Travel Assistance Programs
Employer matching donations
Professional development
Mac or PC? Your choice!
Awesome swag

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills & Tools

Optical EngineeringOptical System Performance ModelingRadiometryOptical ImagingTest Strategy DevelopmentRequirements VerificationSimulation and AnalysisOptical AlignmentInterferometryTechnical Computing