Engineering Manager, Electro-Optical Systems

Responsibilities

• Own the technical direction for EO/IR payload systems, including seekers, RPO sensor suites, LiDAR, and hyperspectral imaging systems
• Lead, mentor, and grow a team of electro-optical engineers across the full payload development lifecycle
• Evaluate and down-select between vertically integrated and COTS solutions based on performance, cost, schedule, and mission risk
• Partner with the VP of New Product Engineering, Business Development, and Program Office to define and maintain the company's EO systems development roadmap
• Develop and maintain optical performance budgets, including radiometric, signal-to-noise, and resolution analyses
• Ensure payload designs meet mission requirements for reliability, thermal performance, radiation tolerance, and size, weight, and power (SWaP) constraints
• Manage schedules, budgets, staffing, and technical risk across multiple EO payload programs
• Collaborate with avionics, systems engineering, GNC, and software teams to ensure seamless spacecraft integration
• Drive compliance with applicable aerospace standards and lead design reviews with internal stakeholders and customers
• Communicate product development status and issues with leadership and stakeholders

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Optical Engineering, Physics, Electrical Engineering, or related field (Master's preferred)
• 10+ years of professional experience in electro-optical systems design and development for aerospace, defense, or high-reliability applications
• Demonstrated experience with EO/IR imaging systems, including detector selection, optical design, and system-level performance modeling
• Experience with proximity operations or seeker sensor architectures, LiDAR systems, or hyperspectral imaging payloads
• Strong understanding of radiometric analysis, optical performance budgeting, and image quality assessment
• Familiarity with SWaP-constrained design trade-offs for spacecraft payloads
• Demonstrated ability to lead engineering teams and deliver complex hardware on schedule

Preferred Skills And Experience

• Experience with space-qualified or radiation-tolerant EO/IR detector and focal plane array technologies
• Familiarity with optical design tools such as Zemax/OpticStudio, CODE V, or similar
• Experience with LiDAR system design, waveform processing, and point cloud generation
• Knowledge of hyperspectral sensor design, calibration, and on-orbit data processing
• Familiarity with thermal and structural analysis of optomechanical systems
• Familiarity with CCSDS or other space telemetry standards for payload data downlink
• Experience working in a fast-paced, startup environment or a similarly dynamic setting

Pay

Base Salary: $190,000-$295,000
Equity + Benefits including Health, Dental, Vision, HRA/HSA options, PTO and paid holidays, 401K, Parental Leave

Additional Requirements

• Ability to maintain or obtain TS//SCI clearance
• Work Location—this role will be onsite at either our Centennial, CO or Long Beach, CA locations, with travel to other sites as needed.
• Physical demands—the physical demands of the job, including bending, sitting, lifting and driving.