Field Service Engineer

About the role

Urban Sky is a venture-backed aerospace startup dedicated to making routine, easy access to the stratosphere accessible. We design, build, operate, and sell stratospheric balloon systems used for various applications, including real-time wildfire monitoring and urban mapping. Our technology is utilized by government entities like the Department of War (DoW), NASA, and more.

Position Overview

We are seeking a Field Service Engineer to serve as the primary technical interface between our customers and our stratospheric balloon platform. This role involves guiding customers through the entire integration process, from initial planning to flight operations, and supporting them in the field.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary technical point of contact for customers integrating payloads onto Urban Sky’s balloon platforms
• Guide customers through the full integration journey, from initial planning and interface definition through readiness for flight
• Help customers prepare their payloads for the stratospheric environment, coordinating with internal engineering teams on design, thermal, and environmental considerations
• Translate customer needs into clear, actionable integration plans and keep expectations aligned at every step
• Perform environmental testing with customers and their payloads to qualify them for flight
• Develop deep, hands-on expertise in Urban Sky’s mHAB systems, bus platform, payload interfaces, and flight hardware – including power, communications, and RF payloads
• Become a go-to technical resource for customers and internal teams on how payloads integrate with and operate aboard our platforms
• Support integration with the HUSKY bus, including power distribution, communications connectivity, and data relay and/or backhaul
• Support customers requiring communications and RF solutions, coordinating with internal experts on antenna selection, integration, and optimization
• Represent Urban Sky and customer needs in meetings with Urban Sky and Government customer stakeholders
• Provide HUSKY bus and mHAB platform training to enable customers to successfully integrate and operate with Urban Sky hardware
• Lead and support payload integration checkout activities, including fit checks and functional verification
• Troubleshoot integration and hardware issues in the lab and in the field, escalating to internal engineering teams as needed
• Develop and maintain integration procedures, checklists, test plans, and technical documentation
• Join the flight operations team in the field for launches, demonstrations, and field exercises
• Support customers on-site during field deployments, serving as their primary technical resource before, during, and after flight
• Carefully coordinate logistics for customer events and deployments: travel arrangements, timelines, event preparation, and on-site provisions
• Build and maintain deployable field kits so customers and Urban Sky team members can operate with everything they need in the field
• Maintain the payload integration facility, keeping it clean, organized, and stocked with the tools and hardware customers need
• Act as a coordination lead for customer integration efforts, managing communication across customers, vendors, and internal teams
• Proactively identify customer needs before they arise and take initiative to address them
• Continuously identify opportunities to improve the customer experience throughout the planning, integration, and operations lifecycle
• Document procedures, integration guides, and lessons learned to build institutional knowledge and improve repeatability

Qualifications

• 3+ years of engineering or technical experience, such as field service, integration and test, systems integration, or test engineering
• A strong aptitude and genuine eagerness to learn complex hardware systems quickly and become a trusted technical expert on our platform
• Passion for supporting United States defense and providing critical value to the warfighter
• Hands-on troubleshooting skills and comfort working directly with hardware in the lab and in the field
• Demonstrated experience supporting integration, test, or field operations programs
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; comfortable writing procedures and documentation and interfacing directly with customers
• Highly organized, with the ability to manage logistics and coordinate details across multiple concurrent programs
• Customer-first mindset, self-driven and proactive, and comfortable operating in a fast-paced startup environment with ambiguous requirements
• Willingness and ability to travel 30–60%, including on short notice, for field operations and customer site visits

Requirements

• Must be a US Citizen or Permanent Resident
• Must be located near Denver, CO
• Must be available for travel ranging from 30–60%, including short-notice field deployments

Nice-to-Haves / Preferred Skills

• Experience working with defense customers or in a defense-adjacent environment
• Former military experience directly interfacing with cutting edge technology in field and/or theater environments
• Familiarity with RF or communications systems, including tactical radios or SDR solutions
• Familiarity with network architectures, Ethernet communications, and power systems in embedded or payload contexts
• Experience with stratospheric, high-altitude, or aerospace systems
• Prior experience in a startup environment
• Background in Systems Engineering and/or program or project management

Benefits

Urban Sky is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected Veteran Status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

Pay

The pay range for this role is: 90,000 - 140,000 USD per year (Denver CO HQ)