Sophia Space is a venture-backed deep technology company building high-performance, energy-efficient computing systems designed to operate in orbit. Our work sits at the intersection of aerospace systems, advanced computing, artificial intelligence, and applied physics, enabling a new generation of distributed edge computing capabilities in space.

Having successfully completed our Seed financing, Sophia is focused on scaling its team, products, and capabilities as we prepare for the next stage of growth. We are building a world-class engineering organization that combines expertise from aerospace, cloud computing, robotics, and AI to solve some of the most challenging problems in space infrastructure. As both a product company and an engineering-driven organization, we actively leverage modern AI tools throughout our development process to accelerate learning, improve productivity, and help deliver innovative, environmentally responsible computing platforms for the future.

Job Description

Lead the systems engineering, integration, and test of payloads flown on Sophia missions, serving as the technical owner of the payload-to-bus boundary from concept through on-orbit commissioning. The near-term focus is integrating an electro-optical imager for Sophia's first TILE demonstration mission, with future missions expanding into additional imaging modalities, science instruments, RF payloads, and optical communications terminals.

Working closely with systems, avionics, software, mechanical, thermal, mission operations, spacecraft providers, and payload customers, this role is responsible for defining interfaces, driving technical trades, managing payload integration risks, and ensuring payload requirements are successfully implemented across the spacecraft. The position combines systems engineering, payload integration, electro-optical engineering, software/firmware integration, and integration & test leadership.

Success requires balancing deep technical ownership with cross-disciplinary leadership, enabling payload providers, spacecraft engineers, and software teams to work together toward successful mission execution while maintaining disciplined engineering practices in a fast-moving startup environment.

Location & Eligibility

This position is primarily in-person in Pasadena, California, with occasional hybrid flexibility based on business needs.

U.S. Person status is required due to ITAR/EAR export-control regulations. U.S. Persons generally include U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents (green card holders), and certain protected individuals as defined by applicable regulations.

Primary Responsibilities

Payload Integration Engineering

• Serve as the primary internal technical owner for payload accommodation across Sophia missions.
• Own payload-to-bus Interface Control Documents (ICDs), including mechanical, electrical, thermal, software, operational, and data interfaces.
• Lead requirements flow-down, verification planning, CONOPS development, and payload verification activities.
• Perform and review accommodation trade studies involving mass, power, thermal, data, pointing, and operational constraints.
• Maintain payload integration technical risks, support FMEA activities, and lead anomaly disposition.
• Define technical requirements supporting future optical communications terminal integration.

Payload Integration & Test

• Plan and execute payload integration and test campaigns from initial integration through launch readiness.
• Develop integration procedures, verification plans, test procedures, checkout scripts, and anomaly resolution processes.
• Define MGSE and EGSE requirements supporting payload integration activities.
• Coordinate payload environmental testing including thermal vacuum, vibration, shock, and EMI/EMC campaigns.
• Support launch campaigns, pre-launch verification, LEOP, and on-orbit payload commissioning.

Electro-Optical Payload Leadership

• Provide technical leadership on electro-optical payload performance, including radiometry, MTF, SNR, pointing stability, optical alignment, and calibration.
• Verify end-to-end optical performance through integration, environmental testing, and flight commissioning.
• Support vendor selection, procurement, and long-lead planning for current and future payloads.
• Evaluate emerging EO, hyperspectral, RF, and optical communications payload technologies.

Imager Software & Firmware Integration

• Integrate vendor-provided software APIs and SDKs into Sophia's ground testbed and flight environments.
• Develop a working understanding of imager embedded software and firmware, including boot sequences, command and telemetry protocols, operating modes, frame timing, and fault behavior.
• Define and validate the end-to-end data path from payload sensors into Sophia's onboard compute platform.
• Serve as the technical interface between payload vendors and Sophia's software and flight software teams throughout integration.

Technical Leadership

• Drive consensus across avionics, software, GNC, thermal, mechanical, mission operations, and spacecraft partners.
• Provide technical leadership across payload integration activities, influencing engineering decisions and coordinating technical execution across multiple disciplines without direct management authority.
• Prepare technical memos, engineering briefings, review packages, and customer technical content.
• Support proposal efforts, ROM estimates, technical reviews, and future payload opportunities.
• Lead technical discussions while partnering with the Lead for Formulation & Customer Delivery on customer-facing activities.

Required Skills

• B.S. in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Optical Engineering, Physics, or related engineering discipline.
• 8+ years of spacecraft systems engineering, payload engineering, or payload integration experience.
• Experience supporting at least one payload or spacecraft from requirements through launch or significant integration milestones.
• Hands-on experience owning payload integration and verification activities.
• Experience developing and managing payload-to-bus ICDs covering mechanical, electrical, thermal, software, operational, and data interfaces.
• Hands-on experience supporting I&T floor activities, anomaly resolution, red-line management, and verification.
• Hands-on experience with electro-optical payloads, imaging systems, optical alignment, calibration, and performance verification.
• Ability to integrate vendor software APIs and SDKs while working effectively with embedded software and firmware teams.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with demonstrated ability to build consensus across engineering disciplines.

Desired Skills

• Experience serving as payload technical lead or subsystem technical lead on a spacecraft program.
• Experience leading cross-disciplinary payload integration across multiple engineering organizations.
• Experience with SWIR, MWIR, LWIR, hyperspectral, RF, or optical communications payloads.
• Familiarity with optical communications terminal technologies and high-speed space data links.
• Experience supporting rideshare, CubeSat, SmallSat, or rapid demonstration missions.
• Experience with SpaceWire, GigE Vision, MIPI CSI, RS-422, CAN, Ethernet, MIL-STD-1553, and CCSDS protocols.
• Familiarity with MBSE, SysML, DOORS, Jama, Polarion, Cameo, or Innoslate.
• Experience supporting launch campaigns, LEOP, and on-orbit commissioning.
• Active or previous DoD security clearance.