Loft Orbital
Senior Earth Observation Engineer
$145K–$205K
San Francisco, CA · Hybrid · Senior · Full-time · Posted Aug 7, 2026
- Experience
- 5 or more years in space systems engineering on Earth observation missions; at least one year coding in Python.
About the job
Serves as Loft’s technical authority for optical payloads and Earth observation performance, developing requirements, calibration and processing strategies, and imagery delivery across customer missions.
What you'll do
- Derive mission and payload requirements with customers and suppliers, and drive optical payload development and testing.
- Develop ground and in-orbit test, calibration, and data-processing strategies; support integration, launch, and commissioning.
- Own the Earth observation roadmap and support mission CONOPS and business development.
What they ask for
- 5 or more years of demonstrated experience as a space systems engineer on Earth observation missions.
- Familiarity with image quality metrics and imagery calibration, including geometric, radiometric, and spectral aspects.
- Good experience in optical payloads.
- At least one year coding in Python.
Nice to have
- Knowledge of deep learning and artificial neural networks.
- Experience in optics and detector technologies, or optical ground support equipment.
Pay
USD 145,000–205,000 per-year-salary (base salary)
Tools
Python, ADCS
AI focus
Supports vision-based Earth observation and leveraging AI for imagery products; deep learning and artificial neural networks are nice-to-have knowledge.
Model-written summary · the original posting is authoritative