About the role

Muon seeks an Infrared Instrument Engineering Lead to join our team in Mountain View, CA to develop infrared remote sensing instruments. The ideal candidate is an experienced and organized engineer who has successfully led the technical development of projects from concept through to delivery and operation. This role will work throughout many layers of technical depth from component to system and collaborate across multiple disciplines and partner organizations. Previous experience working to develop and operate infrared electro-optical systems, space remote sensing instruments, or related technologies in fast-paced and small-team environments are preferred. This position will involve lab and hands-on work and will spend significant time at our headquarters in Mountain View, CA.

Responsibilities

• Full lifecycle engineering for Muon’s infrared remote sensing instrument through design, build, test, and operation.
• Collaborate across Muon disciplines (e.g. Science, Program, Systems, HW/SW) and external partners and vendors to successfully complete cross-functional efforts.
• Execute technical trade studies and make/buy decisions ranging in scope from individual components to system level architecture.
• Perform simulation and modeling efforts, as needed, and develop associated tools and infrastructure to improve the efficiency and pace of our development efforts.
• Support instrument test campaigns, including characterization, performance, qualification, etc. and collaborate on test strategies and standards.
• Drive technical risk management for the instrument including capturing, evaluating, and proposing mitigation approaches.
• Maintain appropriate levels of balance between rapid iteration and prototyping and design for manufacturing at scale.
• Collaborate with spacecraft AI&T and Operations teams during build, test, launch, and operation phases of missions as the instrument technical point-of-contact.
• Support prototyping and demonstration activities by designing, developing, and integrating instrument components and subsystems.
• Support an inclusive, collaborative, and team-oriented culture; lead by example.

Qualifications

• B.S., M.S., or Ph.D. in a science, engineering, or math field; or equivalent experience.
• 7 years experience leading development and successful delivery of optical systems. 
• Experience with the development of infrared imaging systems.
• Experience building and leading technical teams in small fast paced environments.
• Broad technical understanding across mechanical, optical, thermal, dynamics, and the application of technical disciplines to optical/infrared designs.
• Experience developing specifications and engaging with and managing vendors.
• Strong software skills in one or more languages (e.g. Python, Matlab, C, C ).
• Excellent communication and presentation skills.
• Excited to work in a fast-paced environment with new challenges each week.

Nice-to-have Skills

• Experience with space remote sensing instrument development.
• Experience working with precision electro-optical equipment and optical design tools (Zemax, etc.).
• Experience working in cleanroom environments.
• Experience supporting spacecraft payload integration, test, and launch campaigns.
• Exposure to systems engineering, especially requirements development and V&V.
• Experience with risk management and balancing risk with other constraints.
• Experience with dynamic systems and precision control methods.
• Exposure to design for space exploration industry, aviation, military, or other high-reliability operating environments.
• Experience driving rapid root cause analysis and recovery in high pressure situations.
• Experience with image processing and data product development.

ITAR/EAR Requirements

This position requires access to export controlled information. To conform to U.S. Government export regulations applicable to that information, applicant must either be (A) a U.S. person, defined as a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (green card holder), (iii) refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, (B) eligible to access the export controlled information without a required export authorization, or (C) eligible and reasonably likely to obtain the required export authorization from the applicable U.S. government agency. The Company may, for legitimate business reasons, decline to pursue any export licensing process.

Salary

The salary range for this role is 100K-190K and will depend on a candidate's skills, qualifications, and experience as defined during the interview process.