Space Environment Lighting Engineer

Are you an expert in lighting and looking for your next challenge? Join the specialized teams driving habitability analysis and technology for the Artemis missions, aimed at establishing a sustained human presence in outer space. As a Lighting Engineer within the Johnson Space Center Lighting Lab, you will be part of the Human Factors and Habitability team supporting the NASA Human Health and Performance Contract 2. The Lighting Lab serves as NASA’s hub for lighting expertise, providing consultative support for interior and exterior lighting requirements across all active human spaceflight programs. From design and inception to evaluation, the Lighting Lab delivers complete lifecycle development of space lighting systems. Using advanced computer graphics workstations and tools—ranging from commercial software to in-house applications—the team predicts environmental illumination challenges and optimizes proposed mitigations for space mission scenarios. The Lighting Lab also conducts physical testing of lamps and materials to assess artificial lamp optical properties, reflective and transmission characteristics of materials, solar lighting effects, and camera performance under operational illumination conditions. Essential Duties and Responsibilities Serve as a Lighting Subject Matter Expert (SME) for research, development, and verification of lighting systems for human-rated vehicles and habitats (ISS, Commercial Crew, Orion, and Artemis, including Pressurized Rover, Lunar Terrain Vehicles, Human Lander System, xEVA suits, and planetary surfaces). Participate in planning and execution of human-in-the-loop evaluations of vehicles, habitats, and tools, with particular focus on lighting, vision, and imagery objectives. Collaborate with Lighting Lab colleagues to develop an official Lighting Lab position on requirements and standards that impact future space mission design. Perform physical testing of lamps and/or materials to determine key illumination parameters. Perform interior and exterior lighting analyses using CAD and lighting simulation software (Zemax and Radiance). Recommend modifications of lighting standards and requirements for architectural systems and end-item light products to be current with latest research and technology developments. Stay current with the newest lighting, lighting control systems, and modeling technologies available to use in spacecraft architectures. Required Education and Experience: Bachelor’s degree with a minimum of 10 years of experience in lighting and/or optical systems. Expertise in industry lighting standards, lamp specification datasheets, and lighting testing instrumentation. Proven ability to initiate and conduct physical testing of materials and lamps in laboratory or field settings. Demonstrated experience in developing lighting and lamp solutions tailored to unique system requirements. Strong oral and written communication skills, with the ability to interact effectively with stakeholders across all organizational levels. Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in small teams. Excellent interpersonal skills, discretion with proprietary data, and capability to manage multiple projects simultaneously. Preferred Qualifications: Engineering degree in architectural, electrical, or optical engineering, or a degree in physics or applied physics. Experience with spaceflight systems Proficiency in simulation and modeling tools such as Zemax, Radiance, ALFA, or Rhino Prior experience working with NASA If you're looking for comfort, keep scrolling. At Leidos, we outthink, outbuild, and outpace the status quo — because the mission demands it. We're not hiring followers. We're recruiting the ones who disrupt, provoke, and refuse to fail. Step 10 is ancient history. We're already at step 30 — and moving faster than anyone else dares. Original Posting: December 15, 2025 For U.S. Positions: While subject to change based on business needs, Leidos reasonably anticipates that this job requisition will remain open for at least 3 days with an anticipated close date of no earlier than 3 days after the original posting date as listed above. Pay Range: Pay Range $87,100.00 - $157,450.00 The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline only and not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law. Leidos Leidos is a Fortune 500® innovation company rapidly addressing the world's most vexing challenges in national security and health. The company's global workforce of 47,000 collaborates to create smarter technology solutions for customers in heavily regulated industries. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, Leidos reported annual revenue of approximately $15.4 billion for the fiscal year ended December 29, 2023. For more information visit www.Leidos.com. Pay and Benefits Pay and benefits are fundamental to any career decision. That's why we craft compensation packages that reflect the importance of the work we do for our customers. Employment benefits include competitive compensation, Health and Wellness programs, Income Protection, Paid Leave and Retirement. More details are available here. Securing Your Data Leidos will never ask you to provide payment-related information at any part of the employment application process. And Leidos will communicate with you only through emails that are sent from a Leidos.com email address. If you receive an email purporting to be from Leidos that asks for payment-related information or any other personal information, please report the email to spam.leidos@leidos.com. Commitment and Diversity All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, race, ethnicity, age, national origin, citizenship, religion, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, pregnancy, family structure, marital status, ancestry, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran or military status, or any other basis prohibited by law. Leidos will also consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories consistent with relevant laws.

Salary : $87,100 - $157,450