Chief Engineer - Payload Systems Engineering

SES Space & Defense is a trusted partner ensuring mission success for our customers by blanketing the globe with multi orbit end to end satellite and technology solutions which provide reliable, secure, and high bandwidth connectivity. We strive to be the only solution when success is critical, and we will take care of our employees because we recognize they are our competitive advantage. The SES S&D Team, along with our customers and partners, will achieve success through integrity, honor, and commitment.

Summary

As a Payload Systems Engineer, you will serve as the technical lead for the end‑to‑end design, development, integration, test, deployment, and on‑orbit commissioning of hosted payloads and payload‑centric missions on GEO and MEO spacecraft. Operating as a payload‑focused Chief Engineer, you will own payload performance, payload‑to‑bus interfaces, and overall mission success across a broad range of payload types—including communications, sensing, compute, and advanced technology demonstrators.

You will collaborate closely with heritage spacecraft primes and next‑generation spacecraft manufacturers to drive requirements, manage interfaces, lead verification and validation efforts, and retire technical risk across all subsystems (mechanical, thermal, structural, electrical, power, RF/communications, TT&C, avionics, and flight software).

What You’ll Do

• Lead Payload Architecture & Accommodation Trades: Guide payload technical decisions for hosted payloads, dedicated free‑flyers, and proliferated constellation missions.
• Manage payload requirements, define ICDs, maintain configuration control in SESSD MBSE systems, and drive change management.
• Serve as Payload–Bus Integration Authority: Oversee mechanical, thermal, structural, electrical, RF/EMI/EMC, contamination, and radiation interface considerations to ensure seamless payload accommodation.
• Develop & Execute V&V Plans: Lead functional, EMI/EMC, thermal‑vacuum, vibration/shock, RF performance, and end‑to‑end mission validation testing.
• Drive Integration Planning & Execution: Ensure integration readiness across MGSE/EGSE, cleanroom workflows, spacecraft‑level integration, and anomaly resolution.
• Own Commissioning & On‑Orbit Payload Checkout: Lead on‑orbit calibration, checkout, and performance validation while coordinating with mission operations.
• Shape & Manage Hosted Payload Opportunities: Evaluate technical feasibility, accommodation impacts, schedules, and risk posture while engaging suppliers and customers.
• Author & Maintain Mission‑Critical Documentation: Prepare technical deliverables, customer documentation, and inputs for SRR/PDR/CDR/TRR/FRR, as well as lead technical interchange meetings.
  
  

Core Competencies & Success Profile

• Single‑threaded ownership of payload mission success from concept development through I&T and on‑orbit commissioning, supported by deep cross‑disciplinary integration across mechanical, thermal, structural, electrical, power, RF/comms, TT&C, avionics, software, and mission operations interfaces.
• Demonstrated ability to drive disciplined requirements flow‑down, interface control, and configuration management while developing executable V&V strategies, ensuring I&T readiness, and closing requirements with mission‑appropriate quality and speed.
• Proven skill in proactive risk identification and retirement through data‑driven mitigation and clear entry/exit criteria, coupled with sound engineering judgment under schedule pressure.
• Effective communicator who negotiates constraints and leads timely technical alignment across internal and external stakeholders.
• Collaborative team player who mentors and trains colleagues, openly shares knowledge, and ensures others gain meaningful hands‑on exposure—fostering a non‑territorial, high‑trust engineering culture.
• Hands‑on experience in payload integration environments—including cleanrooms, environmental testing, and EGSE/MGSE—paired with strong understanding of practical integration workflows and end‑to‑end system behavior.
  
  

What You’ll Need To Qualify

• BS 15 years or MS 12 years in Aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical Engineering (or related) with extensive spacecraft payload engineering experience.
• US Citizenship with ability to obtain up to TS/SCI clearance
• Demonstrated team player with a willingness to mentor, train, and uplift other team members, openly sharing knowledge and ensuring the team gains exposure to all relevant technical areas.
• Demonstrated payload ownership across at least one spacecraft mission (requirements → I&T → launch → on‑orbit commissioning).
• Deep expertise across mechanical packaging and alignment, thermal interfaces and heat‑rejection design, structural dynamics and vibe/shock, and electrical power interfaces including PCDU behavior, power quality, and protection.
• Strong command of data and timing interfaces (Ethernet, SpaceWire, 1553, CAN, discretes), RF/communications compatibility and colocation, TT&C constraints, radiation effects (TID/SEE) and degradation planning, and EMI/EMC/ESD test planning.
  
  

Preferred Experience

• Direct GEO and/or MEO mission experience (radiation environments, long‑life thermal considerations, operational modes)
• Experience with hosted payloads or multi‑tenant spacecraft models
• Familiarity with advanced RF comms, sensing/observation systems, onboard compute/edge processing
• Proficiency in CAD/FEA tools, thermal modeling, RF/link analysis, requirements tools, and automated test workflows
• Experience working with both traditional primes and commercial spacecraft bus providers
  

SES Space & Defense is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, pregnancy, genetic information, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other protected category under applicable federal, state, and local laws.