Chief EO​/IR Architect; D

Position Overview

As the Chief EO/IR Engineer, you will be involved in all phases of system development, from pre-proposal activities through final design, manufacturing, assembly, integration, verification, and delivery, providing technical direction and leadership to integrated product teams of varying sizes.

There are no direct reports to this position; however, you will be responsible for the oversight and direction of project-specific teams of engineers executing design development of EO/IR systems. Specific responsibilities will include:

• Evaluation and shaping of customer requirements, assisting business development in defining the opportunity spaces in which future contracts lie.
• Development of the top-level system architecture of mission solutions, including optical and electronic design requirements, on-board processing requirements, platform interfaces, and CONOPS.
• Defining, executing, and overseeing system design trades.
• Interfacing with customers throughout the product life cycle as the lead technical representative of the product development team.
• Leading program teams, including other engineering disciplines and interfacing with program management, to develop optical system design concepts and decompose and flow down system requirements to lower-level assemblies and components.
• Preparing and presenting of material for formal design reviews and customer meetings.
• Defining and leading internal IR&D projects.

• Bachelor’s degree with 12+ years of relevant work experience OR 10 years of relevant work experience with Master’s degree.
• Decomposition of complex systems into logical building blocks and the ability to develop the requisite error budgets and requirements traceability.
• Evaluation and definition of the optical, mechanical, electrical, and environmental inputs into an EO/IR system and their influence on overall requirements compliance.
• Program planning including scope definition, resourcing, and budgeting.
• Proficient technical writing skills including proposal content, requirements specifications, verification matrices, verification plans, and verification reports.
• Technical leadership of cross‑functional/discipline teams.

• Experience in architecting and/or developing imaging system solutions for spaceborne missions.
• Knowledge of EO industry technical capabilities (e.g., focal planes, electronics) for space systems, supporting architecting of EO payloads.
• Familiarity with mission level performance requirements including NIIRS (image quality), Modulation Transfer Function (MTF), Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR), Minimum Detectable Target and/or geolocation.
• Familiarity with mission level phenomenology including Solar illuminated signal and thermal emission of objects and background/clutter and appropriate selection of spectral bands.

Pay Range: $210,000 - $260,000. Your actual level and base salary will be determined on a case‑by‑case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: job-related knowledge and skills, education, and experience.

Danbury, CT, Valley Forge, PA, Ypsilanti, MI, or Aurora, CO. The location preference for this position is onsite at our facility in Danbury, CT. However, consideration will be given to work locations in Valley Forge, PA;
Ypsilanti, MI; or Aurora, CO.

• Company contributions to qualified HSA accounts.
• 401(k) retirement plan with industry‑leading company contributions.
• 3 weeks of vacation accrual per year plus time off for sick leave and unscheduled life events.
• 13 paid holidays.
• Upfront tuition assistance for approved degree programs.
• Annual bonus program based on company and employee performance.
• Company‑paid life insurance, AD&D, Short‑Term and Long‑Term disability insurance.
• 4 weeks paid parental leave.
• Employee assistance program (EAP).

This job operates in a professional office environment. While performing the duties of this job, the employee routinely is required to use hands to keyboard, communicate, listen to, and interpret instructions and remain stationary for extended periods of the time. This would require the ability to move around the campus and occasionally…