Senior Instrument Systems Engineer

Muon seeks a Senior Instrument Systems Engineer to join our team in Mountain View or San Jose, CA with a focus on infrared remote sensing instruments. The ideal candidate is a self‑motivated engineer with a versatile skill set who is comfortable working across many layers of technical depth from individual components through system level. This role will be a key member of the instrument engineering team, driving development from concept through on‑orbit operations for our national security missions.

Previous experience developing and operating infrared electro‑optical systems, remote sensing instruments, and test infrastructure in fast‑paced and small‑team environments is preferred.

This position is hybrid and requires working on‑site in our Mountain View or San Jose, CA office three days per week.

• Lead instrument architecture trades, define concept of operations, own radiometric model and throughput budget, drive requirements decomposition/flowdown and verification and validation (V&A) planning.
• Develop and manage technical budgets, including mass, power, thermal, line‑of‑sight pointing/jitter, and data volume, to ensure adequate margins throughout development.
• Develop comprehensive interface control documents (ICDs) across mechanical, thermal, electrical, and software interfaces, to drive a modular instrument architecture.
• Support optical instrument assembly, integration, and test (AI&T) planning and implementation, including collaboration with cross‑functional teams.
• Champion the continuous improvement of systems engineering methodologies, tools, and best practices to enhance overall efficiency in instrument development.
• Collaborate and communicate effectively with subsystem engineers and analysts, instrument and spacecraft systems engineers, AI&T and production teams, program managers, external partner teams, and other stakeholders.
• This position participates in a 24/7 on‑call rotation to support on‑orbit anomaly resolution. The on‑call rotation is approximately one week per month.

• B.S., M.S., or Ph.D. in an engineering field, or equivalent experience.
• 5+ years of experience working in a multi‑disciplinary environment, with exposure to imaging systems, infrared remote sensing instruments, and spacecraft.
• Software skills in one or more languages (e.g., Python, Julia).
• Experience with root cause analysis efforts including data analysis and testing.
• Experience performing data analysis, post‑processing, and test report generation.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and organization skills.
• Excited to work in a fast‑paced environment with new challenges each week.
• Ability to obtain TS/SCI security clearance required, active clearance strongly preferred.

• Experience integrating and interpreting STOP analysis results to drive instrument design trades and error budget allocations.
• Experience working hands‑on with precision optical and mechanical metrology equipment.
• Experience supporting environmental testing (thermal stress screening, TVAC, random vibration), integrated spacecraft testing, and launch campaigns.
• Experience working in cleanroom environments.

The salary range for this role is $184,000 to $223,000, plus a competitive equity grant and comprehensive benefits package. Final compensation will be determined based on skills, qualifications, experience, and geographic location as assessed during the interview process.

Founded in 2021, Muon Space is an end‑to‑end Space Systems Provider that designs, builds, and operates LEO satellite constellations delivering mission‑critical data. Our revolutionary, integrated technology stack enables customers to optimize every dimension of their missions for faster time‑to‑orbit and superior constellation remote sensing performance. Our state‑of‑the‑art facility in the heart of Silicon Valley is optimized for manufacturing spacecraft and rapid, flexible payload integration m climate monitoring to national security, Muon Space is dedicated to delivering Earth Intelligence for a safer and more resilient world.

Beyond salary, full‑time employees receive equity compensation as well as benefits…