Image Processing Engineer

Image Processing Engineer

BELONG. CONNECT. GROW. with K .

Around here, we define the future. We are a company of innovators, thinkers, creators, explorers, volunteers, and dreamers. But we all share one goal: to improve the world responsibly and safely.

Join us at the Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center and help shape the future of Earth science data systems. As part of our mission-driven team, you'll contribute to projects that make a global impact, supporting research, innovation, and technology that empower scientists and decision-makers worldwide.

K  is seeking an Image Processing Engineer in Sioux Falls, SD, to support the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center. This is a full-time, onsite position requiring consistent, in-person collaboration with team members, scientists, and mission partners.

In partnership with NASA and the Landsat project, this position supports Landsat product generation, which processes satellite imagery used by scientists, researchers, government agencies, and organizations around the world. You will develop and optimize high-performance image processing applications that support operational satellite data processing and future Earth observation initiatives.

• Contribute to meaningful, mission-critical Earth science initiatives
• Develop software supporting one of the world's longest-running satellite programs
• Work alongside experienced engineers and scientists who value innovation
• Apply advanced software engineering techniques to large-scale image processing systems
• Solve complex performance and scalability challenges
• Work with modern cloud technologies and scientific data-processing platforms

As a Image Processing Engineer, you will independently execute engineering tasks and contribute throughout the software development lifecycle.

• Design, develop, and maintain image-processing software components
• Develop software primarily in C, with supporting development in Python
• Optimize algorithms and processing workflows to reduce runtime and improve processing throughput
• Design and maintain applications that write to and query relational databases
• Develop solutions that ingest, process, and distribute large volumes of satellite imagery and derived products
• Support cloud-based image-processing architectures and workflows
• Perform software planning, requirements refinement, and technical design activities
• Develop, execute, and document unit and integration tests
• Troubleshoot operational processing issues and implement corrective actions
• Participate in code reviews, design reviews, and technical discussions
• Collaborate closely with Systems Engineers, Software Engineers, Scientists, and mission stakeholders

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mathematics, Physics, or a related technical discipline.

• Seven or more years of professional software engineering experience
• Experience developing software in C within Linux/Unix environments
• Experience working with data-intensive processing systems
• Experience supporting cloud computing environments
• Experience interfacing with relational database systems

• Strong proficiency in C programming
• Working knowledge of Python
• Experience writing software that interfaces with databases
• Relational database experience
• Linux/Unix expertise
• Experience improving software performance and decreasing processing runtime
• Strong understanding of software development lifecycle practices
• Experience with Git-based source control management
• Excellent analytical, organizational, and communication skills
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively within a highly skilled technical team

• Digital image processing experience
• Remote sensing or Earth observation experience
• Scientific computing experience
• Cloud-native processing architectures
• AWS cloud services experience
• Postgres database experience
• Satellite ground-system experience
• Mathematics, physics, or related scientific background
• Experience with AI-assisted software development and documentation tools

• Three years of…