Loftorbital Opportunities

Wanna join the adventure? Are you passionate about optical payloads, image quality, and turning pixels into products customers can actually use? If so, this is the perfect role for you! Loft flies multiple satellites per year and is building the next generation of Earth observation capability - from payload design through calibration, processing, and delivery - across a growing fleet of spacecraft. We're looking for a Senior Earth Observation Engineer to serve as the technical authority for optical payloads, image quality, and Earth observation mission performance across Loft. This role requires expertise in imagery calibration, optical payloads, and image processing pipelines. You'll work closely with mission teams, customers, and payload suppliers to define performance requirements, drive payload development and test, support in-orbit calibration and commissioning, and ensure Loft can reliably process and deliver imagery to customers. You'll help build the data processing and image-quality foundation that turns raw payload data into a sellable product, enabling Loft to simulate, calibrate, and deliver imagery across diverse customer missions and to leverage the AI boom through vision-based Earth observation.

Work with Earth observation customers to derive mission and payload requirements, along with verification techniques, and flow these down to software and hardware teams, including suppliers

Follow and drive optical payload suppliers' development and test activities

Develop, with the AIT and OPS teams, the on-ground and in-orbit test and calibration strategy

Develop the on-board and on-ground data processing strategy

Support the Lead Systems Engineer in mission CONOPS development

Support business development activities for optical payload customers and Earth observation virtual missions

Support test procedures and participate in integration, test campaigns, launch, and in-orbit commissioning

Contribute to and own the development of the company's Earth observation roadmap

You have 5 or more years of demonstrated experience as a space systems engineer on earth observation missions

You are very familiar with image quality metrics and imagery calibration aspects (geometric, radiometric, spectral, etc.)

You have good experience in optical payloads

You have coded in Python for at least one year

You have strong communication and organizational skills

You challenge norms in aerospace engineering and testing activities, and/or have experience in a fast-paced development environment

You handle pressure positively and are always ready to put in the hands-on work

Good knowledge of deep learning and artificial neural networks

Experience in optics and detector technologies

Experience in optical ground support equipment

Knowledge of ADCS and navigation/flight dynamics aspects

International experience

100% company-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance option for employees and dependents

Flexible Spending (FSA) and Health Savings (HSA) Accounts offered with an employer contribution to the HSA

100% employer paid Life, AD&D, Short-Term, and Long-Term Disability insurance

Flexible Time Off policy for vacation and sick leave, and 12 paid holidays

401(k) plan and equity options

Daily catered lunches and snacks in office

International exposure to our team in France

Fully paid parental leave; 14 weeks for birthing parent and 10 weeks for non-birthing parent

Carrot Fertility provides comprehensive, inclusive fertility healthcare and family-forming benefits with financial support

Off-sites and many social events and celebrations

Relocation assistance when applicable