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Salary: USD 184,000 - 202,000 / annual
Muon Space, a LEO satellite constellation provider founded in 2021, seeks a Manager of Instrument Design to lead a multidisciplinary team of optical and optomechanical engineers. You will establish technical vision, design methodologies, and execution frameworks for multispectral thermal IR instruments used in Earth observation and national security applications.
As a technical leader and functional manager, you will define architecture standards, oversight processes, and optical design/analysis frameworks. Key responsibilities include leading and mentoring a high-performing engineering team; establishing technical frameworks for optical subsystem development including error budgeting, performance modeling, and STOP analysis; providing architectural oversight for precision optomechanical layouts and optical bench design; defining standards for stray light analysis and optical coatings; maintaining vendor management strategy for optical components; driving cross-functional alignment with mechanical, structural, and thermal engineering teams; establishing standards for optical assembly, alignment, test, and calibration; and serving as optical lead on select R&D initiatives.
You will retain deep engineering background to contribute as an optical subsystem lead while focusing primarily on leadership, technical governance, and internal capability building. The role requires expertise in sequential and non-sequential optical design software (Zemax, Code V, FRED, LightTools), optomechanical CAD (SolidWorks), STOP analysis, precision optical metrology, cleanroom alignment, and environmental testing. Python proficiency for performance modeling is required. You must have direct experience developing space-based or airborne remote sensing hardware, specifically multispectral thermal IR payloads or cryogenically cooled imaging systems. Security clearance eligibility is required.
The position is hybrid, requiring three days per week on-site in Mountain View, CA. Muon Space operates a state-of-the-art Silicon Valley facility optimized for spacecraft manufacturing and rapid payload integration.
