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Tomorrow.io is a weather intelligence and climate resilience platform building a proprietary satellite constellation for global atmospheric observation. The company combines satellite technology, AI forecasting, and analytics to deliver hyper-local weather insights for organizations and governments.
As an Optical Payload Engineer, you will support the development, integration, verification, and performance assessment of electro-optical and infrared (EO/IR) payloads for the weather observation constellation. You'll work at the intersection of optical engineering, imaging systems, spacecraft engineering, and atmospheric science.
Key responsibilities include:
- Translating mission and scientific objectives into payload requirements, interfaces, performance budgets, and verification plans in collaboration with senior engineers and atmospheric scientists
- Supporting optical and imaging performance analyses including radiometry, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), image-quality budgets, detector performance, and modulation transfer function (MTF)
- Designing, characterizing, and validating imaging sensors, optical payload subsystems, detectors, and electro-optical hardware
- Evaluating payload performance drivers such as aperture, focal length, detector pitch, stray light, thermal gradients, structural stability, jitter, and spacecraft interfaces
- Supporting radiometric calibration and characterization activities to ensure payload performance meets mission objectives
- Assessing thermal, structural, and environmental effects on optical alignment and image quality
- Participating in payload integration and test activities including optical alignment, calibration, environmental testing, and test-data analysis
- Collaborating across payload, spacecraft, software, systems, and science teams to identify technical risks and resolve integration issues
- Establishing and maintaining clear technical requirements, interfaces, verification documentation, and engineering analyses
- Supporting payload activities throughout the lifecycle from design through launch, commissioning, and on-orbit operations
You bring 4-7+ years of hands-on engineering experience developing, integrating, testing, or operating EO/IR, imaging, optical payload, airborne sensing, or comparable electro-optical systems. Strong fundamentals in imaging system performance (detector behavior, radiometry, SNR, MTF, image quality) are essential. Experience with imaging sensors, detectors, optical assemblies, electro-optical hardware, focal plane systems, or optical payload subsystems is required. You have working knowledge of optical performance characterization, calibration, and validation, and familiarity with performing or reviewing SNR calculations and performance budgets. Exposure to optical alignment, radiometric calibration, environmental testing, or payload test data analysis is highly valuable. You understand spacecraft-level considerations including thermal distortion, radiation effects, structural stability, vibration, and jitter. Strong collaboration and communication skills, sound engineering judgment, and a proactive approach to technical problem-solving are essential.
