Payload Engineer Verified today

About Outpost

Outpost is an orbital logistics company building reusable Earth-return vehicles that unlock in-space manufacturing, on-orbit warehousing, and rapid global delivery through space. The CarryAll vehicle family returns payloads from 200 kilograms to 10 metric tons, lands within 10 meters of target, and can be refurbished and relaunched.

The Mission Engineering Team

The Mission Engineering team defines how each Outpost mission flies, from launch integration and on-orbit operations through deorbit, reentry, descent, and recovery. This role establishes the payload engineering discipline, working directly with structures, thermal, avionics, harnessing, and integration and test teams.

Your Responsibilities

• Define payload accommodations for each CarryAll vehicle, including usable volume, mass and center-of-gravity limits, mechanical load paths, power, data, and environmental control capabilities
• Develop and maintain the Outpost standard payload interface, covering mounting patterns, fastener and adapter hardware, connectors, and electrical interface definitions
• Author and maintain the Payload User Guide, payload Interface Control Documents (ICDs), and payload requirements and verification matrices
• Design bespoke payload bays, enclosures, brackets, and adapter structures for customer-specific missions from concept through detailed design, drawing release, and verification
• Define and verify the payload environment across all mission phases: launch loads, vibration, shock, thermal, vacuum and pressure, radiation, reentry deceleration, and landing loads
• Specify payload environmental control approaches, including thermal conditioning, pressurization, humidity, and contamination control, in coordination with subsystem engineers
• Define payload electrical interfaces with avionics and harness teams, including connector selection, harness routing, grounding, and EMI/EMC considerations
• Serve as primary technical point of contact for payload customers, translating customer needs into requirements and leading interface working groups and design reviews
• Support mission feasibility assessments and customer proposals with payload accommodation trades and capability definitions
• Plan and support payload integration, fit checks, environmental testing, and post-recovery payload de-integration
• Establish payload integration processes, handling procedures, and documentation standards that scale across multiple concurrent missions

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, or related field
• 5+ years of experience designing, integrating, or qualifying spacecraft, payload, or launch vehicle hardware
• Demonstrated understanding of the space environment and its effects on hardware, including launch loads, vibration, shock, thermal cycling, vacuum, outgassing, and radiation
• Experience designing flight structures, mounting hardware, or enclosures from concept through drawing release, using CAD tools with working knowledge of GD&T
• Working knowledge of electrical interfaces, including flight connector selection, harness design and routing, pinout definition, and grounding
• Experience authoring or managing ICDs, requirements, and verification plans
• Familiarity with structural and thermal analysis to define requirements and review analysis results
• Clear written and verbal communication, including direct engagement with customers and external partners

Preferred Experience

• Experience with in-space manufacturing, microgravity research, or biopharmaceutical processing hardware
• Experience as the responsible engineer for a hosted or customer-furnished payload through flight
• Experience with reentry, return, or recovered payloads, including post-landing payload retrieval and handover
• Experience with environmental test campaigns and standards such as GSFC-STD-7000 (GEVS) and SMC-S-016
• Experience with pressurized enclosures, active or passive thermal control, or payload conditioning systems
• Experience with contamination control and cleanroom operations (ISO Class 7 or better)
• Experience with launch vehicle or rideshare payload interfaces and payload user guides

Compensation and Benefits

• Competitive compensation: $140,000 to $170,000 commensurate with experience
• Annual performance-based bonuses
• Meaningful equity in Outpost
• Comprehensive healthcare: medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Short- and long-term disability coverage and life insurance
• Paid time off plus 9 paid holidays
• 401(k) with company match
• Daily DoorDash lunch stipend, plus unlimited snacks, coffee, and tea
• Pet-friendly office
• Monthly company happy hours and events

Required Authorization

You must be a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident of the U.S., a protected individual as defined by 22 C.F.R. § 120.15, or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.