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Senior Payload Systems Engineer Verified today

Vantor · Westminster, CO · Payload · first seen 2026-10-29
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Vantor is hiring a Senior Payload Systems Engineer to join the SpaceWrx team in Westminster, CO. This hybrid role offers in-office workdays Tuesday through Thursday and remote work Monday and Friday.

You'll manage end-to-end development of our next-generation satellite constellation, including architecture and requirements for mission, vehicle, and payload elements. You'll work with top-tier suppliers during manufacturing, integration, and test, and support launch and initial on-orbit operations.

Your responsibilities

  • Manage the technical interface between imaging payload and spacecraft bus, ensuring compatibility and joint performance optimization across electrical, mechanical, thermal, and data interfaces.
  • Lead and participate in system-level trades to evaluate design alternatives, performance vs. cost/risk trade-offs, and technology insertion opportunities.
  • Participate in supplier management via site visits, review of deliverable artifacts, and design reviews (SRR, PDR, CDR), working across disciplines to ensure payload systems meet performance, reliability, and environmental constraints.
  • Support development of a comprehensive payload concept-of-operations including modeling and evaluation of power, data, and timing interactions across all states and modes.
  • Participate in the evaluation of emerging technologies, COTS/FoS hardware, and new mission concepts with an eye toward system-level integration feasibility.
  • Assess and troubleshoot emerging payload and bus designs.

Minimum qualifications

  • U.S. Citizen with an active secret Security Clearance or ability to obtain secret clearance.
  • Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Physics, or related technical field.
  • 5-7 years of experience working with space-based optical remote sensing payloads or similar hardware systems.
  • Demonstrated experience with spacecraft-to-payload interface development and working with multiple space segment teams in a cross-functional role.
  • Experience with general software tools such as MATLAB and Python, and ability to learn and utilize new tools as dictated by evolving job demands.
  • Understanding of requirements management documentation (e.g., specifications and ICDs) and processes.
  • Previous experience working across organizational boundaries, e.g., between payload, spacecraft, and ground teams.

Preferred qualifications

  • Master's or PhD in Aerospace Engineering, Systems Engineering, or Physics.
  • Proven experience in systems engineering for space platforms, including awareness of specialty disciplines such as radiation survivability and electromagnetic compatibility.
  • Experience with modeling tools such as STK, SPICE, HFSS, or signal integrity/power analysis software.
  • Familiarity with imaging payloads (visible, multispectral, or hyperspectral), data processing requirements, and performance metrics (SNR, MTF, etc.).
  • Familiarity with current and emerging technologies, including in the areas of FPGAs, processors, memory, and storage devices.
  • Experience with fault management, redundancy architectures, and design for reliability in long-duration space missions.
  • Familiarity with space industry quality and standards frameworks (NASA GSFC, JPL, ECSS, MIL-STD-1547, IPC standards).

Compensation

Base pay for this position within Colorado: $109,000 to $159,500 annually, based on experience, qualifications, skills, location, and market conditions. This position is incentive eligible with a target based on contribution, company performance, and/or individual results achieved.

Benefits

Vantor offers a competitive total rewards package including a robust 401(k) with company match, mental health resources, student loan repayment assistance, adoption reimbursement, and pet insurance.