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Contract Payload Operator Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Lynk

RF/Electrical Engineer

Chantilly, VA · On-site

Today, Lynk allows mobile network operators' subscribers to send and receive text messages to and ... Designing and planning payload testing configurations on the ground when testing payload ...

Loft Federal

Head of Programs

Arvada, CO · On-site

... payloads, mission software, security requirements, subcontractors, mission operations, revenue timing, and federal contract obligations all have to come together in a disciplined operating rhythm.

New

Menlo Ventures

Senior Manager, Contracts

Laguna Beach, CA · On-site

$145 - $245/hr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Retirement

  • PTO

We build autonomous spacecraft, advanced payloads, mission software, and space-based interceptors ... a lean organization and operating with supervised independence. Beyond individual contract ...

True Anomaly

Senior Manager, Contracts

Denver, CO · On-site

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Retirement

  • PTO

We build autonomous spacecraft, advanced payloads, mission software, and space-based interceptors ... a lean organization and operating with supervised independence. Beyond individual contract ...

GITAI

Technical Program Manager, Mission Integration

Los Angeles, CA

$139K - $179K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Life

  • Retirement

  • PTO

... payload integration, logistics, contract commitments, risks, and decisions. * Read and interpret ... A hands-on individual-contributor operating style. You will personally run meetings, maintain ...

GITAI

Technical Program Manager, Mission Integration

Los Angeles, CA · On-site

$139K - $179K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Life

  • Retirement

  • PTO

... payload integration, logistics, contract commitments, risks, and decisions. * Read and interpret ... A hands-on individual-contributor operating style. You will personally run meetings, maintain ...

CoreWeave

Senior Systems Engineer, OS Automation

Livingston, NJ · On-site

$113K - $155K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Life

  • Retirement

  • PTO

Design and evolve versioned service contracts (gRPC / Connect-RPC, Protobuf) with strong ... Comfort operating in a Kubernetes-based environment and reasoning about how software is built ...

Scout Space

Senior Mission Systems Engineer

Reston, VA · On-site +1

$108K - $148K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Life

  • Retirement

Support optical payload design concepts from whiteboard to launch, including development ... S. Government space programs, Department of Defense (DoD) contracts, and/or NASA mission ...

Scout Space

Senior Mission Systems Engineer

Reston, VA · On-site +1

$108K - $148K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Life

  • Retirement

Support optical payload design concepts from whiteboard to launch, including development ... S. Government space programs, Department of Defense (DoD) contracts, and/or NASA mission ...

Pae

$56.50/hr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Life

  • Retirement

  • PTO

Assist pilot in command (PIC) of MQ-9 aircraft and provide safe operation of aircraft payloads ... Positions governed by a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), the McNamara-O'Hara Service Contract ...

Scout Space

Senior Mission Systems Engineer

Reston, VA · On-site

$108K - $148K/yr

Support optical payload design concepts from whiteboard to launch, including development ... S. Government space programs, Department of Defense (DoD) contracts, and/or NASA mission ...

K2 Space

Senior Mechanisms Engineer, Optical

Los Angeles, CA · On-site

$112K - $154K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Life

  • PTO

... in signed contracts across commercial and US government customers - we're mass-producing the ... Operating our own vehicles and manifesting regular rides to space uniquely positions K2 to design ...

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How much do contract payload operator jobs pay per week?

As of Aug 16, 2026, the average weekly pay for contract payload operator in the United States is $4,395.67, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $2,403.85 and $6,538.46 per week, depending on experience, location, and employer.
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Contract Payload Operator jobs near you
Infographic showing various Contract Payload Operator job openings in the United States as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 43% Full Time, 55% Part Time, 1% Contract, and 1% Nights. Highlights an 99% Physical, and 1% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $228,575 per year, or $109.9 per hour.

RF/Electrical Engineer

Lynk

Chantilly, VA • On-site

Full-time

Re-posted 22 days ago

Job description

About Lynk
Lynk is the inventor of satellite direct to device or D2D technology, and has the world's only commercial license from the FCC to operate a commercial D2D system. Today, Lynk allows mobile network operators' subscribers to send and receive text messages to and from space via standard unmodified, mobile devices. Lynk's service has been tested and proven on all seven continents, has regulatory approvals in more than 30 countries and is currently being deployed commercially based on more than 40 MNO commercial service contracts covering approximately 50 countries.
Our technology will enable all 8 billion people on the planet to stay connected with the existing standard phone in their pocket. Everywhere. No matter what.
By joining Lynk, you will have the opportunity to directly touch the lives of billions. Your mission will be to bring mobile broadband to billions, pull hundreds of millions out of poverty, and save countless lives.
Job Summary
As an RF/Electrical Engineer at Lynk, you will be responsible for wearing many hats in the world of radio frequencies, electronics, hardware, and software. You will be responsible for the analysis, design, implementation, optimization and enhancement of our nanosatellite communications payload, and, ultimately, the future constellation network. Some work products will include link budgets analyses, system dimensioning for coverage and capacity including traffic analysis and simulation, initial system design and dimensioning, coverage planning, frequency planning, interference analysis and mitigation techniques. This engineer will also be responsible for supporting the iterative design and test of our nanosatellite payload hardware/electronics and software. This will include working with software defined radios, single-board computers, FPGAs, SoCs, processors, LNAs, and filters - you will also be involved in our payload antenna selection and design. While playing with all this hardware on a bench, you'll probably need to pick up a soldering gun, use a spectrum analyzer, assemble circuits on a breadboard, and/or configure an RF channel simulator.
If you enjoy the challenge of wearing many hats and have a track record of creative thinking to solve unconventional problems, then we look forward to meeting you!
Core Responsibilities
Because Lynk is a small company, the RF/Electrical Engineer will be responsible for straddling engineering work in the domains of RF, electrical, mechanical, and software engineering.
  • Support design of spacecraft payload hardware, including single-board computers, SDRs, FPGAs, SoCs, processors, LNAs, filters, amplifiers, etc., and software design and development.
  • Support selection and design of nanosatellite antenna technologies
  • Develop link budget analyses, simulations, traffic/capacity analysis, RF system design and dimensioning, coverage and frequency planning, etc.
  • Support spacecraft payload integration, testing, delivery to launch and spacecraft bus partners/vendors.
  • Designing and planning payload testing configurations on the ground when testing payload communications performance both in-lab and in-orbit.
  • Interface with Systems Engineering team to inform constellation/network architecture and design based on RF communications payload performance.
  • Bench level mechatronics work including testing, integration, assembly, programming and prototyping of electronics hardware and software.
  • Some software-based Systems Engineering analysis.
  • Supporting developing and maintaining technical documentation for payload design and development.
  • Must be able to work independently and in a team environment.

Qualifications
  • A Bachelor's degree or better in RF or Electrical Engineering.
  • Experience working on projects developing space payload hardware and software, preferably communications systems.
  • Hands-on experience with software-defined radios, antennas, FPGAs, GPUs, CPUs, SoCs, single-board computers, microcontrollers is highly desired.
  • Programming Proficiency in one or more programming languages is highly desired, such as, C++, C, Python, MATLAB, etc.
  • Should have experience working with Linux based systems.
  • Familiarity with VHDL or Verilog and Altera or Xilinx FPGAs is desired.
  • Proficiency with electrical design software, such as Altium is a plus.
  • Strong knowledge and understanding of RF air interfaces and their use of multiple access schemes such as TDMA, FDMA, OFDMA, CDMA, etc. is highly desired.
  • Hands-on experience with integrating hardware and software systems is desired.
  • Must be good with computers. Fluent in Linux, Windows, and Mac OSX, very capable with Microsoft Office... Excel, Project, PowerPoint, Word.
  • Hands-on experience with programming microcontrollers and SDRs is desired.
  • Knowledge of some communications/networking protocols, for instance, IP, TCP/IP, SNMP, SDH/SONET, Ethernet, Carrier Grade Ethernet, DSL, SS7, ISDN, Q2931, B-ISDN, X.25, 802.11, 802.16, SIP, TDMA, FDMA, CDMA, LTE, EDGE, GPRS, HSPA, GSM, etc.

ITAR Requirements
To comply with U.S. Government export control regulations (ITAR), applicants must be one of the following: (i) a U.S. citizen or national, (ii) a lawful permanent resident (green card holder), (iii) a refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) an asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158. Individuals who do not meet these criteria must be eligible to obtain the necessary authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. For more information, please refer to the ITAR guidelines.
Learn about ITAR here.
Job Location
Chantilly, VA

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