Optical Systems Engineer Jobs in Virginia (NOW HIRING)

Advanced Electro-Optical (EO) Systems Engineer

Target Labor Category: Intermediate, Senior, Subject Matter Expert (SME)
Position Location: Chantilly, VA (Customer Site)
Clearance Required: TS/SCI with Polygraph

Position Overview

Stratos Solutions has an opportunity for an Advanced Electro-Optical (EO) Systems Engineer to support an Intelligence Community (IC) Space customer within the GEOINT Ground System Program Office (G2SPO) in Northern Virginia. The selected candidate will provide technical expertise supporting the development, acquisition, integration, and operational employment of advanced Electro-Optical (EO) remote sensing systems and associated GEOINT ground processing capabilities.

This role supports the Government in evaluating next-generation EO technologies, assessing system performance, advising on mission architectures, and ensuring new capabilities satisfy operational mission requirements. The successful candidate will work closely with government engineers, acquisition teams, system developers, mission operators, and industry partners to provide technical leadership across the lifecycle of advanced EO systems-from concept development through operational deployment.

The ideal candidate possesses a deep understanding of EO imaging systems, remote sensing physics, image formation, collection phenomenology, calibration techniques, and GEOINT exploitation workflows. Experience supporting National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), or Intelligence Community space programs is highly desirable.

If you are passionate about advancing the nation's premier Electro-Optical GEOINT capabilities and enabling mission success through innovative engineering, we encourage you to apply.

About Stratos Solutions

Stratos Solutions delivers mission-focused engineering, acquisition, and operations support to the Intelligence Community and national security space enterprise. As an employee-owned company, Stratos combines technical excellence, operational agility, and a deep commitment to customer mission success. Our teams work at the forefront of space and intelligence innovation supporting programs critical to national security.

Responsibilities

The Advanced Electro-Optical Systems Engineer will provide technical expertise supporting the engineering, acquisition, integration, and operational employment of advanced EO collection systems and GEOINT processing capabilities.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

Electro-Optical Systems Engineering

• Provide technical expertise supporting advanced Electro-Optical (EO) collection systems, payloads, and associated ground processing architectures.
• Evaluate EO system performance, sensor capabilities, and mission effectiveness across the system lifecycle.
• Support systems engineering activities including requirements development, architecture analysis, design reviews, integration, testing, and operational transition.
• Assess technical approaches and engineering trade studies supporting future EO capability development.
• Review technical documentation, interface specifications, architecture products, and engineering baselines.

EO Phenomenology & Remote Sensing

• Apply expertise in EO phenomenology, image formation, radiometry, optics, detector technologies, and sensor physics.
• Evaluate the effects of atmospheric conditions, illumination geometry, environmental factors, and collection geometry on image quality and mission performance.
• Analyze imaging performance metrics including spatial resolution, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), modulation transfer function (MTF), dynamic range, and radiometric performance.
• Support calibration, characterization, and validation of EO sensor performance.
• Advise Government stakeholders on the operational capabilities and limitations of EO collection systems.

GEOINT Mission Integration

• Support integration of EO collection capabilities with GEOINT processing, exploitation, and dissemination (PED) architectures.
• Evaluate interoperability between collection systems, processing baselines, exploitation tools, and enterprise GEOINT services.
• Support mission planning, collection optimization, and operational employment of EO capabilities.
• Collaborate with mission operators to ensure technical solutions support operational mission requirements.
• Assess impacts of system changes on downstream GEOINT exploitation workflows.

Technical Assessments & Program Support

• Conduct independent technical assessments of contractor designs, engineering solutions, and system performance.
• Participate in technical interchange meetings, engineering reviews, architecture review boards, and acquisition milestone activities.
• Identify technical risks and provide recommendations to improve system performance, reliability, maintainability, and mission effectiveness.
• Develop technical reports, white papers, engineering assessments, and executive briefings supporting Government decision-making.
• Support technology roadmaps and modernization planning for future EO capabilities.

Emerging Technologies & Innovation

• Evaluate emerging EO sensor technologies, advanced focal plane arrays, computational imaging techniques, onboard processing, AI/ML-enabled exploitation, and cloud-based GEOINT architectures.
• Assess opportunities to improve collection efficiency, image quality, automation, and mission responsiveness.
• Maintain awareness of advances in commercial remote sensing, imaging technologies, and Intelligence Community GEOINT capabilities.
• Provide technical recommendations supporting future capability investments and mission modernization.

Required Qualifications

Education & Clearance

• Bachelor's Degree in Optical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics, Aerospace Engineering, Systems Engineering, Remote Sensing, Geospatial Science, Applied Mathematics, or a related technical discipline.
  (Relevant experience may substitute for degree requirements.)
• Active TS/SCI with Polygraph.

Technical & Functional Skills

• Experience supporting Electro-Optical (EO) remote sensing systems, imaging payloads, or GEOINT collection programs.
• Strong understanding of EO phenomenology, optics, detector technologies, image formation, and remote sensing physics.
• Experience supporting systems engineering activities across the system lifecycle.
• Knowledge of GEOINT collection, processing, exploitation, and dissemination (PED) workflows.
• Experience evaluating system performance, technical risks, and engineering trade studies.
• Ability to analyze complex technical problems and develop practical engineering recommendations.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with experience briefing senior Government leadership and technical stakeholders.

Desired Skills / Qualifications

• Experience supporting the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), particularly GEOINT Ground System Program Office (G2SPO) activities.
• Experience supporting the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) or other Intelligence Community GEOINT organizations.
• Knowledge of advanced space-based EO imaging architectures and associated ground processing systems.
• Experience with radiometric calibration, geometric calibration, sensor characterization, image quality analysis, or optical system performance evaluation.
• Familiarity with image exploitation software, GEOINT processing baselines, and enterprise GEOINT architectures.
• Experience supporting Electro-Optical payload integration, mission planning, or collection operations.
• Knowledge of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), multispectral, hyperspectral, or multi-INT integration concepts.
• Experience supporting acquisition programs, Systems Engineering and Technical Assistance (SETA), or Government program offices.
• Familiarity with Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE), requirements management tools, or digital engineering practices.
• Advanced degree (M.S. or Ph.D.) in Optical Engineering, Physics, Remote Sensing, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical field is highly desirable.
• INCOSE CSEP, PMP, or other relevant professional certifications are a plus.