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Payload Integration Jobs in Colorado (NOW HIRING)

Optical Payload Engineer

Golden, CO · On-site

$133K - $172K/yr

Support the development, integration, verification, and performance assessment of optical payload systems for weather observations. * Translate mission and scientific data needs into payload ...

Support the development, integration, verification, and on-orbit performance assessment of GNSS payload systems. * Translate mission and scientific data needs into payload requirements, interfaces ...

Optical Payload Engineer

Golden, CO · On-site

$133K - $172K/yr

Support the development, integration, verification, and performance assessment of optical payload systems for weather observations. * Translate mission and scientific data needs into payload ...

Support the development, integration, verification, and on-orbit performance assessment of GNSS payload systems. * Translate mission and scientific data needs into payload requirements, interfaces ...

Payload Systems Engineer III

Longmont, CO · On-site

$100K - $160K/yr

We design, engineer, and manufacture our own antennas to support the payload integration needs of our customers. About Vitesse Systems Vitesse Systems is a leading provider of highly engineered ...

This role works across the Payload Accommodation subsystem and supports integrated solutions to achieve our vision of "millions of people living and working in space." This individual will apply ...

You will be a trusted technical partner for our customers, many of whom are integrating a payload onto a stratospheric platform for the first time. You will support them at every step from kickoff ...

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Payload Integration information

What is a payload integration?

Payload Integration jobs involve coordinating and managing the process of integrating scientific instruments, satellites, or other cargo (the 'payload') with a launch vehicle, such as a rocket or spacecraft. Professionals in this role work closely with engineering teams, customers, and mission planners to ensure that payloads are properly installed, tested, and meet all safety and interface requirements before launch. They play a critical role in making sure that payloads are delivered into space safely and function as intended. This work requires strong technical knowledge, project management skills, and attention to detail.

What skills and qualifications are needed for payload integration?

To excel as a Payload Integration Engineer, you need a solid background in aerospace or mechanical engineering, strong analytical skills, and experience with payload design and integration processes. Familiarity with CAD software, simulation tools, and industry standards like NASA or ESA protocols, along with relevant certifications, is often required. Excellent problem-solving abilities, teamwork, and effective communication are crucial soft skills for coordinating across multidisciplinary teams. These skills ensure that payloads are safely, efficiently, and accurately integrated into launch vehicles, minimizing risks and maximizing mission success.

What are common challenges faced by payload integration specialists during satellite mission preparation?

Payload integration specialists often encounter challenges such as coordinating between multiple teams (engineering, testing, and mission operations) to ensure compatibility and safety of payloads. Managing tight schedules and adapting to last-minute design changes or unexpected technical issues are also frequent hurdles. Effective communication and strong organizational skills are essential to navigate these complexities and ensure the payload is successfully integrated and ready for launch.

What is the difference between Payload Integration vs Payload Specialist?

AspectPayload IntegrationPayload Specialist
Required CredentialsEngineering degrees, technical certificationsTechnical background, training in payload handling
Work EnvironmentDesign labs, testing facilities, launch sitesLaunch vehicles, spacecraft, mission sites
Employer & Industry UsageAerospace companies, government agenciesNASA, aerospace contractors, space agencies
Common Search & ComparisonYesYes

Payload Integration involves designing, testing, and ensuring payloads are compatible with launch vehicles, focusing on engineering and technical processes. Payload Specialist, on the other hand, is a role that involves operating and managing payloads during space missions, often requiring specialized training for onboard handling. While both roles work closely with payloads, Integration is more technical and preparatory, whereas Specialist is operational during missions.

What cities in Colorado are hiring for Payload Integration jobs?

Cities in Colorado with the most Payload Integration job openings:

MK1 Payload Responsible Engineer - Lunar Permanence

Denver, CO • On-site

Blue Origin
Space Research Administration • 1 - 5K employees

$110K - $155K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

Re-posted 2 days ago


Blue Origin rating

8.8

Company rating: 8.8 out of 10

Based on 92 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz


Job description

Application close date:

Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until the requisition is closed.

At Blue Origin, we envision millions of people living and working in space for the benefit of Earth. We're working to develop reusable, safe, and low-cost space vehicles and systems within a culture of safety, collaboration, and inclusion. Join our team of problem solvers as we add new chapters to the history of spaceflight!

This role is part of the Lunar Permanence business unit, which develops Blue Origin's Blue Moon landers and related products. To further Blue Origin's mission of millions of people living and working in space for the benefit of Earth, we are building sustainable infrastructure for our transport of crew and cargo from Earth to the lunar surface.

As the Payload Responsible Engineer (RE) for the MK1 Lunar Lander Vehicle Engineering team, you will be the primary technical interface between the payload customer and the vehicle engineering organization. You will be responsible for end-to-end payload integration from interface definition through to delivery on the lunar surface. Your passion, expertise, and skills will shape the design, development, integration, and verification of the payload with the spacecraft and play a critical role in mission success.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

  • Lead integration, test, and verification of the integrated payload with the vehicle
  • Own the payload-vehicle requirements and ICD
  • Create and execute verification plans for the payload-vehicle requirements and ICD, delivering verification evidence against requirements
  • Develop and deliver test plans that define resources, dependencies, and sequencing for integrated payload and vehicle tests
  • Own the test scope, objective definition, and success criteria for integrated payload and vehicle tests
  • Develop test matrices and configuration requirements for both Vehicle Test Bed (VTB) and flight vehicle integration campaigns, and prepare Test Integration Readiness Reviews (TIRRs) to support VTB dry-runs.
  • Own end-to-end test planning and post-execution data analysis for Hardware-Software Integration (HSI) test campaigns, driving findings to closure across payload and vehicle teams
  • Lead response to integrated payload-vehicle test findings, including troubleshooting, anomaly disposition, tracking, and status reporting
  • Establish and maintain traceability between requirements, interfaces, and testing
  • Evaluate and communicate the impacts of proposed interface changes to vehicle and customer stakeholders
  • Serve as the primary technical point of contact for the payload customer, leading interface negotiations, resolving technical discrepancies, and communicating vehicle constraints and capabilities
  • Define and manage mechanical, electrical, thermal, data, and RF payload-vehicle interfaces through the mission lifecycle
  • Prepare and present material for program reviews and customer meetings as the payload integration technical authority
  • Coordinate with vehicle subsystem teams to assess payload impacts and drive resolution of cross-discipline integration issues

Minimum Qualifications

  • B.S. degree in aerospace engineering, systems engineering, or related field
  • 5+ years of Systems Engineering experience on flight hardware programs, with demonstrated ownership of interface requirements and ICDs
  • Detailed knowledge of space systems design, interfaces, and requirements including mechanical, electrical, thermal, data, and RF
  • Experience planning and executing integration testing, including defining test objectives and success criteria, leading anomaly investigations, and driving resolution
  • Experience with spacecraft payload integration with NASA or commercial payload customers, including interface definition, test, and verification
  • Demonstrated ability to communicate complex technical information effectively to stakeholders including customers, subsystem engineers, and program leadership
  • Must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum

Preferred Qualifications

  • Experience leading technical reviews for a complex spaceflight or aviation system
  • Experience with design and construction standards for space systems
  • Experience with lunar, deep space, or planetary missions
  • Expertise with requirements management and systems engineering tools
  • Expertise in one or more payload interface disciplines such as mechanical, electrical, thermal, data, or RF

Base Pay Range for:

CO applicants is $110,938.00 - $155,312.85 WA applicants is $121,023.00 - $169,432.20

Other site ranges may differ


Culture Statement

Don't meet all desired requirements? Studies have shown that some people are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single desired qualification. At Blue Origin, we are dedicated to building an authentic workplace, so if you're excited about this role but your past experience doesn't align perfectly with every desired qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.


Export Control Regulations

Applicants for employment at Blue Origin must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (i.e. current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S.as a refugee or granted asylum.


Background Check

  • Required for all positions: Blue's Standard Background Check
  • Required for Certain Job Profiles: Defense Biometric Identification System (DBIDS) background check if at any time the role requires one to be on a military installation
  • Required for Certain Job Profiles: Drivers who operate Commercial Motor Vehicles with a Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW), Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) or combination of power unit and trailer that meets or exceeds 10,001 lbs. and/or transports placardable amounts of hazardous materials by ground in any vehicle on a public road while in commerce, may be subject to additional Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations including: Driver Qualification Files, Medical Certification (obtained before onboarding), Road Test, Hours of Service, Drug and Alcohol Testing, vehicle inspection requirements, CDL requirements (if applicable) and hazardous materials transportation/shipping training.
  • Required for certain Job Profiles: Ability to obtain and maintain Merchant Mariner Credential, which includes pre-employment and random drug testing as well as DOT physical

Benefits

  • Benefits include: Medical, dental, vision, basic and supplemental life insurance, paid parental leave, short and long-term disability, 401(k) with a company match of up to 5%, and an Education Support Program.
  • Stock Options for all regular employees (working at least 20 hours/week)
  • Paid Time Off: Up to four (4) weeks per year based on weekly scheduled hours, and up to 14 company-paid holidays.
  • Dependent on role type and job level, employees may be eligible for benefits and bonuses based on the company's intent to reward individual contributions and enable them to share in the company's results, or other factors at the company's sole discretion. Bonus amounts and eligibility are not guaranteed and subject to change and cancellation. Please check with your recruiter for more details.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Blue Origin is proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer and is committed to attracting, retaining, and developing a highly qualified and dedicated work force. Blue Origin hires and promotes people on the basis of their qualifications, performance, and abilities. We support the establishment and maintenance of a workplace that fosters trust, equality, and teamwork. We provide all qualified applicants for employment and employees with equal opportunities for hire, promotion, and other terms and conditions of employment, regardless of their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin/ethnicity, age, physical or mental disability, genetic factors, military/veteran status, or any other status or characteristic protected by federal, state, and/or local law. Blue Origin will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with applicable federal, state, and local laws, including the Washington Fair Chance Act, the California Fair Chance Act, the Los Angeles Fair Chance in Hiring Ordinance, and other applicable laws. For more information on "Know Your Rights," please see here.


Affirmative Action and Disability Accommodation

Applicants wishing to receive information on Blue Origin's Affirmative Action Plans, or applicants requiring a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in the application and/or interview process, please contact us atEEOCompliance@blueorigin.com. Please note this is a publicly managed inbox. Please do not include any personal medical information in your request.



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About Blue Origin

Sourced by ZipRecruiter

Blue Origin is a private aerospace manufacturing and suborbital spaceflight services company based in Kent, Washington, USA. Established in 2000 by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, the company operates in the cutting-edge aerospace industry aiming to build a future where millions of people can live and work in space. They develop a variety of technologies, with a focus on reusable rocket systems which significantly reduce the cost of space travel. Blue Origin's core mission is to make this vision come to life by incrementally building on its successes with an ultimate vision of dramatic cost reduction and increased reliance on reusable spacecraft.

Industry

Space research administration

Company size

1,001 - 5,000 Employees

Headquarters location

Kent, WA, US

Year founded

2000