The RoleK2's plan doesn't stop at satellite buses, however. By operating our own vehicles and manifesting regular rides to space, K2 is uniquely positioned to design, test, and deploy-at-scale ambitious, "limit-of-physics" optical payloads in MEO, GEO, cis-lunar, and deep space on unprecedented timelines. The satellite bus is the platform - the payloads are the mission.
The tasks that a Photonic Systems Engineer would contribute to at K2 include some or all of the following:
- Architecting, developing, building, and deploying K2's photonic circuits
- Space-qualifying our COTS transceiver, and proposing on-orbit network-level CONOPs / FDIR to ensure packets aren't dropped during radiation events
- Consult on and contribute to optical payload software (on a limited, case-by-case basis)
- Advise on intra-satellite networking
Responsibilities - Responsible for delivering the...
- system architecture, SNR budget, and system-specific modeling (ex. stray light, fiber coupling);
- detailed optical design and tolerancing;
- development plan (risk reduction timeline, division of labor, test strategy);
- environmental qualification and reliability testing;
- technical leadership of vendors and external partners, including component qualification, supply-chain development, and transition to volume manufacturing; and
- laboratory characterization, system-level validation, mission readiness, and on-orbit commissioning plan
... of photonic technologies supporting K2's suite of high-volume optical payloads.
- Collaborate with the optical and satellite bus teams to determine feasibility and optimal system requirements for photonic technologies.
- Prepare design reviews for your optical system to get stakeholder buy-in and communicate expectations to the hardware, software, test, and manufacturing teams.
- Forecast staffing needs, define roles, and interview candidates to ensure the optical payloads team is staffed appropriately to deliver on schedule.
- Mentor the engineers supporting you to make them more capable and autonomous in the realm of optical system development in the future - scoping work, providing feedback throughout, and reviewing and signing off on the quality of their work.
Qualifications - Bachelor's degree in physics, optics, computer science, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, or a related technical field.
- 8+ years of experience in the design, manufacture, and test of optical systems.
- Experience designing and deploying optical systems at every phase of the product life cycle (requirements generation, design, analysis, tolerance, procure, build, align, test, deploy, operate).
Nice to Have - Familiarity with high-volume manufacturing - broad knowledge of manufacturing techniques, design for manufacturability, supply chain management, and productionization of assembly and test processes.
- Experience conducting experimental research, data analysis, and visualizing esoteric datasets.
- Understanding of the failure modes of electrical, mechanical, and optical systems in space environment.
Compensation and Benefits: - Base salary range for this role is $110,000 - $280,000 + equity in the company
- Salary will be based on several factors including, but not limited to: knowledge and skills, education, and experience level
- Comprehensive benefits package including paid time off, medical/dental/vision coverage, life insurance, paid parental leave, and many other perks
If you don't meet 100% of the preferred skills and experience, we encourage you to still apply! Building a spacecraft unlike any other requires a team unlike any other and non-traditional career twists and turns are encouraged!
