Senior Spacecraft Systems Engineer - Payload
CesiumAstro · Westminster
$133,908–$160,991
Jul 14, 2026
Westminster
Jul 21, 2026
What this job asks for AI summary
A senior-level systems engineering role focused on spacecraft payload development, spanning the full product lifecycle from requirements definition and architecture through integration, verification, and on-orbit support. The position involves decomposing mission and customer requirements, managing hardware/software interfaces, leading verification planning, and coordinating across mechanical, electrical, software, and test teams. Suits engineers with a solid background in aerospace systems engineering and requirements management.
Senior level · 5+ years · Austin, TX · Bachelor's required · Full-time
Pay in the description: $133,908–$160,991
“or” means any one of them counts — you don't need all of them.
Posted 2 times — it's one opening, so apply once.
We read this from the posting text with AI. Skim the description below before ruling yourself out.
How this req sits in the market our data
Roughly 35 people in the Austin, TX area plausibly meet what this posting asks for (computer occupations, all other). range 10–65
Applicant volume Moderate — A normal amount of company. The rare requirements below are what will separate a shortlisted application from the rest.
Rare in this occupation — lead with these, and say what you built with them.
What the occupation pays Median $132,317 (middle half $83,374–$165,481). This posting is about at that midpoint.
Estimated from BLS employment for this occupation and area, per-skill prevalence across our listing corpus, and published wage benchmarks — as of Jul 28, 2026. It is a model, not a headcount.
Why we read it this way (10)
This is a Systems Engineering role in the aerospace/space domain — not a traditional software or IT occupation. SOC 15-1299 (Computer Occupations, All Other) is the closest available code; 15-1211 (Computer Systems Analysts) is a plausible runner-up given the requirements analysis and traceability work, but the role is more hardware/mission-systems focused than IT-systems focused.
The JD lists tools (Microsoft Office Suite, requirements management tools, MBSE tools, collaboration platforms, configuration management tools, issue tracking tools) under the minimum qualifications section without a hard 'required' qualifier, but their placement in the requirements block treats them as gates.
The MBSE tool requirement names 'CATIA Magic/Cameo' and 'MagicDraw' as alternatives; these are treated as a single requirement with alternatives populated accordingly.
The requirements management tool requirement names 'Jama' and 'IBM DOORS' as alternatives; other common substitutes added.
The configuration management/version control requirement names Git, GitLab, and Bitbucket as alternatives; Git is used as the primary name.
Spacecraft mission planning, launch support, on-orbit operations, and aerospace/defense program experience appear under 'Preferred Experience' and are marked accordingly.
The role requires applicants to be US persons (citizens, LPRs, asylees, refugees) due to US Government Space Technology Export Regulations (ITAR), but no formal security clearance is explicitly required.
Total years minimum is set to 5, reflecting the lower bound of the Bachelor's-level experience range (5–8 years). The JD offers degree/experience substitution paths (Master's: 3–6 yrs; PhD: 0–3 yrs), so 5 years is the floor for the most common entry path.
Location is inferred as Austin, TX based on CesiumAstro's known headquarters; the posting does not explicitly state a city.
Ignored 1 non-technology phrase(s) as skills (responsibilities/concepts, not named tools): spacecraft mission planning.
Read the full posting
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