Payload Data Processing Engineer

About the Position

Payload Data Processing Engineer

Berlin | On-site

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About the Company

At constellr, we use thermal intelligence from space to understand what is happening on Earth - where, when and at scale. Our satellite constellation delivers high-resolution land surface temperature data, giving governments, defence organisations, commercial operators and global institutions the intelligence they need to monitor change, assess risk and make better-informed decisions.

From national security and critical infrastructure to agriculture and climate resilience, constellr turns temperature into actionable intelligence for a changing world.

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Responsibilities

• Develop a deep understanding of the payload data, metadata, imaging modes and detector behavior, and of how detector, optical and electronics design influences processing algorithms and product quality.
• Work with TDI and block-TDI concepts and translate instrument operating modes into appropriate processing-chain designs.
• Follow data from L0 to L1C and trace artifacts and anomalies from the ground product back to their detector, electronics or spacecraft origin.
• Analyze timing, synchronization and telemetry, including multiple clocks, PPS synchronization, drift, offsets, temperatures, attitude and pointing information.
• Develop sensor and payload-data simulators for new satellite systems, including realistic data formats, metadata, timing behavior and imaging artifacts.
• Support instrument characterization, commissioning and in-orbit performance analysis.
• Contribute to the design of next-generation onboard processing, potentially up to L1C, taking into account DPU and platform constraints such as compute, memory, power, data rate, latency, real-time and deterministic processing, and radiation.
• Adapt ground algorithms to the constraints of the onboard processor. You define what the algorithm must look like to fit the hardware. This may include moving prototypes from Python to C++ or Rust.
• Act as a technical bridge between payload/satellite engineering and operations and the ground processing.

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Requirements

Required:

• Degree in physics, electrical/electronics engineering, aerospace engineering, remote sensing, computer engineering/science or a related field.
• Several years of relevant professional experience with EO satellite imaging systems, payload data or sensor/image processing.
• Strong understanding of imaging sensors, detectors, imaging modes and ideally TDI and compression architectures.
• Understanding of onboard timing: multiple clocks, PPS synchronization, and how timestamp errors arise and are corrected.
• Solid understanding of L0–L1C (L2a a plus) processing, including radiometric and geometric aspects of optical/thermal sensors.
• Strong Python skills for analysis, prototyping and algorithm development.
• Ability to understand performance-critical software and work across the boundary between algorithms and hardware.
• A systems mindset: you naturally think in terms of sensor → electronics → payload → spacecraft → processing → product.
• Ability to work independently, take ownership and communicate effectively across disciplines.
• Excellent English communication skills.

Nice to Have:

• C++ or Rust, or experience porting algorithms to constrained, embedded or real-time targets.
• Experience with onboard processing or payload data handling units.
• Sensor/instrument simulation and synthetic data generation.
• Image compression and high-throughput data handling.
• Radiometric calibration, NUC and sensor characterization.
• MWIR/TIR-specific experience in sensor design and processing needs.

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We Offer

• High-Impact National Security Mission: Be part of an ambitious mission to launch the world’s first commercial thermal infrared constellation, delivering sovereign-grade "behavioural" intelligence from space to close critical blind spots for defence, intelligence, and maritime surveillance agencies.
• Fast-Paced "New Space" Innovation: Work at the leading edge of a rapidly evolving defence sector. By leveraging modern, agile New Space methodologies, you will help design, build, and deploy dual-use thermal payloads into operational orbit at a speed and scale that traditional aerospace models simply cannot match.
• Broad Interdisciplinary Exposure: Accelerate your professional growth by collaborating daily with a diverse, international cohort of astrophysicists, software developers, and defence-system engineers.
• Inclusive & Scientific Culture: Join a high-trust team deeply committed to diversity, inclusion, and scientific excellence, where academic curiosity is paired with high autonomy and a flat hierarchy.
• Financial Upside & Well-being: Benefit from a Virtual Share Option Plan (VSOP) for permanent employees, giving you a true stake in the company's growth, alongside highly flexible hybrid working models.