Remote Sensing Data Scientist

Description

The company is building a family of infrared imaging missions for global wildfire detection and monitoring, weather and cloud characterization, and space-based environmental monitoring.

The IR Data Products team builds the analytics system that turns data from the spacecraft's custom multispectral imaging instruments into data products and analytics for a range of end users. The team is hiring a Geospatial Data Scientist to build derived data products from the FireSat and Space-Based Environmental Monitoring (SBEM) missions.

This is a hands-on role. You will work with real data from new imaging systems, prototype algorithms that convert Level-1 imagery into higher-level products, and productionize them as code that feeds customer-facing services. You will work alongside senior scientists and product owners, gaining experience across both missions while helping with product design, validation, and documentation. The role spans Earth observation science and fast-moving product work, and suits someone who enjoys technical work and cross-functional collaboration.

The role is hybrid, with three days per week on-site at the Denver, CO office.

Responsibilities

• Build derived data products from the infrared imaging missions across the company's IR programs.
• Develop and refine scalable algorithms that process, transform, and analyze multispectral infrared imagery into geospatial products.
• Help shape derived product design and the roadmap, guided by senior scientists and product owners on the IR Data team.
• Help write technical and customer-facing design documents that link internal capabilities to what external stakeholders need.
• Take part in customer engagement, including Technical Interchange Meetings (TIMs), customer questions, and program meetings.
• Write production-ready code that plugs into customer-facing data product pipelines and operational services.
• Help ensure the scientific quality, quantitative validation, and integrity of derived products across the IR missions.
• Collaborate with software engineers, calibration scientists, and instrument engineers to design, build, and maintain operational data product services.
• Pick up new topics as needed, such as sensor geometry and characterization, georeferencing, wildfire and environmental monitoring, and cloud-native geospatial data engineering.

Requirements

• Hold a PhD, an MS with 3+ years of industry experience, or a BS with 5+ years of industry experience.
• Have hands-on experience building geospatial data products, ideally from new or novel imaging instruments.
• Show that you apply first principles to solve complex problems.
• Have worked with real-world data from new or novel imaging instruments.
• Be strong in Python development and analysis.
• Be strong in Python development using standard geospatial formats and libraries such as COGs, Xarray, and GDAL.
• Communicate well in writing and speaking, with a record of working across distributed, interdisciplinary teams of scientists, engineers, and product staff.
• Work effectively with a distributed, interdisciplinary team that includes scientists, engineers, and data support.
• Reprioritize, change direction, and do well in a fast-paced startup setting.
• Preferred: experience processing multispectral or infrared satellite imagery.
• Preferred: domain expertise in wildfire monitoring, meteorology, weather, environmental remote sensing, or related Earth observation work.
• Preferred: experience supporting satellite mission product development, commissioning, early operations, or operational pipelines delivered to external customers.
• Preferred: demonstrated use of ML/DL and advanced image processing on remote sensing data.
• Preferred: familiarity with cloud-native geospatial workflows and large-scale data processing, AWS preferred.
• Preferred: experience writing technical design documents, product specifications, or algorithm theoretical basis documents (ATBDs).

Conditions

Base salary range is $171,000 - $191,000, plus a competitive equity grant and a comprehensive benefits package. Final pay depends on skills, qualifications, experience, and geographic location, as assessed during interviews.

The company was founded in 2021 as an end-to-end space systems provider. It designs, builds, and operates LEO satellite constellations that deliver mission-critical data. Its integrated technology stack helps customers speed up time-to-orbit and improve constellation remote sensing performance. Its facility in Silicon Valley builds spacecraft and integrates payloads at scale. Its work covers climate monitoring and national security.

The company is registered and able to hire in these states: AL, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, IL, IA, ID, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, NJ, NY, NC, OH, OR, PA, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA.

This role requires access to export-controlled information. Applicants must be a U.S. person (a U.S. citizen or national, a lawful permanent resident, a refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or an asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158), be eligible to access that information without a required export authorization, or be eligible and reasonably likely to obtain the required authorization from the applicable U.S. government agency. The company may, for legitimate business reasons, decline to pursue any export licensing process.

Benefits

• Full-time employees receive equity compensation, medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401k retirement plan, short and long term disability insurance, and life insurance.
• Three weeks of paid vacation for new employees, 12 paid holidays, unlimited sick time, and paid parental leave.