Start: Upon close of our pre-seed round, targeted for end of 2026

About Us

Eternal Missions exists to secure U.S. space infrastructure from counterspace threats. We're building a space protection payload to solve the most important problem in national security space. Protecting critical missions demands new approaches not just in hardware and software, but in how they're integrated, and solutions that are both state of the art and able to scale to meet the threat.

We're a pre-seed company building the team that will take the payload from architecture to flight hardware. You'd be one of the first engineering hires, working directly with the founder and CEO, shaping the technical roadmap rather than executing one someone else wrote.

About the Timing

This role is planned to begin when our pre-seed round closes, targeted for completion by the end of 2026. We're recruiting now so we can move quickly once funded, and we'll be open with candidates about where the raise stands throughout the process. Any offer will be contingent on the funding close.

What You'll Work On

• Architect and build the sensing pipeline, from an FPGA front end to embedded GPU-class edge compute (sensor fusion, tracking, classification).

• Integrate novel optical sensors hands-on, from bench characterization through flight-representative testing.

• Develop embedded flight software in C/C++, and use Python for tooling, simulation, and data analysis.

• Shape radiation-tolerant and fault-tolerant design decisions as we move toward a flight unit.

• Own technical decisions across architecture, vendor selection, and test plans.

• Design and bring up the payload's custom electronics, from schematic capture and layout through board-level test and debug.

What We're Looking For

Must-have:

• Strong FPGA/HDL experience (VHDL or Verilog), ideally on Xilinx Zynq or similar SoC platforms

• Embedded systems development in C and C++

• Proficiency in Python for tooling, data analysis, or ML pipelines

• Comfort working across the hardware/software boundary; this is not a pure software role

Strongly preferred (any of the following):

• Space avionics or flight software experience, whether at a prime, a newspace company, or a government lab or FFRDC

• Machine learning or computer vision experience, especially classification or tracking on constrained hardware

• Experience with emerging or non-traditional imaging sensors

• Familiarity with radiation-tolerant design, TMR, or fault-tolerant computing

• A background in space domain awareness or sensor characterization

• PCB design experience (Altium, KiCad, or similar), ideally including high-speed interfaces (DDR, SerDes, MIPI) and board bring-up

Founder-stage mindset:

• Comfortable building from zero, with no existing team, playbook, or infrastructure to lean on

• Motivated by early-stage ownership and impact

• Driven by the mission of securing U.S. space infrastructure

Compensation

• Base salary: $100,000 – $180,000, depending on experience

• Equity: meaningful founding-engineer equity

Eligibility

This position requires access to technical data controlled under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). Applicants must be U.S. persons as defined by 22 C.F.R. § 120.62 (U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, asylees, or refugees). This role may require obtaining a U.S. security clearance in the future.

How to Apply

Submit your resume and a short note about something you've built using the form below.

Eternal Missions is an equal opportunity employer. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law, consistent with applicable export control requirements.

Start: Upon close of our pre-seed round, targeted for end of 2026

About Us

Eternal Missions exists to secure U.S. space infrastructure from counterspace threats. We're building a space protection payload to solve the most important problem in national security space. Protecting critical missions demands new approaches not just in hardware and software, but in how they're integrated, and solutions that are both state of the art and able to scale to meet the threat.

We're a pre-seed company building the team that will take the payload from architecture to flight hardware. You'd be one of the first engineering hires, working directly with the founder and CEO, shaping the technical roadmap rather than executing one someone else wrote.

About the Timing

This role is planned to begin when our pre-seed round closes, targeted for completion by the end of 2026. We're recruiting now so we can move quickly once funded, and we'll be open with candidates about where the raise stands throughout the process. Any offer will be contingent on the funding close.

What You'll Work On

• Architect and design the payload's electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) optical and optomechanical systems, from optical layout through mounts, baffles, and housings.

• Design lens and mirror mounts, flexures, and athermalized structures that hold alignment through launch loads and on-orbit thermal environments.

• Run integrated structural-thermal-optical performance (STOP) analysis, tolerancing, and stray-light analysis to drive design decisions.

• Lead hands-on optical assembly, alignment, and integration, from bench prototypes through flight-representative environmental testing (vibration, thermal vacuum).

• Own technical decisions across optical design, materials and vendor selection, and test plans.

What We're Looking For

Must-have:

• Strong optomechanical design experience, including lens/mirror mounting, flexure design, and tolerancing

• Proficiency in mechanical CAD (SolidWorks, NX, or Creo) and GD&T

• Experience with optical design or analysis tools (Zemax OpticStudio, CODE V, or similar)

• Hands-on experience with optical alignment, assembly, and test

• Comfort working across optics, mechanics, and thermal; this is not a pure CAD role

Strongly preferred (any of the following):

• Space optics experience: designing, building, or testing optical systems for spaceflight

• EO/IR payload experience on space or airborne systems, whether at a prime, a newspace company, or a government lab or FFRDC

• STOP analysis experience, including FEA (Ansys, Nastran, or similar) and thermal modeling

• Stray-light analysis and baffle design (FRED, ASAP, or similar)

• Familiarity with space-qualified materials (Invar, titanium, SiC, beryllium) and contamination control

• Experience taking optical hardware through vibration, shock, and thermal vacuum testing

• Python for analysis and test data reduction

Founder-stage mindset:

• Comfortable building from zero, with no existing team, playbook, or infrastructure to lean on

• Motivated by early-stage ownership and impact

• Driven by the mission of securing U.S. space infrastructure

Compensation

• Base salary: $100,000 – $180,000, depending on experience

• Equity: meaningful founding-engineer equity

Eligibility

This position requires access to technical data controlled under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). Applicants must be U.S. persons as defined by 22 C.F.R. § 120.62 (U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, asylees, or refugees). This role may require obtaining a U.S. security clearance in the future.

How to Apply

Submit your resume and a short note about something you've built using the form below.

Eternal Missions is an equal opportunity employer. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law, consistent with applicable export control requirements

Don't See Your Role?

We're hiring for a small number of founding roles now, but the right person matters more than the right job title. If you're exceptional at something that would help us get to orbit, and our mission resonates with you, we want to hear from you even if it isn't listed.

We're especially interested in people with experience in:

• Spacecraft and payload systems engineering, integration, and test

• Mechanical, structural, or thermal engineering for space hardware

• Detection, tracking, and classification algorithms, or EO/IR data exploitation

• Space domain awareness, missile warning, or counterspace mission areas

• Flight software, ground systems, or mission operations

• Government business development, capture, or program management in national security space

This isn't an open position today. We'll reach out directly when a role opens that fits your background.