BlackSky
Principal Satellite Ground Segment Architect
About Us: BlackSky is a real-time intelligence company. We own and operate the world's most advanced space-based intelligence platform and provide customers satellite imagery, automated analytics and high-frequency monitoring of strategic locations, economic assets and events from around the globe. BlackSky is trusted by the most demanding allied military and intelligence organizations and commercial companies to deliver foresight into critical matters that affect national security and the economy. BlackSky's data enables governments and businesses to see, understand and anticipate change as it happens, giving them the ultimate strategic advantage so they can act quickly. Our global team works with cutting-edge technology to make a difference around the world and prides itself on being people-first, customer-focused and fun. We are seeking an experienced principal-level Satellite Ground Segment Architect with the primary responsibility to design, implement, and maintain the organizations current and future architecture. This position reports within the office of the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and reports to the Senior Director of System Solutions. As an individual contributor, this architect will routinely collaborate across a diverse set of technical and business leaders within the CTO office and across BlackSky offices. The ideal candidate will have a combination of expertise across a broad set of technical areas including satellites, Electro-Optical payloads, ground systems, space communications, software development, customer solutions, program scheduling and costing, and industry partnerships. The candidate must be a proven self-starter, highly organized, and have an ability to balance competing priorities in resource constrained environments. While we would prefer a candidate local to one of our offices (Herndon, VA or Seattle, WA) we will be open to strong remote candidates in select states. Responsibilities: Design, develop and maintain BlackSkys ground segment architecture spanning ground subsystems (which include mission planning software, ground hardware infrastructure, image processing software, and computer vision algorithms):
Provide an architectural framework for end-to-end ground system development, maintenance, and enhancement efforts. Communicate with internal and external groups to determine functional requirements and translate those requirements to engineering specifications for implementation within the BlackSky architecture. Understand the interactions between systems, applications, and services within the architecture and evaluate the impact of changes or additions. Ensure the accuracy and completeness of architecture documentation. Work closely with developers, engineers, and the product team to develop road maps for system capabilities, align development plans, and ensure effective capability integration across space and ground subsystems.
Lead data analysis from complex space and ground systems, apply knowledge of statistics, software scripting, modeling and simulation, and advanced mathematics to recognize patterns, identify opportunities, and propose solutions to customer and business objectives and decisions:
Lead the evaluation, development, and recommendation of capabilities, products, and requirements to provide cost-effective solutions that meet business, technology, and customer requirements.
Collaborate with business managers and technical groups to address important customer issues and find innovative solutions to difficult problems. Other responsibilities as needed. Required Qualifications: Bachelors degree in aerospace engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field or equivalent experience. At least 15 years of relevant experience with five (5) years experience in the remote sensing industry. Strong knowledge of satellite ground system architectures and design of satellite ground systems. Demonstrated experience defining and documenting system Concepts of Operations, functional requirements, and performance requirements. Must be a US-born citizen. Experience architecting complex software systems. Able to decompose complex problems into pieces and components. Familiarity with Software Engineering best practices and process including agile development. Knowledge of software enterprise design patterns. Experience designing Software APIs, system integrations and Data Models. Familiarity with software life cycle from product concept through operations and maintenance and toolchains used to manage this process (JIRA, Git, etc.). Effective communication skills to represent architectural and engineering concepts and decisions across varied stakeholders including Engineering, Sales, Customers, Product Management. Experience developing Concepts of Operations and derived engineering requirements based on complex Customer and Mission requirements. Preferred Qualifications: Familiarity with the geospatial domain and systems that leverage GIS data, especially from satellite systems and remote sensing. Experience with component(s) of the ground segment for satellite systems including mission planning, ground stations, order management, image production, or AI/ML or analogous systems. Former software engineering and software architecture experience for production systems, especially Satellite or product based SAAS. Experience with geographic information systems (GIS) applications to create, edit, and analyze geospatial data. Experience with Cloud-based computing architectures and virtual machine environments. Experience designing, developing, and evaluating predictive models and advanced algorithms that lead to optimal value extraction from the data. Life at BlackSky for full-time US benefits eligible employees includes : Medical, dental, vision, disability, group term life and AD&D, voluntary life and AD&D insurance BlackSky pays 100% of employee-only premiums for medical, dental and vision and contributes $100/month for out-of-pocket expenses! 15 days of PTO, 11 Company holidays, four Floating Holidays (pro-rated based on hire date), one day of paid volunteerism leave per year, parental leave and more 401(k) pre-tax and Roth deferral options with employer match Flexible Spending Accounts Employee Stock Purchase Program Employee Assistance and Travel Assistance Programs Employer matching donations Mac or PC? Your choice! Awesome swag The anticipated base salary range for candidates in Seattle, WA is $180,000-220,000 per year. The final compensation package offered to a successful candidate will be dependent on specific background and education. BlackSky is a multi-state employer, and this pay scale may not reflect salary ranges in other states or locations outside of Seattle, WA. BlackSky is committed to hiring and retaining a diverse workforce. We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer All Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law. To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Interested in building your career at BlackSky? Get future opportunities sent straight to your email. Apply for this job
* First Name * Last Name * Email * Phone * Location (City) * Resume/CV * Enter manually Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf Enter manually Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf LinkedIn Profile Are you a U.S. Citizen or U.S. Person? To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. * What are your compensation expectations? Please do not put "zero" or "negotiable" as we want to discern if we can meet your expectations. * How did you hear about this opportunity? * Are you related to anyone affiliated with BlackSky? * Voluntary Self-Identification
For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey.Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiringprocess or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file. As set forth in BlackSkys Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law. If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis as follows: A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability. A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service. An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense. An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985. Select... Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability
Form CC-305 Page 1 of 1 OMB Control Number 1250-0005 Expires 04/30/2026 Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability
Form CC-305 Page 1 of 1 OMB Control Number 1250-0005 Expires 04/30/2026 Why are you being asked to complete this form? We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years. Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labors Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp . How do you know if you have a disability? A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your major life activities. If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, for example: Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally) Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS Blind or low vision Cancer (past or present) Cardiovascular or heart disease Celiac disease Cerebral palsy Deaf or serious difficulty hearing Diabetes Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders Epilepsy or other seizure disorder Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome Intellectual or developmental disability Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD Missing limbs or partially missing limbs Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinsons disease, multiple sclerosis (MS) Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities Partial or complete paralysis (any cause) Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema Short stature (dwarfism) Traumatic brain injury Disability Status Select... PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete. #J-18808-Ljbffr
About Us: BlackSky is a real-time intelligence company. We own and operate the world's most advanced space-based intelligence platform and provide customers satellite imagery, automated analytics and high-frequency monitoring of strategic locations, economic assets and events from around the globe. BlackSky is trusted by the most demanding allied military and intelligence organizations and commercial companies to deliver foresight into critical matters that affect national security and the economy. BlackSky's data enables governments and businesses to see, understand and anticipate change as it happens, giving them the ultimate strategic advantage so they can act quickly. Our global team works with cutting-edge technology to make a difference around the world and prides itself on being people-first, customer-focused and fun. We are seeking an experienced principal-level Satellite Ground Segment Architect with the primary responsibility to design, implement, and maintain the organizations current and future architecture. This position reports within the office of the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and reports to the Senior Director of System Solutions. As an individual contributor, this architect will routinely collaborate across a diverse set of technical and business leaders within the CTO office and across BlackSky offices. The ideal candidate will have a combination of expertise across a broad set of technical areas including satellites, Electro-Optical payloads, ground systems, space communications, software development, customer solutions, program scheduling and costing, and industry partnerships. The candidate must be a proven self-starter, highly organized, and have an ability to balance competing priorities in resource constrained environments. While we would prefer a candidate local to one of our offices (Herndon, VA or Seattle, WA) we will be open to strong remote candidates in select states. Responsibilities: Design, develop and maintain BlackSkys ground segment architecture spanning ground subsystems (which include mission planning software, ground hardware infrastructure, image processing software, and computer vision algorithms):
Provide an architectural framework for end-to-end ground system development, maintenance, and enhancement efforts. Communicate with internal and external groups to determine functional requirements and translate those requirements to engineering specifications for implementation within the BlackSky architecture. Understand the interactions between systems, applications, and services within the architecture and evaluate the impact of changes or additions. Ensure the accuracy and completeness of architecture documentation. Work closely with developers, engineers, and the product team to develop road maps for system capabilities, align development plans, and ensure effective capability integration across space and ground subsystems.
Lead data analysis from complex space and ground systems, apply knowledge of statistics, software scripting, modeling and simulation, and advanced mathematics to recognize patterns, identify opportunities, and propose solutions to customer and business objectives and decisions:
Lead the evaluation, development, and recommendation of capabilities, products, and requirements to provide cost-effective solutions that meet business, technology, and customer requirements.
Collaborate with business managers and technical groups to address important customer issues and find innovative solutions to difficult problems. Other responsibilities as needed. Required Qualifications: Bachelors degree in aerospace engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field or equivalent experience. At least 15 years of relevant experience with five (5) years experience in the remote sensing industry. Strong knowledge of satellite ground system architectures and design of satellite ground systems. Demonstrated experience defining and documenting system Concepts of Operations, functional requirements, and performance requirements. Must be a US-born citizen. Experience architecting complex software systems. Able to decompose complex problems into pieces and components. Familiarity with Software Engineering best practices and process including agile development. Knowledge of software enterprise design patterns. Experience designing Software APIs, system integrations and Data Models. Familiarity with software life cycle from product concept through operations and maintenance and toolchains used to manage this process (JIRA, Git, etc.). Effective communication skills to represent architectural and engineering concepts and decisions across varied stakeholders including Engineering, Sales, Customers, Product Management. Experience developing Concepts of Operations and derived engineering requirements based on complex Customer and Mission requirements. Preferred Qualifications: Familiarity with the geospatial domain and systems that leverage GIS data, especially from satellite systems and remote sensing. Experience with component(s) of the ground segment for satellite systems including mission planning, ground stations, order management, image production, or AI/ML or analogous systems. Former software engineering and software architecture experience for production systems, especially Satellite or product based SAAS. Experience with geographic information systems (GIS) applications to create, edit, and analyze geospatial data. Experience with Cloud-based computing architectures and virtual machine environments. Experience designing, developing, and evaluating predictive models and advanced algorithms that lead to optimal value extraction from the data. Life at BlackSky for full-time US benefits eligible employees includes : Medical, dental, vision, disability, group term life and AD&D, voluntary life and AD&D insurance BlackSky pays 100% of employee-only premiums for medical, dental and vision and contributes $100/month for out-of-pocket expenses! 15 days of PTO, 11 Company holidays, four Floating Holidays (pro-rated based on hire date), one day of paid volunteerism leave per year, parental leave and more 401(k) pre-tax and Roth deferral options with employer match Flexible Spending Accounts Employee Stock Purchase Program Employee Assistance and Travel Assistance Programs Employer matching donations Mac or PC? Your choice! Awesome swag The anticipated base salary range for candidates in Seattle, WA is $180,000-220,000 per year. The final compensation package offered to a successful candidate will be dependent on specific background and education. BlackSky is a multi-state employer, and this pay scale may not reflect salary ranges in other states or locations outside of Seattle, WA. BlackSky is committed to hiring and retaining a diverse workforce. We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer All Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law. To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Interested in building your career at BlackSky? Get future opportunities sent straight to your email. Apply for this job
* First Name * Last Name * Email * Phone * Location (City) * Resume/CV * Enter manually Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf Enter manually Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf LinkedIn Profile Are you a U.S. Citizen or U.S. Person? To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. * What are your compensation expectations? Please do not put "zero" or "negotiable" as we want to discern if we can meet your expectations. * How did you hear about this opportunity? * Are you related to anyone affiliated with BlackSky? * Voluntary Self-Identification
For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey.Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiringprocess or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file. As set forth in BlackSkys Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law. If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis as follows: A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability. A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service. An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense. An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985. Select... Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability
Form CC-305 Page 1 of 1 OMB Control Number 1250-0005 Expires 04/30/2026 Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability
Form CC-305 Page 1 of 1 OMB Control Number 1250-0005 Expires 04/30/2026 Why are you being asked to complete this form? We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years. Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labors Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp . How do you know if you have a disability? A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your major life activities. If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, for example: Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally) Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS Blind or low vision Cancer (past or present) Cardiovascular or heart disease Celiac disease Cerebral palsy Deaf or serious difficulty hearing Diabetes Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders Epilepsy or other seizure disorder Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome Intellectual or developmental disability Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD Missing limbs or partially missing limbs Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinsons disease, multiple sclerosis (MS) Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities Partial or complete paralysis (any cause) Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema Short stature (dwarfism) Traumatic brain injury Disability Status Select... PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete. #J-18808-Ljbffr