Senior Product Systems Engineer (San Francisco)

San Francisco, CAProduct Systems Engineering – Product Systems /Full time /On-siteWanna join the adventure?Loft Orbital builds a space infrastructure providing a fast & simple path to orbit. Using different flight proven buses, we design, integrate and operate spacecraft to fly physical or virtual customer payloads. We handle entire missions end to end, significantly reducing the lead-time and risk of a traditional space mission.As a Senior Product Systems Engineer at Loft, you will own the architecture of our overall offering — the layer that sits above any single implementation team and brings coherence across ground, space, software, and hardware. You will define how Loft's platform is structured, how capabilities are allocated across segments, and how customers, third-party software, and Loft's own stack interact.This is not a role about executing within a defined system. It is about shaping the system itself— making cross-cutting architecture decisions, defining interfaces and requirements at the offering level, and ensuring the ground processing chain and customer-facing tooling evolve in a way that is coherent, reusable, and product-relevant. You will work closely with engineering, product, and operations teams across sites, and your work will directly influence how Loft's offering is built, exposed, and scaled.About this role:Help define the general architecture of Loft’s offering across ground and spaceSupport capability allocation across hardware, software, ground, flight, Loft-owned components, and external componentsEnsure the ground processing chain is defined and evolved as a coherent part of the offeringHelp shape ground software tools and interfaces as the main entry point for customersClarify the interaction model between OBSW, ground software, customer software, third-party software, and Loft’s stackHelp define, organize, and maintain requirements, interfaces, and architectural boundaries for offering-level topicsCoordinate architecture discussions and drive alignment between product intent, system architecture, and implementation realities across teamsContribute to CONOPS, ICDs, architecture notes, trade studies, and related technical documentationHelp ensure solutions are reusable, scalable, and understandable rather than tailored only to one missionSupport architecture reviews and technical decision-making on cross-cutting topicsMust Haves:Strong systems engineering background in complex technical products spanning software and hardwareExperience working at the boundary between architecture definition, requirements structuring, and engineering implementationAbility to structure complex systems into clear capabilities, interfaces, requirements, and responsibilitiesStrong understanding of software-heavy systems, including distributed components, APIs, processing chains, and integration patternsAbility to coordinate cross-functional technical work across several teams without relying on direct authorityStrong communication and documentation skills, including the ability to turn technical ambiguity into a clear framework for decisions and executionSound engineering judgment on the right level of rigor, abstraction, and specification for a growing organizationNice to Haves:Experience with space systems, including ground segment tooling, onboard software, or customer-facing technical platformsExperience defining integration models involving customer-owned or third-party softwareExperience with architecture trade studies, capability allocation, and system-level interface managementFamiliarity with CONOPS, ICDs, and other architecture or interface documentation methodsExperience with onboard data processing and cloud-based ground softwareExperience in international and cross-site engineering collaborationSome of Our Awesome Benefits:100% company-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance option for employees and dependentsFlexible Spending (FSA) and Health Savings (HSA) Accounts offered with an employer contribution to the HSA100% employer paid Life, AD&D, Short-Term, and Long-Term Disability insuranceFlexible Time Off policy for vacation and sick leave, and 12 paid holidays401(k) plan and equity optionsDaily catered lunches and snacks in officeInternational exposure to our team in FranceFully paid parental leave; 14 weeks for birthing parent and 10 weeks for non-birthing parentCarrot Fertility provides comprehensive, inclusive fertility healthcare and family-forming benefits with financial supportOff-sites and many social events and celebrationsRelocation assistance when applicable$180,000 - $230,000 a yearState law requires us to tell you the base compensation range for this role, which is $180,000- $230,000 per year in California. This is determined by your education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities. The salary range for this role is intentionally wide as we evaluate individuals based on their unique experience and abilities to fit our needs. Most importantly, we are excited to meet you, and see if you are a great fit for our team. What we can’t quantify for you are the exciting challenges, supportive team, and amazing culture we enjoy.*Research shows that while men apply to jobs where they meet an average of 60% of the criteria, women and other underrepresented people tend to only apply when they meet 100% of the qualifications. At Loft, we value respectful debate and people who aren’t afraid to challenge assumptions. We strongly encourage you to apply, even if you don’t check all the boxes.Who We AreLoft: Space Made Simple. Founded in 2017, Loft provides governments, companies, and research institutions with a fast, reliable, and simple way to deploy missions in orbit.We integrate, launch, and operate spacecraft, offering end-to-end missions as a service across Earth observation, IoT connectivity, on-orbit AI, national security missions, and more. Leveraging our existing space infrastructure and an extensive inventory of satellite buses, Loft is reducing years-long integration and launch timelines to months. With more than 30 missions flown, Loft’s flight heritage and proven technologies enable customers to focus on their mission objectives.With a growing fleet on track to reach 30 satellites by 2027, we are scaling up quickly across our offices in San Francisco, CA | Golden, CO | and Toulouse, France to meet accelerating demand for space infrastructure.As an international company your resume will be reviewed by people across our offices so please attach a copy in English.We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.