Staff Solutions Engineer

Location: Sioux Falls, SD Security Clearance: US Citizen/Clearable As our Staff Solutions Engineer, you will be the technical bridge between our stratospheric balloon technology and the real-world challenges of our customers. You'll sit at the intersection of high-altitude hardware, data delivery, and market strategy. This role can also be located in Arlington, VA. The Role This is not a "behind-the-desk" engineering role. You are a problem-solver who thrives on customer interaction. You will work directly with partners in defense, telecommunications, and environmental monitoring to translate their "what ifs" into "here's how." You’ll also be a key voice in our commercial strategy—helping us figure out not just how the tech works, but how we position it to win in a competitive global market. What You’ll Do Architect Solutions: Partner with customers to deeply understand their pain points and design mission profiles using our stratospheric platforms, payloads, and partner technology. Bridge the Gap: Translate complex technical requirements from the field into actionable insights for our internal Product and R&D teams. Strategic Positioning: Analyze the competitive landscape to help refine our value proposition. You’ll identify where our tech beats the competition and help us lean into those markets. Technical Sales Support: Lead technical demonstrations and pilot programs, proving the ROI of "near-space" solutions. Mission Design: Oversee the technical feasibility of payload integrations, ensuring customer sensors and tech are optimized for the stratospheric environment. What We Are Looking For Technically Fluent: You have an engineering background (Aerospace, EE, Systems, or similar) and can speak confidently about link budgets, payload integration, and atmospheric conditions. Customer‑Focused: You enjoy the "discovery" phase—asking the right questions to uncover what a client actually needs versus what they think they want. Strategic Thinker: You don’t just build; you look at the market. You understand pricing, competitive models, and how to pitch technology as a business solution. The "Plus" Factor (Preferred): You have experience in Commercial Imagery/Remote Sensing. If you’ve sold or integrated SAR, EO/IR, or hyperspectral data, you’ll hit the ground running. Education and Experience Bachelor’s degree in engineering, business, or related field preferred. The best candidates will have a strong background in commercial data sales, and not just from the technical side— from the market and strategy side. 10+ years of job experience preferred, with 4+ years as a technical or business leader. MBA, PMP, Systems certifications a plus. Travel: Some travel expected ( #J-18808-Ljbffr