Senior Instrument Scientist (Simulation)

Location: Remote within the United States; Muon is currently registered and able to hire in 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. Access to export-controlled information requires eligibility under U.S. export regulations.

Salary: $158,000–$207,000 per year, plus equity and benefits.

Company

hirify.global designs, builds, and operates LEO satellite constellations that deliver mission-critical Earth observation data.

What you will do

• Develop and maintain end-to-end performance simulations covering optical, detector, and scanner physics through predicted on-orbit capability.
• Build virtual instrument and digital twin representations of on-orbit hardware and align them with as-built performance.
• Define flight software inputs for operating modes, sensor readout, and scanner control based on simulation results.
• Support on-orbit performance monitoring and anomaly investigations, incorporating findings into simulation models.
• Participate in a 24/7 on-call rotation approximately one week every six weeks for on-orbit anomaly resolution.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral degree in engineering, physics, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• 5+ years of experience coding and simulating performance for imaging systems, remote sensing instruments, or comparable electro-optical hardware.
• Experience building radiometric, geometric, optical, or systems-level instrument performance models.
• Proficiency in Python, Julia, or C++, including tested, reviewed, and maintainable code in a shared codebase.
• Strong communication skills for translating performance predictions into requirements and trade studies across Instrument Systems, Flight Software, and Mission Systems.
• Must meet applicable U.S. export-control eligibility requirements, including U.S. person status or eligibility for the required authorization.

Nice to have

• Familiarity with flight software concepts, operating modes, sensor readout, scanner control, or pointing control.
• Experience with radiometric or geometric calibration methodology.
• Experience with virtual instruments, digital twin architectures, on-orbit commissioning, calibration, validation, or fleet monitoring.
• Ability to apply first-principles physics to validate simulation outputs.

Culture & Benefits

• Full-time employment with equity compensation.
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• 401(k) retirement plan, disability coverage, and life insurance.
• Three weeks of paid vacation, 12 paid holidays, unlimited sick time, and paid parental leave.
• Equal employment opportunity and reasonable accommodation support.