Jobs Ask AI Pay CompareSign in

Wait…

We read every job from the company's own job board. You apply on the company site.Jobs Job types Internships New graduate jobs Pay Reported pay Check an offer Add your pay Compare with LinkedIn Monthly report Companies we cover Make a portfolio page For companies: find people About

Optical SSA / Image Processing Engineer

Foundational, London

Posted pay

Pay not posted

Location: London
Work type: Onsite
Level: Not given
Posted: Sep 30, 2026
Last check: 5 h ago
Job type: Software engineering, Inference & ML systems, ML / AI engineering

Sign in to apply Sign in to save

An account is free. Then you apply on the Foundational site.

F

Foundational

See all Foundational jobs and hiring data

Check my fit

Compare your résumé with this job. See where you match, what is missing and which lines to change.

Sign in to check your fit

The role

This is a future role. We're building a shortlist now and will contact you when it opens.

What you will do

Develop pipelines for detection, streak extraction and astrometry
Calibrate cameras and timing so that measurements are accurate and traceable
Build real-time processing to support closed-loop tracking
Validate results against catalogue orbits and our own laser data
Work with the optics and software teams on camera selection and integration

What you need

A degree in physics, astronomy, computer science or similar
Image processing and computer vision in Python or C++
Astrometry and photometry experience, for example with astropy or Source Extractor
Knowledge of camera sensors: noise, calibration and time-stamping

Nice to have

Space situational awareness or satellite tracking
GPU processing
Machine learning for detection
Amateur astronomy

Pay and benefits

A high-impact role with real ownership at an early-stage, venture-backed spacetech company
EMI share options (UK employees)
25 Days Annual Leave + Bank Holidays
Enhanced Parental Leave
Cycle to work schemes
Work alongside engineers and scientists across optics, lasers, software and astrodynamics
Offices in central London, with snacks, tea, coffee and regular socials

We actively champion underrepresented groups and seek to bridge gaps in our workforce. If you're excited by the role but don't match every point, or you’re seeking a part time role, please apply anyway and add a note into your application. Building the best team is our priority.

About Foundational

Foundational is building the most precise picture of Earth and orbit, using lasers fired from the ground. We call it ground truth for orbit.

We design and run low-cost, autonomous satellite laser ranging stations. They measure the distance to satellites with extreme precision, day and night. Our data platform turns those measurements into tracking data and orbit products for satellite operators, space agencies and governments. We also build our own flight-proven laser retroreflector arrays, so any satellite can be tracked.

Our station network is expanding across continents. The data supports resilient navigation, Earth observation and the safe, sustainable use of space.

We're a small, fast-moving team of engineers, scientists and operators in London. We're backed by venture investors and supported by ESA, the UK Space Agency, and Innovate UK.

Position Overview

London · Full time · On-site

As well as ranging with lasers, our stations track satellites optically. You'll build the image processing that finds, tracks and measures objects in our camera data.

Similar jobs at other companies

Computer Vision Engineer
Observable SpaceLos Angeles, CA
- Hybrid
- ML / AI engineering
$190K–$230K / yr
Posted Aug 26, 2026
LO
Senior Earth Observation Engineer
Loft Orbital SolutionsSan Francisco, CA
- Senior
- Hybrid
- Software engineering
$145K–$205K / yr
Posted Aug 7, 2026
LO
Senior Earth Observation Engineer
Loft Orbital SolutionsGolden, CO
- Senior
- Hybrid
- Software engineering
$130K–$190K / yr
Posted Aug 7, 2026
SK
Signal Chain Processing Engineer
Space KineticEl Segundo, California +1
- Software engineering
$135K–$192K / yr
Posted 26 days ago
B
Staff Electro-Optical Payload Engineer
BlackSkyTukwila, WA or short-term remote +2
- Staff
- Remote
- Software engineering
$155K–$180K / yr
Posted Jul 6, 2026
LO
Backend Software Engineer - Mission Planning Strategy
Loft Orbital SolutionsGolden, CO
- Onsite
- Software engineering
$140K–$190K / yr
Posted today

Source: the Foundational Ashby job board. We last checked this job 5 h ago. We first saw it 3 days ago. A job on a job board does not always mean that the team interviews people now. We found this job board in a public list. We did not yet compare it with the careers page of the company.

F

Foundational

Open tech jobs: 8
With posted pay: 0%

See all Foundational jobs and hiring data