Optical Payload Electronics Manager
Sunnyvale, California
Sunnyvale, California
Job Responsibilities
Job ID: 721407BR Date posted: Apr. 15, 2026
Description:Space is a critical domain, connecting our technologies, our security and our humanity. While others view space as a destination, we see it as a realm of possibilities, where we can do more — we can innovate, invest, inspire and integrate our capabilities to transform the future.
At Lockheed Martin Space, we aim to harness the full potential of space to cultivate innovation, reduce costs, and push the boundaries of what technology can achieve. We’re creating future-ready solutions, focusing on resiliency and urgency through our 21st Century Security® vision. We’re erasing boundaries and forming partnerships across industries and around the world. We’re advancing spacecraft and the workforce to fuel the next generation. And we’re reimagining how space can connect us, ensuring security and prosperity.
Join us in shaping a new era in space and find a career that's built for you.
Are you passionate about state-of-the-art technology, and seeing your work applied to real life applications that travel to space? Then join Lockheed Martin Space’s Optical Talent Center (OTC) as an Optical Payload Electronics Manager! The OTC enables new frontiers in visible-light and infrared systems, missile defense, space exploration and much more. Our amazing people are on a mission to make a difference in the world and every single day we use our unique skills and experiences to create, design and build solutions some of the world’s hardest engineering problems.
We are seeking a leader with a track record of delivering to technical, schedule, and financial commitments, and driving the best customer and enterprise value as a result. We want someone who demonstrates a breadth of technical knowledge across multiple functions and a variety of program experience. The Optical Payload Electronics Manager is someone with exceptional communication skills, and a proven ability to represent the organization to customers, employees, and partners.
As the Optical Payload Electronics Manager, you will:
• Partner with Lines of Business (LOB), OTC Program Development, and OTC Payload Systems Engineering teams to develop architectures in a consistent manner to allow use of common products
• Develop transition plans for low TRL products from the science and technology community
• In coordination with OTC Program Development, propose and execute IRAD projects with a goal of standardization and maturation
• Enhance relationships with strategic suppliers and other LM Business Areas (BAs) to compliment the in-house OTC team
• Perform as part of the Integrated Product Team (IPT) in cases where an OTC make is selected
• Work closely with Payload IPTs leads and LOB leadership to understand mission drivers. Fold emerging mission trends into product roadmap to ensure a discriminating edge
• Implement and lead technical knowledge management to develop and maintain core competencies, key technical skills, knowledge continuity and facilitate career advancement opportunities to employees
• Handle staffing requirements sustain engineering capabilities and preserve critical skills.
Ideally, you will have a background in electro-optical engineering and possess degree from an accredited program in a related discipline, such as Bachelors degree in Mechanical, Electrical, or other Engineering/Science field.
Basic Qualifications:
• Demonstrated experience with delivering space flight electronics
• Established experience in developing technical talent and building pipelines to sustain technical expertise within the organization
• US Citizenship with the ability to obtain and maintain a TS/SCI government clearance
Desired Skills:
• Have experience in interfacing, biasing and controlling focal plane assemblies. For passive EO, we work with staring and scanning FPAs in the visible and IR domain. For active EO, we work across multiple types of lidar receiver arrays, primarily GmAPD
• Have experience working across space and ground applications. Our systems include ground-to-ground, space to ground (and vice versa), and space to space
• Have experience in developing payload controller and image data processors. The Payload controller typically receives high level commands from the bus controller. The payload controller is responsible for decomposing bus commands into smaller, discrete commands that may be pushed out to a variety of nodes on the payload
• Have experience in developing image data processors. These image data processors may perform a range of processing. The processing may be relatively straightforward computations such as bad pixel mapping and non-uniformity correction. More complex processing may include machine learning/deep learning and autonomous decision making
• Have experience in developing laser/lidar controllers. These controllers must have the ability to control and sequence a laser system through various turn on/turn off sequences. This includes the laser power sources (DC-DC convertors) and any thermal regulation
• Variety of customer experience and exposure across Space Lines-Of-Businesses. Mission applications for optical payloads include remote sensing (earth pointing and deep space), directed energy, and missile seekers/interceptors
• Excellent communications skills both verbal and written with the proven ability to communicate
• Demonstrated ability to drive closure and resolve complex technical issues/challenges.
• Prior Full Spectrum Leadership roles with proven experience leading employees to perform productively and foster relationships in a cross-functional team environment
• 12+ years of demonstrated technical expertise (10+ years with a Master’s degree or above)
• 4+ years demonstrated hands-on expertise in
space OR complex hardware/software systems
• Current TS/SCI clearance
Security Clearance Statement: This position requires a government security clearance, you must be a US Citizen for consideration.
Clearance Level: TS/SCI
Other Important Information You Should Know
Expression of Interest: By applying to this job, you are expressing interest in this position and could be considered for other career opportunities where similar skills and requirements have been identified as a match. Should this match be identified you may be contacted for this and future openings.
Ability to Work Remotely: Onsite Full-time: The work associated with this position will be performed onsite at a designated Lockheed Martin facility.
Work Schedules: Lockheed Martin supports a variety of alternate work schedules that provide additional flexibility to our employees. Schedules range from standard 40 hours over a five day work week while others may be condensed. These condensed schedules provide employees with additional time away from the office and are in addition to our Paid Time off benefits.
Schedule for this Position: 9x80 every other Friday off
Pay Rate: The annual base salary range for this position in California, Massachusetts, and New York (excluding most major metropolitan areas), Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, Vermont, Washington or Washington DC is $139,600 - $246,100. For states not referenced above, the salary range for this position will reflect the candidate’s final work location. Please note that the salary information is a general guideline only. Lockheed Martin considers factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate's work experience, education/ training, key skills as well as market and business considerations when extending an offer.
Benefits offered: Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, Short-Term Disability, Long-Term Disability, 401(k) match, Flexible Spending Accounts, EAP, Education Assistance, Parental Leave, Paid time off, and Holidays.
(Washington state applicants only) Non-represented full-time employees: accrue at least 10 hours per month of Paid Time Off (PTO) to be used for incidental absences and other reasons; receive at least 90 hours for holidays. Represented full time employees accrue 6.67 hours of Vacation per month; accrue up to 52 hours of sick leave annually; receive at least 96 hours for holidays. PTO, Vacation, sick leave, and holiday hours are prorated based on start date during the calendar year.
This position is incentive plan eligible.
Pay Rate: The annual base salary range for this position in most major metropolitan areas in California, Massachusetts, and New York is $160,500 - $278,300. For states not referenced above, the salary range for this position will reflect the candidate’s final work location. Please note that the salary information is a general guideline only. Lockheed Martin considers factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate's work experience, education/ training, key skills as well as market and business considerations when extending an offer.
Benefits offered: Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, Short-Term Disability, Long-Term Disability, 401(k) match, Flexible Spending Accounts, EAP, Education Assistance, Parental Leave, Paid time off, and Holidays.
This position is incentive plan eligible.
Lockheed Martin is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified candidates will be considered without regard to legally protected characteristics.
The application window will close in 90 days; applicants are encouraged to apply within 5 - 30 days of the requisition posting date in order to receive optimal consideration.
At Lockheed Martin, we use our passion for purposeful innovation to help keep people safe and solve the world's most complex challenges. Our people are some of the greatest minds in the industry and truly make Lockheed Martin a great place to work.
With our employees as our priority, we provide diverse career opportunities designed to propel, develop, and boost agility. Our flexible schedules, competitive pay, and comprehensive benefits enable our employees to live a healthy, fulfilling life at and outside of work. We place an emphasis on empowering our employees by fostering an inclusive environment built upon integrity and corporate responsibility.
If this sounds like a culture you connect with, you’re invited to apply for this role. Or, if you are unsure whether your experience aligns with the requirements of this position, we encourage you to search on Lockheed Martin Jobs, and apply for roles that align with your qualifications.
Experience Level: Experienced Professional
Business Unit: SPACE
Relocation Available: Possible
Career Area: Management
Type: Full-Time
Shift: First
Apply Now
Description:Space is a critical domain, connecting our technologies, our security and our humanity. While others view space as a destination, we see it as a realm of possibilities, where we can do more — we can innovate, invest, inspire and integrate our capabilities to transform the future.
At Lockheed Martin Space, we aim to harness the full potential of space to cultivate innovation, reduce costs, and push the boundaries of what technology can achieve. We’re creating future-ready solutions, focusing on resiliency and urgency through our 21st Century Security® vision. We’re erasing boundaries and forming partnerships across industries and around the world. We’re advancing spacecraft and the workforce to fuel the next generation. And we’re reimagining how space can connect us, ensuring security and prosperity.
Join us in shaping a new era in space and find a career that's built for you.
Are you passionate about state-of-the-art technology, and seeing your work applied to real life applications that travel to space? Then join Lockheed Martin Space’s Optical Talent Center (OTC) as an Optical Payload Electronics Manager! The OTC enables new frontiers in visible-light and infrared systems, missile defense, space exploration and much more. Our amazing people are on a mission to make a difference in the world and every single day we use our unique skills and experiences to create, design and build solutions some of the world’s hardest engineering problems.
We are seeking a leader with a track record of delivering to technical, schedule, and financial commitments, and driving the best customer and enterprise value as a result. We want someone who demonstrates a breadth of technical knowledge across multiple functions and a variety of program experience. The Optical Payload Electronics Manager is someone with exceptional communication skills, and a proven ability to represent the organization to customers, employees, and partners.
As the Optical Payload Electronics Manager, you will:
• Partner with Lines of Business (LOB), OTC Program Development, and OTC Payload Systems Engineering teams to develop architectures in a consistent manner to allow use of common products
• Develop transition plans for low TRL products from the science and technology community
• In coordination with OTC Program Development, propose and execute IRAD projects with a goal of standardization and maturation
• Enhance relationships with strategic suppliers and other LM Business Areas (BAs) to compliment the in-house OTC team
• Perform as part of the Integrated Product Team (IPT) in cases where an OTC make is selected
• Work closely with Payload IPTs leads and LOB leadership to understand mission drivers. Fold emerging mission trends into product roadmap to ensure a discriminating edge
• Implement and lead technical knowledge management to develop and maintain core competencies, key technical skills, knowledge continuity and facilitate career advancement opportunities to employees
• Handle staffing requirements sustain engineering capabilities and preserve critical skills.
Ideally, you will have a background in electro-optical engineering and possess degree from an accredited program in a related discipline, such as Bachelors degree in Mechanical, Electrical, or other Engineering/Science field.
Basic Qualifications:
• Demonstrated experience with delivering space flight electronics
• Established experience in developing technical talent and building pipelines to sustain technical expertise within the organization
• US Citizenship with the ability to obtain and maintain a TS/SCI government clearance
Desired Skills:
• Have experience in interfacing, biasing and controlling focal plane assemblies. For passive EO, we work with staring and scanning FPAs in the visible and IR domain. For active EO, we work across multiple types of lidar receiver arrays, primarily GmAPD
• Have experience working across space and ground applications. Our systems include ground-to-ground, space to ground (and vice versa), and space to space
• Have experience in developing payload controller and image data processors. The Payload controller typically receives high level commands from the bus controller. The payload controller is responsible for decomposing bus commands into smaller, discrete commands that may be pushed out to a variety of nodes on the payload
• Have experience in developing image data processors. These image data processors may perform a range of processing. The processing may be relatively straightforward computations such as bad pixel mapping and non-uniformity correction. More complex processing may include machine learning/deep learning and autonomous decision making
• Have experience in developing laser/lidar controllers. These controllers must have the ability to control and sequence a laser system through various turn on/turn off sequences. This includes the laser power sources (DC-DC convertors) and any thermal regulation
• Variety of customer experience and exposure across Space Lines-Of-Businesses. Mission applications for optical payloads include remote sensing (earth pointing and deep space), directed energy, and missile seekers/interceptors
• Excellent communications skills both verbal and written with the proven ability to communicate
• Demonstrated ability to drive closure and resolve complex technical issues/challenges.
• Prior Full Spectrum Leadership roles with proven experience leading employees to perform productively and foster relationships in a cross-functional team environment
• 12+ years of demonstrated technical expertise (10+ years with a Master’s degree or above)
• 4+ years demonstrated hands-on expertise in
space OR complex hardware/software systems
• Current TS/SCI clearance
Security Clearance Statement: This position requires a government security clearance, you must be a US Citizen for consideration.
Clearance Level: TS/SCI
Other Important Information You Should Know
Expression of Interest: By applying to this job, you are expressing interest in this position and could be considered for other career opportunities where similar skills and requirements have been identified as a match. Should this match be identified you may be contacted for this and future openings.
Ability to Work Remotely: Onsite Full-time: The work associated with this position will be performed onsite at a designated Lockheed Martin facility.
Work Schedules: Lockheed Martin supports a variety of alternate work schedules that provide additional flexibility to our employees. Schedules range from standard 40 hours over a five day work week while others may be condensed. These condensed schedules provide employees with additional time away from the office and are in addition to our Paid Time off benefits.
Schedule for this Position: 9x80 every other Friday off
Pay Rate: The annual base salary range for this position in California, Massachusetts, and New York (excluding most major metropolitan areas), Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, Vermont, Washington or Washington DC is $139,600 - $246,100. For states not referenced above, the salary range for this position will reflect the candidate’s final work location. Please note that the salary information is a general guideline only. Lockheed Martin considers factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate's work experience, education/ training, key skills as well as market and business considerations when extending an offer.
Benefits offered: Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, Short-Term Disability, Long-Term Disability, 401(k) match, Flexible Spending Accounts, EAP, Education Assistance, Parental Leave, Paid time off, and Holidays.
(Washington state applicants only) Non-represented full-time employees: accrue at least 10 hours per month of Paid Time Off (PTO) to be used for incidental absences and other reasons; receive at least 90 hours for holidays. Represented full time employees accrue 6.67 hours of Vacation per month; accrue up to 52 hours of sick leave annually; receive at least 96 hours for holidays. PTO, Vacation, sick leave, and holiday hours are prorated based on start date during the calendar year.
This position is incentive plan eligible.
Pay Rate: The annual base salary range for this position in most major metropolitan areas in California, Massachusetts, and New York is $160,500 - $278,300. For states not referenced above, the salary range for this position will reflect the candidate’s final work location. Please note that the salary information is a general guideline only. Lockheed Martin considers factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate's work experience, education/ training, key skills as well as market and business considerations when extending an offer.
Benefits offered: Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, Short-Term Disability, Long-Term Disability, 401(k) match, Flexible Spending Accounts, EAP, Education Assistance, Parental Leave, Paid time off, and Holidays.
This position is incentive plan eligible.
Lockheed Martin is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified candidates will be considered without regard to legally protected characteristics.
The application window will close in 90 days; applicants are encouraged to apply within 5 - 30 days of the requisition posting date in order to receive optimal consideration.
At Lockheed Martin, we use our passion for purposeful innovation to help keep people safe and solve the world's most complex challenges. Our people are some of the greatest minds in the industry and truly make Lockheed Martin a great place to work.
With our employees as our priority, we provide diverse career opportunities designed to propel, develop, and boost agility. Our flexible schedules, competitive pay, and comprehensive benefits enable our employees to live a healthy, fulfilling life at and outside of work. We place an emphasis on empowering our employees by fostering an inclusive environment built upon integrity and corporate responsibility.
If this sounds like a culture you connect with, you’re invited to apply for this role. Or, if you are unsure whether your experience aligns with the requirements of this position, we encourage you to search on Lockheed Martin Jobs, and apply for roles that align with your qualifications.
Experience Level: Experienced Professional
Business Unit: SPACE
Relocation Available: Possible
Career Area: Management
Type: Full-Time
Shift: First
About
At Lockheed Martin, we apply our passion for purposeful innovation to keep people safe and solve the world's most complex challenges.
Pioneering Defense Technology: From aerospace to outer space to cyber space, you can innovate mission solutions alongside the best minds in the business.
United By Culture: Excellence, integrity, and collaboration define us. We accelerate change and embrace one another’s perspectives to win for our customers.
Real Impact, Real Growth: Grow your career and skills for life. Our wide array of opportunities and technology-driven learning programs enable your development and agility.
Your Health, Your Wealth, Your Life: Competitive pay, comprehensive benefits and flexible schedules designed so you thrive — at work and beyond.
Empowered to Be Your Best: Use your strengths to make a difference in the lives of one another, our customers, our communities, and our planet.
Here, the possibilities are endless because we offer:
- Flexible Schedules, dependent on role
- Levels: Student, Entry, Mid, Senior, Management
- Locations: Nationwide & OCONUS Positions
Qualifications
See what it takes to be a successful Lockheed Martin employee.
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Collaborative
There is no innovation without imagination. You bring new, different and exciting ideas to the table every day. You are committed to the success of your team.
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Curious
The ability to explore and drive new ideas. You think innovatively to come up with creative solutions to complex challenges.
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Goal-oriented
From planning and organizing to decision making, goal orientation produces impactful results. You set goals and strive to make things happen quickly and efficiently.
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Proactive
The ability to anticipate, plan and prepare for what lies ahead. You act rather than react to potential situations.
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Problem Solver
You work to tackle tough problems with complex solutions.
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Strategic
You observe, reflect and analyze processes to make more informed decisions.
Quote
“Before I came to Lockheed Martin, I never thought I’d get these opportunities. The benefits available and the company’s value culture make it an incredibly supportive place to work, and I’m grateful to work somewhere that wants me to succeed. I hope to have a long career here making an impact, and I know I’ll be supported in doing that every step of the way.”
Ryan J., Enterprise Operations
Benefits
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Healthcare
Medical, Dental and Vision coverage is available for employees who opt-in.
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401(k)/Retirement Plans
Our 401(k) plan features generous matching and company contributions.
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Professional Development
We support our employees through mentoring, internal & external educational programs, networking, skills enhancement and career-building programs.
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Maternity and Paternity Leave
Our generous parental leave policies support your journey into parenthood. When you return to work, our facilities offer mother's rooms to support your transition and work/life balance.
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Paid Time Off
We offer PTO, paid holidays and paid time off for jury duty and military obligations.
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Flex-time
Depending on the position, we offer flexible work schedules.