Senior Instrument Integration Lab Specialist

About the role

Muon Space seeks a Senior Instrument Integration Lab Specialist to join our team in San Jose and Mountain View, CA, supporting the production of infrared remote sensing instruments. The ideal candidate is a hands-on technical specialist who bridges cleanroom facility readiness, equipment lifecycle management, and operational support for flight hardware integration.

In this role, you will take primary ownership of facility readiness and daily operations for our San Jose optical instrument cleanroom, while providing supporting coverage for our Mountain View location. You will bridge the gap between development activities and operational execution, ranging from optical cleanroom management and workflow optimization to the daily build of flight hardware.

This position is fully onsite and requires working in our San Jose, CA office five days a week.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary lead for the San Jose instrument cleanroom in collaboration with the Lab Manager. Assess facility layouts, manage electrical/network infrastructure, CDA/GN2 utilities, storage, and equipment needs, driving installation through final commissioning.
• Maintain cleanroom standards across San Jose and Mountain View facilities. Implement 5S methodologies, access/training protocols, ESD and contamination controls, safety standards, and daily equipment readiness checks.
• Receive, inspect, assemble, calibrate, troubleshoot, and maintain shared optical test equipment. Liaise directly with equipment vendors and cross-functional internal teams.
• Expand the existing asset register into a dynamic, centralized database tracking equipment status, ownership, calibration schedules, maintenance, and utilization metrics.
• Continuously identify opportunities to streamline the instrument integration flow. Recommend and implement upgrades to tooling, fixtures, and workflows to increase throughput, quality, and efficiency as production scales.
• Provide hands-on support for instrument-level testing, including environmental (vibration, thermal-vacuum / TVAC), system performance, and calibration testing.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of hands-on experience in a multi-disciplinary aerospace hardware environment, with direct exposure to imaging systems.
• Deep familiarity with cleanroom operations (ISO 7 / Class 10K or better), including particle count monitoring and contamination control protocols.
• Strong communication and organizational skills with the ability to manage inventory, equipment calibration schedules, and facility status simultaneously.
• Excellent communication skills; able to translate technical floor issues into clear feedback for design engineers and program managers.
• Excited to work in a fast-paced environment with new challenges each week.
• The individual must be able to routinely lift and move materials, equipment, or supplies weighing between 25 and 50 pounds.
• Willingness to obtain a US security clearance strongly preferred.

Nice-to-have Skills

• Previous experience setting up a new lab or manufacturing line from scratch.
• Basic software/scripting skills for data analysis or equipment automation (e.g., Python, C/C++).
• Proficiency in CAD (SolidWorks preferred) for facility layout optimization and test fixture assessment.

Salary

The salary range for this role is $197,000 - $218,000, plus a competitive equity grant and comprehensive benefits package. Final compensation will be determined based on skills, qualifications, experience, and geographic location as assessed during the interview process. 

About Muon Space

Founded in 2021, Muon Space is an end-to-end Space Systems Provider that designs, builds, and operates LEO satellite constellations delivering mission-critical data. Our revolutionary, integrated technology stack enables customers to optimize every dimension of their missions for faster time-to-orbit and superior constellation remote sensing performance. Our state-of-the-art facility in the heart of Silicon Valley is optimized for manufacturing spacecraft and rapid, flexible payload integration at scale. From climate monitoring to national security, Muon Space is dedicated to delivering Earth Intelligence for a safer and more resilient world.

Taking Care of Our Team

At Muon salary is only part of our total compensation package. In addition to salary, full-time employees receive equity compensation as well as benefits including medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401k retirement plan, short & long term disability and life insurance. We also offer three weeks paid vacation for new employees, along with 12 paid holidays, unlimited sick time and paid parental leave. 

Our mission embraces the entire planet and we believe our team should too.  Muon is dedicated to creating a diverse and dynamic company and workforce. We believe in equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, age, national origin, citizenship, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, or gender identity. We value diversity in the workplace, and that starts with our applicants. We encourage you to apply, even if you don't check all the boxes, and we look forward to reviewing your application! In addition, if you need a reasonable accommodation as part of your application for employment or interviews with us, please let us know.

Muon is currently registered and able to hire in the following states:
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, WA

ITAR/EAR Requirements

This position requires access to export controlled information. To conform to U.S. Government export regulations applicable to that information, applicant must either be (A) a U.S. person, defined as a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (green card holder), (iii) refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, (B) eligible to access the export controlled information without a required export authorization, or (C) eligible and reasonably likely to obtain the required export authorization from the applicable U.S. government agency. The Company may, for legitimate business reasons, decline to pursue any export licensing process.