Mechanical Payload Integration & Customer Success Engineer

About Urban Sky: 

Urban Sky is a venture-backed aerospace startup that pioneers utilization of the stratosphere and reimagines the way humans view and analyze the earth. We design, build, operate, and sell stratospheric balloon systems, and the data we collect supports a wide range of applications, from real-time wildfire monitoring to urban mapping. Our technology is also employed by government customers including the Department of Defense (DoD), NASA, and others. Urban Sky sends flight vehicles to the stratosphere on a weekly basis. 

Our team consists of engineers, makers, developers, and doers who believe in the power of human potential when passion meets utility within a small, supportive team. At Urban Sky we strive to create a team culture grounded in candor, inclusion, respect and empowerment. 

We aim to build the next chapter of stratospheric history in Denver and are seeking self-starting, open-minded, and hard-working team members. 

About The Role: 

Urban Sky is seeking a Payload Integration & Customer Success Engineer to serve as the primary interface between our customers and our stratospheric balloon platform. This is a highly cross-functional role centered on ensuring that third-party payloads are successfully integrated, qualified, and operated aboard our mHAB (micro High-Altitude Balloon) systems. You will be a trusted technical partner for our customers, many of whom have existing payloads not yet designed for the stratospheric environment, and will guide them from initial interface design through flight operations.

This role demands the mindset of a systems engineer and the heart of a customer advocate. At times you will function as a deputy project lead, independently coordinating across customers, vendors, and internal teams. You will be in the field, at launches, and at customer sites, ready to support at a moment's notice. Above all, you will live, eat, and breathe the success of our customers.

Key Responsibilities: 

Customer Integration & Technical Support

• Serve as the primary technical point of contact for customers integrating third-party payloads onto Urban Sky's balloon platforms
• Guide customers through mechanical interface design, including structural provisions for stratospheric shock loads, thermal environments, and near-vacuum pressure conditions
• Review and provide feedback on customer payload designs to ensure compatibility with Urban Sky's mHAB systems and the stratospheric environment
• Support customers in developing environmental design provisions so that payloads can survive and operate in the stratosphere

Integration, Test, & Verification

• Lead and support payload integration checkout activities, including mechanical fit checks and functional verification
• Execute and coordinate shock load testing and environmental qualification testing for customer payloads
• Support flight testing and post-flight assessment, working closely with our flight operations team
• Develop and maintain integration procedures, test plans, and technical documentation

RF & Communications

• Support customers requiring RF solutions, including tactical direct line-of-sight radio and SDR (Software Defined Radio) integrations
• Provide guidance on mechanical interfacing for antenna systems, antenna selection and optimization, and RF isolation techniques
• Interface with HUSKY bus integration, including power distribution, communications connectivity, and data relay and/or backhaul

Field Operations & Logistics

• Travel with customers and join them in the field for launches, demonstrations, and field exercises
• Coordinate logistics for customer events: travel arrangements, timelines, event preparation, and on-site provisions
• Build and maintain a deployable field provisions to ensure customers and Urban Sky team members can operate with all necessary provisions in the field
• Maintain the payload integration facility - keeping it clean, organized, and stocked with the tools and hardware customers need

Program & Customer Relationship Management

• Act as project lead for customer payload integration programs, independently managing customer and vendor coordination
• Proactively identify customer needs before they arise and take initiative to address them
• Continuously identify opportunities to improve the customer experience throughout the integration and operations lifecycle
• Document procedures, integration guides, and lessons learned to build institutional knowledge and improve repeatability

Qualifications: 

• 5+ years of engineering experience with a strong mechanical engineering foundation
• Demonstrated experience supporting integration and test programs, including environmental or structural testing
• Systems engineering mindset with the ability to independently lead customer and vendor coordination
• Strong RF knowledge, including experience with tactical radios, SDR solutions, antenna selection, and RF isolation
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; comfortable writing procedures, technical documentation, and customer-facing materials
• Highly organized, with the ability to manage logistics and coordinate details across multiple concurrent programs
• Self-driven, proactive, and comfortable operating in a fast-paced startup environment with ambiguous requirements
• Willingness and ability to travel frequently, including on short notice, for field operations and customer site visits

Nice-to-Haves/Preferred Skills: 

• Experience working with defense customers or in a defense-adjacent environment
• Familiarity with network architectures, Ethernet communications, and power systems in embedded or payload contexts
• Experience with stratospheric, high-altitude, or aerospace payload integration
• Prior experience in a startup environment
• Background in program or project management

Requirements: 

• Must be a US Citizen or Permanent Resident
• Must be located near Denver, CO
• Ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance may be required for certain programs 

Benefits: 

• Medical, Vision and Dental 
• Unlimited Vacation Days 
• Parental Leave 
• Cell Phone Bill Stipend 
• Stock Options 

NOTE: Research suggests that women and BIPOC individuals may self-select out of opportunities if they don’t meet 100% of the job requirements. We encourage anyone who believes that they have the skills and the passion necessary to succeed here to apply for this role. 

This position may require the candidate to deal with commodities, software, technology, defense articles, and/or technical data which are subject to the Export Administration Regulations and/or the International Traffic in Arms Regulations. Additional information may be requested so as to determine whether export authorization is required from the Bureau of Industry and Security and/or the Directorate of Defense Trade Controls. If authorization is required, employment will be contingent upon the Company successfully obtaining such authorization from the relevant government agency. 

Urban Sky is an equal opportunity employer, and we value diversity. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need.