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.