Remote Sensing Data Scientist

About the role

Muon Space is building a family of infrared imaging missions designed for global wildfire detection and monitoring, weather and cloud characterization, and space-based environmental monitoring. Muon's IR Data Products team builds the analytics system that processes the data from our spacecraft's custom multispectral imaging instruments into data products and analytics for diverse end-user stakeholders from these missions. We are seeking a Geospatial Data Scientist to join this team with a focus on building derived data products from Muon's FireSat and Space-Based Environmental Monitoring (SBEM) missions.

This role will be a hands-on contributor to the development of derived data products from Muon's IR data missions. You will dive deep into real-world data from brand new imaging systems, prototype and productionize algorithms that turn Level-1 imagery into higher-level derived products, and write production-ready code that feeds directly into customer-facing services.

Working alongside senior scientists and product owners on the IR Data Products team, you will build expertise across both missions while contributing to product design, validation, and documentation.

This is a high-impact, multi-mission role that sits at the intersection of rigorous Earth observation science and fast-moving product development, and is well-suited for someone who thrives on hands-on technical work and cross-functional collaboration.

This position is hybrid and requires working on-site in our Denver, CO office three days per week.

Responsibilities

• Build derived data products from Muon's infrared imaging missions, spanning Muon's IR programs
• Implement and improve scalable algorithms for processing, transforming, and analyzing multispectral infrared imagery into derived geospatial products.
• Contribute to derived product design and roadmap under the direction of senior scientists and product owners on the IR Data team.
• Contribute to technical and customer-facing design documents for derived products, supporting alignment between internal capabilities and external stakeholder requirements.
• Support engagement with customer technical stakeholders including Technical Interchange Meetings (TIMs), customer questions, and program meetings
• Write production-ready code that integrates into customer-facing data product pipelines and operational services.
• Contribute to the scientific quality, quantitative validation, and integrity of derived products across Muon's IR missions.
• Work cross-functionally with software engineers, calibration scientists, and instrument engineers to design, build, and maintain operational data product services.
• Learn new topics as needed (e.g., sensor geometry and characterization, georeferencing techniques, wildfire and environmental monitoring applications, cloud-native geospatial data engineering).

Qualifications

• Degree & Experience: PhD; or MS with 3+ years industry experience; or BS with 5+ years industry experience
• Geospatial Processing: Hands-on experience building geospatial data products, particularly from new or novel imaging instruments.
• Scientific Rigor: Demonstrated experience applying first principles to solve complex problems.
• Sensor Data: Experience working with real-world data from new or novel imaging instruments
• Software Development: Strong skills in Python-based development and analysis
• Geospatial Technical Stack: Strong Python development skills utilizing standard geospatial formats and libraries (e.g., COGs, Xarray, GDAL).
• Communication & Collaboration: Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with a track record of collaborating across distributed, interdisciplinary teams (scientists, engineers, product).
• Distributed Team: Ability to work with a distributed, interdisciplinary team (scientists, engineers, data support)
• Startup Adaptability: Ability to prioritize, pivot, and thrive in a fast-paced environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Infrared sensing: Experience processing multispectral or infrared satellite imagery
• Domain Expertise: Domain expertise in wildfire monitoring, meteorology, weather, environmental remote sensing, or related Earth observation applications
• Mission & Operational Lifecycle: Experience supporting satellite mission product development, commissioning, early operations, or delivering operational pipelines to external customers.
• ML/AI: Demonstrated experience applying ML/DL and advanced image processing to remote sensing data
• Cloud Architecture: Familiarity with cloud-native geospatial workflows and large-scale data processing (AWS preferred).
• Technical Documentation: Experience authoring technical design documents, product specifications, or algorithm theoretical basis documents (ATBDs).

Salary

The salary range for this role is $171,000 - $191,000, 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.

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.