Senior Avionics Optical Engineer

About the position

As a Senior Avionics Optical Engineer, you will design and test custom lens stacks, baffles, and other optical products for star trackers, cameras, and other optical devices. You will work directly with electrical engineers, mechanical engineers, firmware engineers, GNC engineers, and others. You will have the opportunity to contribute to all aspects of spacecraft optical devices, from architecting new systems to testing and flying them.

Responsibilities

• Develop new lens stacks, baffles, and other optical components
• Perform rigorous analyses and simulations of optical devices
• Help create optical test setups and debug issues with optical components
• Develop, document, and deliver essential quantitative metrics for a robust optical imaging system, such as MTF, PSF, spot size, and chromatic aberration
• Own hardware through qualification and flight operations
• Contribute to new spacecraft architectural trades as they relate to optics
• Establish and maintain high technical standards and mentor less experienced engineers

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering
• 5+ years professional experience designing lens stacks or other optical devices
• Expertise with at least one conventional optical design tool (e.g. Zemax or other)
• Proficiency with lens design principles, ray optics, Fourier optics, and gaussian beams
• Demonstrated experience developing optical test systems and troubleshooting new optical devices
• Demonstrated experience with making optics insensitive to temperature variation
• Desire and ability to improve team processes and train other team members
• Ability to communicate technical challenges, explain rationale and/or resolve concern

Nice-to-haves

• Master’s degree or PhD related to optical engineering
• Experience with space environments, e.g. vibration, vacuum, and ionizing radiation
• Experience selecting and evaluating camera sense elements
• Experience with optomechanical design, e.g. drawings, GD&T, etc
• Experience designing optical components for manufacturability

Benefits

• Medical coverage
• Vision coverage
• Dental coverage
• 401(k) retirement plan
• Long-term incentives in the form of stock options