Senior Optical Systems Engineer

Compensation

Compensation: $155,000 - $185,000 / year

Department: Avionics

Location: Redondo Beach

As a Senior Optical Systems Engineer, you will own the design and development of the optical head / beam director for our spacecraft laser communication terminal. Your core responsibility will be to create the telescope and pointing optics that put photons on target and collect them with diffraction‑limited fidelity, even under the thermal and mechanical stresses of geostationary orbit. You will work closely with pointing control, photonics, thermal, and structures teams to ensure the optical subsystem meets its performance goals.

This role offers significant autonomy – you will serve as the subject‑matter expert for space optical systems, driving the optical architecture from concept through prototyping, test, and flight.

This is a full‑time, on‑site position with substantial opportunity to grow into a technical lead as the FSO team expands.

• Design and analyze the FSO optical head (transmit/receive telescope and fine‑steering mirror system) to achieve high Strehl ratio and throughput under space environment conditions. Use industry‑standard optical design software (e.g. Zemax Optic Studio, Code V) to develop and optimize optical layouts, including the beam expansion optics and fast steering elements.
• Integrate opto‑mechanics for space:
  Work closely with mechanical engineers to co‑develop opto‑mechanical mounts and structures, incorporating athermalization, thermal control, and vibration damping. Perform tolerance analyses for manufacturing, alignment, and thermoelastic effects to ensure the optics remain aligned and focused through launch and on‑orbit thermal.
• Stray light and contamination control:
  Implement baffles, coatings, and stray‑light analysis to minimize background noise. Establish contamination control requirements (cleanliness, purge, etc.) and design the optical system and enclosure to maintain performance in a harsh space environment (preventing fogging, pollution, etc.).
• Optical alignment and test:
  Develop optical alignment procedures and specify metrology tools (alignment telescopes, interferometers, wavefront sensors) needed for assembly and integration. Perform hands‑on alignment and characterization of optical sub‑assemblies on the bench, verifying that assembled optics meet pointing accuracy and wavefront error requirements.
• System bring‑up and prototyping:
  Create rapid prototype optical setups (e.g. benchtop experiments with commercial optics) to validate concepts early. Later, support rigorous environmental testing (vibration, thermal‑vacuum) of the flight optical hardware, analyzing test data to confirm performance and adjust the design as needed.
• Cross‑team collaboration:
  Provide technical input on overall FSO system development from an optical perspective, such as advising on fiber‑interface requirements to the photonic transceiver and pointing sensor placement. Collaborate with the Acquisition/Tracking and Photonics engineers to ensure seamless integration of the optics with control sensors and the communication payload.

• Bachelor’s degree in Optical Engineering, Physics, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field.
• 5+ years of experience designing, analyzing, and testing complex optical systems (e.g. telescopes, lenses, or optical instruments).
• Proficiency with optical design/analysis software such as Zemax Optic Studio or Code V for lens/telescope.
• Strong understanding of Gaussian optics, diffraction, and wavefront error budgeting.
• Demonstrated experience building, aligning, and validating optical hardware in a lab or production environment.
• Familiarity with opto‑mechanical design principles and ability to lead mechanical engineers on mounting, thermal management, and packaging of optical components.
• Proven ability to design ruggedized optical systems for harsh environments (vibration, thermal extremes).
• Excellent problem‑solving skills in optics (ray tracing, aberration analysis, tolerancing). Ability to clearly document designs, write test plans, and communicate results.

• M.S. or Ph.D. in…