Lead, Optical Engineering - Straylight Security Clearance

Position: Lead, Optical Engineering - Straylight with Security Clearance
L3

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Job Title:

Lead, Optical Engineering - Straylight
Job Code: 39678

Job Location:

Rochester, NY

Job Schedule:

9/80 (Every Other Friday Off!)

Job Description:

We are seeking a highly motivated Lead Optical Engineer to support the design, analysis, and development of advanced optical and electro-optical systems for aerospace and defense applications. This role is centered on stray light analysis and control methods, with primary responsibilities in optical system modeling, performance analysis, and non-sequential evaluation to ensure mission-critical system performance in challenging operational environments. The position will support active and passive imaging payloads where stray light suppression, radiometric accuracy, and optical performance directly influence mission success.
The ideal candidate has a strong background in optical system engineering and experience with complex imaging or sensing systems across design, test, and verification. They will work closely with cross-functional teams including optical, mechanical, electrical, systems, software, and manufacturing engineering to support programs from concept through integration and test. This engineer will help mature payload architectures, evaluate optical trades, and quantify how stray light, throughput, background sources, and image chain behavior affect end-to-end system performance in operational space environments.
This role is best suited for someone who combines strong technical knowledge and hardware experience, is comfortable leading complex technical work, and can communicate effectively with internal teams, leadership, suppliers, and customers. Candidates should have experience identifying stray light sources, developing mitigation strategies, and assessing their impact on overall optical system performance. Familiarity with stray light analysis tools such as FRED is highly desirable.

Essential Functions:

• Lead or support optical engineering activities for advanced imaging, sensing, and electro-optical systems.

• Lead development of non-sequential stray light and radiometric models for active and passive imaging systems, including assessment of scattering, ghosting, and optical throughput for space-based payloads.

• Support system performance analysis and verification of key optical requirements such as wavefront error, line of sight, distortion, focus, focal length, image quality, and related optical performance metrics.

• Perform end-to-end optical performance analyses that connect design features to mission-level image quality, signal-to-noise, and sensitivity outcomes, and communicate resulting risks, margins, and mitigation recommendations to program teams.

• Contribute to assessment of optical system behavior including ghosting, scattering, and stray light performance, as needed for system design and verification efforts.

• Support design trades for baffles, stops, surface treatments, contamination control, and alignment strategies to reduce stray light and preserve radiometric and optical performance through integration, test, and environmental exposure.

• Generate and review technical documentation including test plans, procedures, error budgets, requirements verification artifacts, design review materials, and final reports.

• Collaborate with cross-functional engineering teams to ensure optical designs are manufacturable, testable, and fully integrated into the broader system architecture.

• Provide technical leadership…