Optical Engineer

Arkeus Career; City of Port Phillip; On-site; AUD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Employee Stock Option Plan (ESOP)

Career progression

Competitive salary

Job summary

Arkeus is seeking an Optical Engineer to design, develop and optimise optical and electro‑optical systems at the heart of our real‑time sensing technology. You will work across optics, imaging, hardware and machine learning to move concepts from modelling through prototyping to field deployment on real platforms.

You will collaborate with ML/CV, mechanical and electronics teams, contribute to optomechanical integration and documentation, and help ensure robust image quality for downstream AI

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's in optics, photonics, physics or related discipline.
• 2–4 years of demonstrated optical design and modelling experience.
• Hands-on proficiency with optical design software (Zemax OpticStudio, Code V, FRED, OSLO or similar).
• Solid understanding of geometric and physical optics, imaging systems, and optical performance metrics.

Responsibilities

• Design, model and optimise optical and imaging systems for sensing applications.
• Perform optical tolerancing, sensitivity analysis, and performance optimisation (resolution, MTF, aberrations).
• Select and specify optics, sensors and imaging components; define the imaging chain from scene to sensor.
• Prototype, align and characterise optical systems on bench and real hardware.
• Collaborate with mechanical and electronics engineers on optomechanical design and integration.
• Support transition of designs into manufacturing; participate in design reviews; maintain documentation.

Skills

Optical design

Optical modelling

Tolerancing

Imaging systems

Python/MATLAB

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in optics/photonics/physics

Tools

Zemax OpticStudio

Code V

FRED

OSLO

Job description

Arkeus builds AI-powered sensing systems that help autonomous platforms detect,trackand understandwhat'shappening in the most complex and contested environments. Our technology is deployed across defence and national security applications — already protecting lives and strengthening security across the U.S. and allied markets.

Backed by QIC, Main Sequence, R+VC, Salus Ventures, Folklore Ventures, DYNEVenturesand Beaten Zone Venture Partners, Arkeus is entering a major growth phase. We are a small, fast-moving company with the energy and ambition of a start-up and the technical credibility of a world-class defence technology provider.

We work at the intersection of optics, autonomy, robotics and real-time AI and we deploy what we build. If you want to ship technology that matters, not technology that ships decks, this is where you belong.

We have developed an inclusive,transparentand engaging culture that focuses on building a diverse workforce — realising that to attract thevery best, we need to ensure our culture is ready to welcome people from all ages,gendersand backgrounds.

About the role

As an Optical Engineer at Arkeus, you will design,developand optimise the optical and electro-optical systems at the heart of our image-based sensing technology — working at the intersection of optical science, imaging,hardwareand machine learning. Your work will be central to how our systems detect and classify objectsacross air, land and sea, in real time and on real hardware: from the imaging optics and sensor selection through to the image quality that our computer-vision models depend on.

You will work alongside machine learning, computer vision, mechanical and electronics engineers to take optical systems from concept and modelling through to prototyping,characterisationand deployment on real platforms. As a product company that designs and manufactures in-house, you will see your designs move from the bench through to hardwareoperatingin the field.

About you

• An engineer with a few years of hands-on optical design and modelling experience, ready to take ownership of designs and complex problems.
• A graduate in optics, photonics,physicsor a related discipline, withdemonstratedexperience designing, tolerancing and characterising real optical systems.
• Able to take an optical design from requirements and modelling through to a tolerance-analysed,validatedresult — and comfortable making practical trade-offs under real-world constraints.
• Enjoys reading research,experimentingand asking good questions.
• Wants to see your designsoperatingin the real world, not just in simulation.

Key responsibilities

• Design,modeland optimise optical and imaging systems forsensing applications.
• Perform optical tolerancing, sensitivity analysis, and performance optimisation (resolution, MTF, aberrations).Conduct non-sequential simulations, straylightand ghost analysis to ensure image quality.
• Select and specify optics,sensorsand imaging components, and define the imaging chain from scene to sensor.
• Prototype, align and characterise optical systems on the bench and on real hardware.
• Work with mechanical and electronics engineers on optomechanical design and integration.
• Collaborate with the ML/CV teams to ensure image quality supports downstream detection and classification.
• Support the transition of designs into manufacturing;participatein design reviews;maintaindocumentation.

Experience and skills

• Tertiary qualification (Bachelor's or Master's) in optics, photonics,physicsor a related discipline.
• 2-4 yearsofdemonstratedoptical design and modelling experience (professional, research, or substantial project work).
• Hands-onproficiencywith optical design software (ZemaxOpticStudio, Code V, FRED,OSLOor similar).
• Solid understanding of geometric and physical optics, imaging systems, and optical performance metrics (resolution, MTF, aberrations).
• Experience with optical tolerancing, non-sequential simulation, and stray light / ghost analysis.
• Experience with practical optical work — prototyping, alignment,integrationand characterisation.
• Sound research and engineering practices.
• Eligibility to obtain andmaintainan Australian Defence security clearance.
• Experience with hyperspectral, EO/IR, or spectrometer-based imaging systems.
• Exposure to aerospace, airborne remote sensing, or space optical instrumentation (e.g. OGSE).
• Experience with cameras, image sensors, and the imaging chain.
• Programming (Python/MATLAB) for optical modelling,analysisor test automation.
• Understanding of how image quality affects downstream computer-vision / ML performance.
• Familiarity with optomechanical design and manufacturing transition.
• Strong physics and mathematics background.

Why Join Arkeus

• You will work on the hardest problems in deep-tech — optics, autonomy, real-timeAIand hardware-software integration ina single product. The gap between what you build and where it ends up is almostnonexistent.
• You will collaborate with exceptional leaders who have 40+ years of combined experience in autonomy,opticsand defence. You will be learning from — and contributing to — the best in the field.
• You will become part of a close-knit, ego-free team where ideas compete on merit, not seniority. Low politics, high trust. The kind of team you will still be talking about in ten years.
• You will work hard and be expected to bring your best — and in return, you will grow faster than you ever would at a large organisation.
• You will work on technology that is already deployed in real environments — protecting lives and strengthening security across defence and national security applications.
• You will receive a competitive, market-benchmarked salary, structured career pathways built to grow with you, and the opportunity toparticipatein our Employee Share Option Plan (ESOP).
• You will have the opportunity to mentor bright emerging talent through our highly sought-after intern program and strong connections with leading universities.