3 More Engineers

Optical Society of Southern California; Irvine (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation assistance may be available

Job summary

Optical Society of Southern California is looking for a Senior System Architect in Irvine, California, to drive the technical vision for next-generation optical communications. The role involves defining the end-to-end architecture and optimizing system performance for space applications.

Candidates should have a Bachelor’s degree and 7+ years of experience in systems engineering, specifically in optical communications. Relocation assistance may be available for the right candidate.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in relevant fields.
• End-to-end system design experience in optical communications.
• Mastery of optical link budget analysis.

Responsibilities

• Define mission architecture and system requirements.
• Drive system-level trades for performance optimization.
• Author and manage engineering documentation.

Skills

System design

Optical communications

Link budget analysis

FPGA/ASIC architectures

System engineering documentation

Control systems design

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Systems Engineering or related field

Tools

Optical design software

Job description

Senior System Architect – Optical Communications

The role is part of the In-Space Systems business unit focused on space infrastructure and on-orbit mobility.

As the Senior System Architect for our next-generation optical communications program, you will define the end-to-end technical vision for a system designed to set new standards in space-based connectivity. You will own the architecture for an optical communications system, translating mission objectives into a resilient, high-performance system ready for the space environment.

• Define the end-to-end mission architecture, including wavelength selection, link geometry, autonomy, redundancy strategies, and initial SWaP–T allocations.
• Drive system-level trades for the terminal's aperture, balancing link margin, pointing accuracy, throughput, structural stiffness, and thermal management.
• Flow down performance budgets to all subsystems (optics, PAT, modem, electronics) with rigorous ICDs and calibration strategies.
• Integrate STOP analysis into system budgets and define acceptance criteria for hardware verification and vendor SOWs.
• Define PAT concept of operations and control architecture, model and simulate key performance parameters.
• Develop validation strategy for PAT algorithms from simulation to advanced mirror materials.
• Define modem and electronics development plan, ensuring deterministic latency, fault tolerance, and radiation resilience.
• Author and manage core systems engineering documents, identify technical risks, lead architecture reviews, and serve as primary technical authority.
• Lead rapid prototyping efforts, create feedback loops, and coordinate cross‑functional teams.

Travel: Up to 15 % to supplier facilities, test sites, and Blue Origin locations.

Relocation assistance may be available.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Systems Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Optical Engineering, or related field; 7+ years relevant experience (M.S./Ph.D. preferred).
• End-to-end system design experience in high-throughput optical communications (free-space or fiber).
• Mastery of optical link budget analysis, including pointing loss, atmospheric/diffraction effects, jitter coupling, and capture probability.
• Experience designing and analyzing control systems (filters, scan strategies, beacon processing).
• Familiarity with FPGA/ASIC architectures, SerDes interfaces, deterministic memory/DMA, high-speed data paths.
• Proven systems engineering rigor in authoring ICDs, decomposing requirements, and developing verification plans.
• Experience with radiation-hardened design principles, SEU mitigation, and radiation-tolerant components.
• Must be a U.S. citizen, permanent resident, or lawfully admitted U.S. resident.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with optical systems, straylight, and contamination control.
• Familiarity with space hardware development lifecycles and standards (DO-254, ECSS).
• Experience designing built-in-test, telemetry, and fault management systems.
• Hands-on hardware-in-the-loop validation.
• Knowledge of coherent and incoherent detection methods and advanced modulation formats.

Senior Opto‑Mechanical Engineer

The role is part of the In-Space Systems business unit focused on space infrastructure and on-orbit mobility.

As a Senior Opto-Mechanical Engineer, you will lead the mechanical design for the optical heart of a communications terminal. You will own the physical system from concept and material selection through final assembly and validation.

• Lead mechanical design of the telescope structure, incorporating precision alignment features, kinematic mounts, and athermal principles.
• Develop comprehensive tolerance budgets for WFE and alignment stability, informed by STOP analysis.
• Engineer solutions for straylight and ghost suppression, including baffle design and scatter control.
• Author and manage contamination control plans and cleanliness procedures.
• Ensure designs are optimized for manufacturability, assembly, and alignment (DFMA), defining necessary tooling and GSE.
• Provide technical mentorship to junior engineers.
• Lead development path and trade studies for mirror materials, evaluating CTE stability, stiffness, polishability, and thermal performance.
• Draft detailed SOWs for vendors and manage relationships, ensuring compliance.
• Collaborate with STOP analyst to define stiffness targets and integrate thermal control hardware.
• Lead cross-functional technical reviews to ensure integrated system performance.
• Plan and oversee environmental qualification tests, including thermal cycling, dimensional stability, and vibration testing.
• Provide hands-on support for optical alignment, integration, and metrology activities in the lab.
• Refine designs based on straylight test data and validate contamination control procedures.
• Develop and document lessons learned to improve future designs.

Travel: 10–15 % to vendor visits, design reviews, and test campaigns.

Relocation assistance may be available.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related field; 10+ years relevant experience (M.S./Ph.D. preferred).
• Demonstrated experience designing telescopes or similar precision optical instruments for space or aerospace applications.
• Proven expertise in straylight analysis, contamination control, baffle design, and coating selection.
• Hands-on experience with advanced mirror materials and their fabrication, polishing, and testing methods.
• Experience integrating mechanical designs with structural, thermal, and optical performance analyses.
• Proficiency in a major CAD package (e.g., PTC Creo, Siemens NX).
• Experience leading technical teams and mentoring junior engineers.
• Track record of successful delivery of complex opto-mechanical systems for demanding applications.
• Must be a U.S. citizen, permanent resident, or lawfully admitted U.S. resident.

Preferred Qualifications

• Direct experience using STOP analysis to drive mechanical design decisions.
• Experience with space environmental testing (thermal cycling, vibration, TVAC) and test-model correlation.
• Design or integration experience with precision pointing mechanisms or gimbals for space.
• Knowledge of athermalization techniques for optical systems.
• Experience developing and executing optical alignment procedures using interferometry and other metrology tools.
• Previous experience with optical communications systems or laser-based instruments.
• Experience with systems engineering practices and requirements flow-down.
• Publication record or patents in relevant technical areas.

Structural & Thermal Engineer

The role is part of the In-Space Systems business unit focused on space infrastructure and on-orbit mobility.

As a Structural & Thermal Engineer focused on STOP analysis, you will serve as the analytical backbone, ensuring our optical systems achieve peak performance from launch through on-orbit operations.

• Perform coupled STOP analysis, integrating structural, thermal, and optical design models.
• Derive, allocate, and close optical performance budgets (e.g., alignment, WFE) with optical and mechanical engineers.
• Bound system sensitivities to environmental and structural inputs and propose design mitigations.
• Build and maintain high-fidelity FEA models to analyze modal response, random vibration, shock, and quasi-static loads.
• Analyze and mitigate gravity release and mount preloads on optical alignment and surface figure.
• Quantify structural stiffness and jitter transfer functions to ensure fine-pointing stability.
• Develop detailed thermal models to simulate radiation, conduction, and active thermal control systems.
• Manage thermal dissipation and ensure optical stability across operational and survival modes.
• Translate thermoelastic distortions into quantified impacts on optical performance.
• Define a comprehensive model validation plan, including instrumentation requirements for environmental testing.
• Correlate analytical models with TVAC and vibration test data, iterating to improve accuracy.
• Develop and present evidence packages for system feasibility, including model pedigree, uncertainty analysis, and sensitivity studies.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related field; 7+ years relevant experience (M.S./Ph.D. preferred).
• Expertise in FEA for precision space structures, with experience in modal/dynamic analysis, random vibration, and thermoelastic distortion.
• Deep understanding of passive and active thermal control systems for space applications.
• Strong skills in uncertainty quantification, probabilistic analysis, Monte Carlo methods, and sensitivity studies.
• Proficiency with relevant analysis software (FEA: Nastran, Ansys, or Abaqus; Thermal: Thermal Desktop, SINDA/FLUINT, or similar).
• Must be a U.S. citizen, permanent resident, or lawfully admitted U.S. resident.

Preferred Qualifications

• Mastery of coupling structural/thermal models with optical design tools (Zemax, Code V, or similar).
• Experience with telescopes, complex optics, or gimbaled systems.
• Background in designing low-jitter structures, including isolation systems or damping.
• Experience with test correlation, including pre-test analysis and post-test model updates for TVAC or vibration campaigns.
• Proficiency in a scripting language (Python, MATLAB) for data analysis, process automation, and parametric studies.