Chief Engineer

Lumira Search; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 230,000 - 350,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

End-to-end ownership

Benefits package

Job summary

Lumira Search is partnering with an early-stage NewSpace company to recruit a Chief Engineer, Optical, leading optical architecture for a LEO data relay constellation. You will own link design, requirements, and verification, and interact with the vendor to drive performance.

This sole-contributor leadership role requires 6+ years in free-space optics, an advanced degree, and a track record of directing vendor performance.

Qualifications

• 6+ years in free-space optical communications or spaceborne photonics.
• MS or PhD in optics, EE, or physics or equivalent depth.
• Experience directing vendor performance and NRE programs.
• Ability to act as the sole optical authority and accountable for technical calls.

Responsibilities

• Own the optical ISL and feeder-link architecture, including wavelength plan, modulation and coding, aperture sizing.
• Develop end-to-end optical link budgets with realistic impairment considerations.
• Author optical requirements and ICDs, flowing to vendor and internal teams.
• Direct the vendor through down-select, diligence, SOW and NRE scoping and design reviews.
• Adjudicate R&D direction with the vendor and decide on buy vs. co-develop.
• Potentially lead a ZR-800G-class transceiver NRE for the optical terminal.
• Maintain compliance with CCSDS O3K and SDA OCT standards where relevant.

Skills

LEO optical links

Vendor management

NRE programs

Optical link budgets

Coherent optical transport

Spaceborne photonics

sole optical authority

Education

MS/PhD in optics/EE/physics

Job description

Chief Engineer, Optical Communications | LEO Data Relay Constellation

Lumira Search is partnering with an early-stage NewSpace company building a next-generation data relay constellation in low Earth orbit. Using a hybrid RF-optical inter-satellite link (ISL) architecture, they enable efficient data aggregation and relay to support scalable, resilient space infrastructure across commercial, federal, and defense applications.

The Role

As Chief Engineer (Optical), you’ll be the company’s technical lead for optical communications across the LEO data relay constellation. You’ll own the optical architecture, requirements, link design, and verification, and lead technical decisions with the company’s optical terminal vendor.

The vendor handles terminal manufacturing, but this role stays hands-on with analysis, integration, and testing. It’s a sole-contributor leadership position: you’ll be the optical authority, setting technical direction without managing a team.

What You’ll Do

• Own the optical ISL and feeder-link architecture, including wavelength plan, modulation and coding, aperture and divergence sizing, and the data rate vs. range tradespace.
• Develop and maintain end-to-end optical link budgets covering coherent receiver sensitivity, PAT margin, platform jitter, point-ahead, Doppler, stray light, fade statistics, and BER against realistic FEC.
• Author optical requirements and ICDs, managing flowdown to the vendor and to internal bus, flight software, and ground teams.
• Direct the vendor technically through down-select, diligence, SOW and NRE scoping, and design reviews, holding them accountable for performance and schedule.
• Adjudicate R&D direction with the vendor: what warrants NRE investment, what is technically unviable, and what to buy versus co-develop.
• Potentially lead a ZR-800G-class coherent transceiver NRE with the optical terminal.
• Maintain compliance with applicable standards, including CCSDS O3K and SDA OCT where relevant to federal programs.

What You’ll Bring

• Direct, hands-on experience with LEO-LEO optical inter-satellite links, designing, building, or verifying crosslink terminals between spacecraft in low Earth orbit.
• 6+ years in free-space optical communications, coherent optical transport, or spaceborne photonics.
• MS or PhD in optics, EE, or physics, or equivalent demonstrated depth.
• A track record of directing vendor technical performance and NRE programs.
• The judgment to act as the sole optical authority and be accountable for your technical calls.

Nice to Have

• Direct experience with 400ZR, 800ZR, OpenZR+, or OIF coherent pluggables.
• Flight heritage on an optical comms payload.

What’s On Offer

• Meaningful early-stage equity
• End-to-end ownership of optical communications for an entire constellation
• Medical, dental, vision, 401(k), and relocation assistance

This position requires access to technology subject to U.S. export regulations, including ITAR. Applicants must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.