Chief Optical Engineer – LEO Satellite ISL

Apolink; Palo Alto, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 220,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Relocation help

Medical benefits

Dental & Vision

401(k)

Job summary

Apolink is building the first-ever backward-compatible data relay constellation in low Earth orbit. The Chief Engineer (Optical) leads optical architectures, links, and verification for our LEO data relay system, hands-on with analysis, integration, and testing, while guiding vendor work.

This sole-contributor leadership role shapes the future of space optical communications. The role requires deep experience in free-space optical links, MS/PhD in optics/EE/physics, and the ability to make

Qualifications

• 6+ years in free-space optical communications, coherent optical transport, or spaceborne photonics.
• Direct, hands-on experience with LEO-LEO optical inter-satellite links: designing, building, or verifying crosslink terminals between spacecraft.
• Demonstrated experience directing vendor technical performance and NRE programs.
• Capacity to exercise independent technical judgment as the sole optical authority and be accountable for it.

Responsibilities

• Own optical ISL and feeder-link architecture: wavelength plan, modulation and coding, aperture and divergence sizing, data rate vs range tradespace.
• Develop and maintain end-to-end optical link budgets, including coherent receiver sensitivity, PAT margin, platform jitter, point-ahead, Doppler, stray light, fade statistics, and BER against realistic FEC.
• Author optical requirements and ICDs, and manage flowdown to the vendor and to internal bus, flight software, and ground teams.
• Direct the vendor technically: down-select, diligence, SOW and NRE scoping, design review participation, and accountability for performance and schedule.
• Adjudicate R&D direction with the vendor; what warrants NRE investment, what is technically unviable, what we buy versus co-develop.
• May 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.

Job description

Apolink is building the first-ever backward-compatible data relay constellation in low Earth orbit. The Chief Engineer (Optical) leads optical architectures, links, and verification for our LEO data relay system, hands-on with analysis, integration, and testing, while guiding vendor work.

This sole-contributor leadership role shapes the future of space optical communications. The role requires deep experience in free-space optical links, MS/PhD in optics/EE/physics, and the ability to make