Element Manager, Wavefront Sensing & Control

Jobtailor; Pasadena (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

Jobtailor is seeking an experienced leader to drive Wavefront Sensing & Control within our GMT AO program. You will oversee cross-functional teams, ensure subsystem design maturity, and coordinate integration, testing, and delivery of WFSC hardware.

Role requires 10+ years in optical systems or adaptive optics, strong management experience, and hands-on AO testbed work. Travel to observatories and vendor sites may be required.

Qualifications

• Minimum 10+ years of relevant experience in optical systems, adaptive optics, or related complex engineering programs.
• Experience managing and delivering adaptive optics systems or astronomical instruments and key components such as cameras, detectors, and deformable mirrors.
• Hands-on experience developing adaptive optics systems and/or hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) optical testbeds.
• Experience in Optical Systems Engineering and real-time controls.
• Experience in technical management, including budgets and schedules.
• Outstanding written and oral communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Wavefront Sensing & Control team and collaborate with System Engineering to ensure designs traceable to system-level requirements.
• Bring WFSC subsystem designs to full maturity and plan final integration, testing, and delivery.
• Provide leadership and technical oversight for AO system engineering and WFSC hardware subsystems.

Skills

Cross-functional collaboration

Leadership

Team management

Outstanding written communication

Outstanding oral communication

Budget creation and management

Earned value management

Real-time controls

System engineering

Optical systems engineering

Education

M.S. degree in optical science, astronomy, physics, or a related field

Tools

Cameras

Detectors

Deformable mirrors

Testbeds

Optical testbeds

Job description

• Lead the Wavefront Sensing & Control team and collaborate with System Engineering to ensure technical designs are traceable to system-level requirements
• Bring WFSC subsystem designs to full maturity and plan final integration, testing, and delivery
• Provide leadership and technical oversight for AO system engineering and WFSC hardware subsystem design developed internally, by partner institutions, and by industrial vendors
• Lead completion of final designs for seven hardware subsystems
• Plan, manage, and track tasks, resources, schedules, costs, risks, deliverables, and earned value
• Oversee testbed operations and allocate resources across subsystems and systems engineering activities
• Coordinate outsourced designs, testbeds, and prototypes with partner institutions and subcontractors
• Plan and coordinate external independent reviews of final designs
• Prepare and deliver presentations at technical gate reviews and conferences
• Coordinate interfaces and interdependencies between WFSC and other GMT Project elements
• Review prototype test results to validate designs and reduce performance risks
• Ensure delivery of WFSC milestones, including NSF reports and financial and schedule performance status
• Delegate delivery of internal technical documentation for GMT AO subsystem requirements, design, and performance
• Participate in procurement and testing of AO-related subsystems
• Lead laboratory verification of WFSC subsystem and AO control algorithm performance
• Lead final site acceptance testing and delivery of AO subsystems to telescope commissioning
• Contribute to technical decisions affecting subsystem design, integration, and performance
• Supervise 5–7 direct reports

Requirements

• M.S. degree in optical science, astronomy, physics, or a related field
• Minimum of 10+ years of relevant experience in optical systems, adaptive optics, or related complex engineering programs
• Demonstrated ability to work in a cross-functional global collaborative team environment
• Experience managing and delivering Adaptive Optics systems or astronomical instruments and key components such as cameras, detectors, and deformable mirrors
• Experience in Optical Systems Engineering
• Hands-on experience developing adaptive optics systems and/or hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) optical testbeds
• Experience on the programmatic or people-management side
• Basic understanding of simulations, modeling techniques, components, and testing methods
• Outstanding written and oral communication skills
• Willingness to travel to foreign and domestic vendor and observatory locations as needed
• Experience in technical management of state-of-the-art complex systems, including creation of budgets and schedules
• Experience in real-time controls and systems engineering
• Experience operating in a laboratory environment with personnel and hardware safety protocols
• Hands-on experience developing and testing astronomical adaptive optics systems, astronomical instruments, and/or laboratory optical testbeds
• Experience with earned value management techniques

Core Competencies

Demonstrates expertise in Optical Systems Engineering and Adaptive Optics, with a strong focus on subsystem design, integration, and performance validation. Proven leadership in managing complex engineering programs and cross-functional teams, ensuring successful project delivery and compliance with technical requirements.

Highest-signal resume keywords

• Optical Systems Engineering
• Adaptive Optics Systems Management
• Technical Management of Complex Systems
• Earned Value Management Techniques
• Laboratory Verification and Testing

Hard Skills

• Optical Systems Engineering
• Adaptive Optics
• Hardware-in-the-Loop Testing
• Real-Time Controls
• Simulations and Modeling Techniques
• Budget Creation and Management
• Subsystem Design and Integration
• Testing Methods
• Performance Validation
• Astronomical Instruments Development

Soft Skills

• Outstanding Written Communication
• Outstanding Oral Communication
• Cross-Functional Collaboration
• Leadership
• Team Management

Industry Keywords

• Wavefront Sensing
• System Engineering
• Complex Engineering Programs
• Astronomy
• Optical Science

Tools & Technologies

• Testbeds
• Cameras
• Detectors
• Deformable Mirrors
• Optical Testbeds