Junior Optical Engineer — Hands-On Lab Optics & Prototyping

Diffraqtion; Somerville (MA); On-site; USD 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical/Dental/Vision on Day 1

Equity options

401K match

Mentorship from senior engineers

Space-tech mission

Job summary

Diffraqtion is seeking a Junior Optical Engineer to help build, align, and test advanced optical systems at the heart of our Quantum Camera. This hands-on role is bench-first, with opportunities to work closely with senior engineers and the software team, translating results into hardware changes.

You will contribute to a first-of-a-kind device destined for Low Earth Orbit and gain real ownership over subsystems. The position requires U.S.

Qualifications

• B.S. or M.S. in Optical Engineering, Optics, Physics, Electrical Engineering, or related field.
• 1–2 years of hands-on optical lab experience.
• Bench experience aligning free-space optics and/or fiber optics.
• Experience with oscilloscopes, detectors and power supplies.
• Working knowledge of imaging, diffraction, interference, polarization, and Gaussian beam propagation.
• Proficiency in MATLAB or Python for data analysis.
• On-site lab work in Somerville, MA (hardware role).
• Strong documentation habits and attention to detail.
• Clear technical communication, written and verbal.

Responsibilities

• Build, mount, and align free-space and fiber optical setups on the bench following procedures.
• Assemble and integrate optical subsystems with precision optics and opto-mechanics.
• Run experiments and collect data using lab instruments (beam profilers, power meters, cameras, spectrometers, interferometers).
• Troubleshoot setups, isolate variables, re-align and optimize performance.
• Develop and document repeatable alignment procedures and simple mounts/fixtures.
• Support component selection, quotes, lead times, and incoming optics inspection.
• Analyze measurement data in MATLAB or Python and compare to optical models.
• Maintain rigorous lab notebooks and present findings to the team.
• Assist in testing prototypes toward flight-ready hardware.

Skills

Optical bench experience

MATLAB/Python

Imaging optics fundamentals

Lab safety awareness

Independent work

Cross-functional collaboration

Technical communication

Education

B.S./M.S. in Optical Engineering

Tools

Zemax OpticStudio

Code V

COMSOL

Lumerical

SolidWorks

Job description

Diffraqtion is seeking a Junior Optical Engineer to help build, align, and test advanced optical systems at the heart of our Quantum Camera. This hands-on role is bench-first, with opportunities to work closely with senior engineers and the software team, translating results into hardware changes.

You will contribute to a first-of-a-kind device destined for Low Earth Orbit and gain real ownership over subsystems. The position requires U.S.