Lead Optomechanical Engineer - Quantum Hardware

Cisco; Santa Monica (CA); On-site; USD 151,000 - 216,000; Full time

Job summary

Cisco's Outshift Quantum Research team in Santa Monica is seeking an Optomechanical Engineer to transform bench optics into rugged 19-inch enclosures. You will tackle thermal, structural, and alignment challenges while ensuring manufacturability and serviceability.

You will collaborate with physicists and engineers to optimize insertion loss, beam quality, and stability across ESS. The role requires advanced degrees or equivalent experience, strong CAD/FEA skills, and a focus on precision

Qualifications

• Bachelors + 8 years of related experience, or Masters + 6 years of related experience, or PhD + 3 years of related experience.
• 2+ years experience in optomechanical design, precision mechanism design, or optoelectronic packaging for commercial, aerospace, or telecom applications.
• Experience in 3D CAD (SolidWorks, Creo) and FEA tools (ANSYS, COMSOL, or SolidWorks Simulation) for structural, thermal, and modal analysis.
• Experience with GD&T (ASME Y14.5), kinematic design principles, CTE matching techniques, and micron-level precision adjustment mechanisms.
• Experience packaging free-space optics, fiber launches, photonic devices, or laser assemblies into enclosed hardware products.

Responsibilities

• Take delicate breadboard and benchtop optical setups developed in R&D and re-engineer them into compact, vibration-isolated 19-inch rack-mount chassis.
• Solve thermal expansion, structural deformation, and drift challenges, maintaining sub-micron kinematic alignment across wide operating temperature and mechanical shock/vibration profiles.
• Establish standardized mounting, fiber routing, and precision adjustment mechanisms for fast, repeatable assembly, testing, and servicing without requiring manual alignment on customer sites.
• Design compact, modular, and ruggedized enclosures (1U–4U chassis) for precision free-space optics, fiber-to-chip interfaces, laser sources, and photonic devices.
• Design the layout of free-space optics, fiber-to-chip interfaces, laser sources, and photonic devices inside each enclosure capable of maintaining ultra-high alignment stability over extended lifespans.
• Perform Finite Element Analysis (FEA) for structural deformation, thermal expansion (CTE matching), and heat dissipation in enclosed optical modules.
• Design active and passive vibration isolation systems to protect sensitive optical paths from internal cooling fan vibrations and external data center acoustic/structural noise.
• Conduct comprehensive tolerance stack-up analyses (GD&T) to guarantee optical alignment budgets and component interchangeable assembly tolerances.
• Build, assemble, and validate initial optomechanical prototypes in the lab, testing for thermal drift, mechanical stability, optical loss, and vibration susceptibility.
• Collaborate with optical physicists and systems engineers to characterize insertion loss, beam quality, and phase stability across environmental stress screening (ESS).
• Work with vendors and machine shops to select specialized materials, precision machining methods, custom optical coatings, and surface finishes.

Job description

Cisco's Outshift Quantum Research team in Santa Monica is seeking an Optomechanical Engineer to transform bench optics into rugged 19-inch enclosures. You will tackle thermal, structural, and alignment challenges while ensuring manufacturability and serviceability.

You will collaborate with physicists and engineers to optimize insertion loss, beam quality, and stability across ESS. The role requires advanced degrees or equivalent experience, strong CAD/FEA skills, and a focus on precision