Manager, Opto-Mechanical Manufacturing

Optical Society of Southern California; Irvine (CA); On-site; USD 175,000 - 205,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Medical Vision & Dental coverage

401(k) retirement plan

Job summary

Impulse Space in Redondo Beach, CA is seeking a Manager, Opto-Mechanical Manufacturing to lead a team of engineers and to own opto-mechanical manufacturing across the company for all products.

You will recruit and mentor engineers, design tooling and metrology processes, ensure manufacturability with DFM/DFA, and stand up a new cleanroom for production of opto-mechanical devices; contribute to PDR/CDR reviews and stay abreast of industry trends.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in electrical/physics/mechanical/aerospace engineering or related field is required.
• 6+ years of opto-mechanical manufacturing experience in a high-reliability environment.
• 3+ years in a people-management role; strong mentoring track record.

Responsibilities

• Recruit and lead a team of opto-mechanical manufacturing engineers and technicians.
• Guide manufacturing lines for star trackers, cameras and sun sensors.
• Develop and optimize metrology processes for opto-mechanical assemblies.

Skills

opto-mechanical manufacturing

team leadership

manufacturing processes

GD&T

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Physics, Mechanical Engineering, or Aerospace Engineering

MS/PhD in Physics, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or Aerospace Engineering

Tools

NX

Teamcenter

Job description

Stefan Forschner
9/8/2026 3:08 PM
Contact me at [e-mail] with any questions.

We have the following open position at Impulse Space:

Manager, Opto-Mechanical Manufacturing

Link to Job Posting

Department

Manufacturing

Employment Type

Full Time

Location

Redondo Beach

Workplace type

Onsite

Compensation

$175,000 - $205,000 / year

As the Manager, Opto-Mechanical Manufacturing at Impulse, you will provide leadership and mentorship to a team of opto-mechanical manufacturing engineers. You will own opto-mechanical manufacturing across the company for all our products. Your leadership will directly impact the performance and reliability of all vehicles we send into orbit.

Responsibilities

• Recruit and lead a team of opto-mechanical manufacturing engineers and technicians, including providing mentorship and developing the team
• Provide guidance to a team of engineers designing manufacturing lines for star trackers, cameras and sun sensors
• Develop and optimize metrology processes for opto-mechanical assemblies in production
• Design tooling for alignment of lens assemblies and drive assembly and ATP of opto-mechanical assemblies
• Collaborate with optical design engineers to ensure manufacturability, DFM/DFA of optical assemblies, including custom spherical and aspherical lenses/mirrors
• Streamline manufacturing processes while improving rate, quality and reliability
• Stand up a new cleanroom for the production of opto-mechanical devices
• Build up acceptance testing (ATP) capability of opto-mechanical hardware, including functional and environmental testing
• Lead the effort in collaborating with design engineers to ensure manufacturability and provide input in PDR and CDR reviews
• Stay up-to-date with industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices to drive innovation

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelors' degree in Electrical Engineering, Physics, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering or related field
• 6+ years of demonstrated opto-mechanical manufacturing experience (or related field), preferably in a high-reliability environment
• 6+ years of optical metrology equipment experience, such as centration measurements, interferometry and wavefront sensors
• 3+ years of experience in a people management role
• Strong track record of and commitment to developing and mentoring people
• Deep understanding of manufacturing processes and materials used in opto-mechanical manufacturing
• Familiar with mechanical design and GD&T using NX and Teamcenter

Preferred Skills And Experience

• MS/PhD in Physics, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering or related field
• 6+ years of demonstrated manufacturing experience in opto-mechanical manufacturing for space applications
• 6+ years of experience in a people management role
• Experience with scaling up a team in a startup environment
• Knowledge of thermal cycling, vibration and TVAC for space applications
• Experience with adhesives, glasses, ceramics and metals used for space applications
• Knowledge of theodolites, autocollimators, laser trackers and basic planar optical alignment
• Knowledge of setting testing light sources, including solar simulators, laser diodes and black body sources
• Knowledge of finite and infinite conjugate lens set-ups
• Knowledge of both refractive and reflective methods of collimation

Additional Information

Compensation bands are determined by role, level, location, and alignment with market data. Individual level and base pay is determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on job-related skills, education, experience, technical capabilities and internal equity. In addition to base salary, for full-time hires, you may also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of stock options, and access to medical, vision & dental coverage as well as access to a 401(k) retirement plan.

Impulse Space’s spacecraft manufacturing business is subject to U.S. export regulations including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and Export Administration Regulations (EAR). This position requires applicants to be either U.S. Persons (i.e., U.S. citizen, U.S. national, lawful permanent U.S. resident (green card holder), an individual granted asylum in the U.S., or an individual admitted in U.S. refugee status) or persons eligible to obtain an export license from the U.S. Departments of State, Commerce, or other applicable U.S. government agencies. Learn more about the ITAR here.

Impulse Space is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Impulse Space is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.