Optical Engineer I — Flexible Schedule for Space Optics

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory; United States; On-site; USD 109,000 - 124,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Retirement plans

Paid time off

Job summary

The NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California invites applications for Optical Engineer I within the Optical Engineering Group. The role focuses on designing and developing optical systems for planetary probes and remote sensing, including alignment, testing, and calibration of instruments.

Candidates should hold a Bachelor’s in Optical Engineering or Physics with 1+ years of related experience, plus expertise in adaptive optics, wavefront sensing, and Matlab or Python.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Optical Engineering, Physics or related technical discipline with at least 1 year of related work experience
• Master’s degree in similar discipline with at least 0 years of related experience
• Understanding of adaptive optics algorithms and optical hardware
• Experience in wavefront sensing and control and/or adaptive optics instrumentation; proficiency in Matlab or Python
• Ability to work well in teams with diverse skills and backgrounds
• Proficiency in word processing and spreadsheets (Word, Excel)
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Responsibilities

• Join the Optical Engineering group to design and develop optical systems for planetary probes and remote sensing instruments
• Support alignment, test, and calibration of optical instruments and systems
• Contribute to system architecture and concept definition for ground and space-based optical hardware

Skills

Adaptive optics

Wavefront sensing

Matlab or Python

Teamwork

Word processing

Excel

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Optical Engineering, Physics or related technical discipline

Master’s degree in similar discipline

Tools

NX

Zemax

CODE-V

IDL

LabVIEW

Job description

The NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California invites applications for Optical Engineer I within the Optical Engineering Group. The role focuses on designing and developing optical systems for planetary probes and remote sensing, including alignment, testing, and calibration of instruments.

Candidates should hold a Bachelor’s in Optical Engineering or Physics with 1+ years of related experience, plus expertise in adaptive optics, wavefront sensing, and Matlab or Python.