Optical Manufacturing Development Lead — Hands-On

Divergent; Torrance (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 206,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity plan

Discretionary bonus opportunities

Paid vacation, sick time, and holidays

Parental leave

Job summary

Divergent is seeking a Lead Optical Systems Engineer to own the integration, commissioning, and long-term calibration stability of optical subsystems across the LPBF machine fleet. You will lead a small team of optics engineers while remaining hands-on with builds, troubleshooting, and verification to ensure consistent performance in production.

Responsibilities include developing calibration procedures, leading RCCA, and partnering with hardware, controls/software, and operations to resolve

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Optics/Optical Engineering, Physics, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related discipline.
• 5+ years of experience in electro-optical or opto-mechanical systems design, integration, or calibration, ideally within capital equipment or industrial systems.
• Experience developing and validating calibration and verification processes for optical or laser systems.
• Hands-on experience integrating high-power lasers, scanners/galvos, or beam delivery optics.
• Experience with RCCA and technical troubleshooting of complex electro-optical systems.

Responsibilities

• Own optical subsystem integration and stabilization across LPBF machine builds, from initial bring-up through commissioning and steady-state production.
• Lead development of calibration procedures and, critically, verification methods that confirm calibration integrity is maintained over time — through drift, wear, and environmental variation.
• Build and lead a small team of optics engineers, working alongside them on builds, calibration, troubleshooting, and RCCA.
• Partner with hardware design, controls/software, process engineering, and operations to resolve optical performance issues affecting build quality, uptime, and throughput.
• Own documentation for optical subsystems: work instructions, calibration and verification procedures, acceptance criteria, and test plans.
• Lead RCCA on optical-related failures and escapes; own corrective and preventive actions to reduce recurrence.
• Establish metrics for optical system health (calibration hold time, drift rate, verification pass rate, MTBF) and drive continuous improvement.
• Train technicians and engineers on calibration, alignment, and laser safety practices.
• Support scale-up and replication of optical systems and processes across additional machines and factories.

Skills

Electro-optical systems

Opto-mechanical systems

Calibration and verification

Team leadership

Mentoring

Laser safety protocols

Education

Bachelor's degree in Optics/Optical Engineering/Physics/EE/ME

Tools

RCCA

Laser safety programs

Job description

Divergent is seeking a Lead Optical Systems Engineer to own the integration, commissioning, and long-term calibration stability of optical subsystems across the LPBF machine fleet. You will lead a small team of optics engineers while remaining hands-on with builds, troubleshooting, and verification to ensure consistent performance in production.

Responsibilities include developing calibration procedures, leading RCCA, and partnering with hardware, controls/software, and operations to resolve