Optical Systems Engineer

K2 Space Corporation; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 280,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity in the company

Comprehensive benefits

Job summary

K2 Space Corporation is seeking an Optical Systems Engineer to define, design, test, and deploy optics benches across the company’s payload suite. You will influence feasibility, performance, and manufacturability from concept to on‑orbit commissioning.

The role includes system architecture, tolerance analysis, risk-reduction planning, and close collaboration with the satellite bus and hardware teams to meet aggressive schedule and reliability goals in a high‑velocity space startup environment.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in the design, manufacture, and test of optical systems.
• Experience shaping optical systems across all product lifecycle phases: requirements, design, analysis, tolerance, build, test, deploy.

Responsibilities

• Deliver optical benches for a suite of high-volume optical payloads across UV to LWIR.
• Lead system architecture, SNR budgeting, and model-driven analysis (stray light, fiber coupling).
• Perform detailed optical design and tolerancing.
• Develop plans: risk reduction timelines, labor division, test strategy.
• Oversee environmental qualification and reliability testing.
• Provide technical leadership to vendors and partners, including qualification and supply-chain development.
• Coordinate lab characterization, system validation, and on-orbit commissioning planning.
• Collaborate with optical and satellite bus teams to define feasible, optimal requirements.
• Prepare design reviews to gain stakeholder buy-in and align hardware/software/test/manufacturing teams.
• Forecast staffing needs, define roles, and mentor engineers for future growth.
• Drive in-house manufacturing emphasis: equipment evaluation, factory layout, work instructions, and end-of-line tests.

Skills

Optical design

Systems engineering

Manufacturing interfacing

Technical leadership

Education

Bachelor’s degree in physics/optics/engineering

Job description

K2 is building the largest and highest‑power satellites ever flown, unlocking performance levels previously out of reach across every orbit. With multiple launches planned through 2026 and 2027, we’re Building Bigger to develop the solar system and become a Kardashev TypeII (K2) civilization. If you are a motivated individual who thrives in a fast‑paced environment and is excited about contributing to the success of a groundbreaking SeriesC space startup, we’d love for you to apply.

Role Overview

As an Optical Systems Engineer, you will contribute to defining how K2 designs, manufactures, tests, and deploys optics benches across K2’s optical payload suite. You will be involved in every phase of your optical system’s life cycle, from initial feasibility and architectural trade studies through manufacturing, ground testing, and on‑orbit commissioning.

Responsibilities

• Responsible for delivering the optical benches for a suite of high‑volume optical payloads operating in the UV, VIS, NIR, SWIR, MWIR, and LWIR.
• System architecture, SNR budget, and system‑specific modeling (e.g., stray light, fiber coupling).
• Detailed optical design and tolerancing.
• Development plan (risk‑reduction timeline, division of labor, test strategy).
• Environmental qualification and reliability testing.
• Technical leadership of vendors and external partners, including component qualification, supply‑chain development, and transition to volume manufacturing.
• Laboratory characterization, system‑level validation, mission readiness, and on‑orbit commissioning plan.
• Collaborate with the optical and satellite bus teams to determine feasibility and optimal system requirements for optical payloads.
• Prepare design reviews for your optical system to get stakeholder buy‑in and communicate expectations to the hardware, software, test, and manufacturing teams.
• Forecast staffing needs, define roles, and interview candidates to ensure the optical payloads team is staffed appropriately to deliver on schedule.
• Mentor the engineers supporting you to make them more capable and autonomous in the realm of optical system development in the future – scoping work, providing feedback throughout, and reviewing and signing off on the quality of their work.
• Manufacturing is a major emphasis of this role. For any in‑house fabrication and assembly you’ll be responsible for the evaluation and selection of manufacturing equipment and working with the production team to develop a factory layout, work instructions, in‑process checkouts, and end‑of‑line tests to ensure successful builds.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in physics, optics, computer science, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, or a related technical field.
• 8+ years of experience in the design, manufacture, and test of optical systems.
• Experience designing and deploying optical systems at every phase of the product life cycle (requirements generation, design, analysis, tolerance, procurement, build, alignment, test, deploy, operate).

Nice to Have

• Familiarity with high‑volume manufacturing – broad knowledge of manufacturing techniques, design for manufacturability, supply‑chain management, and productionization of assembly and test processes.
• Experience with optical mechanisms – specifying their requirements, knowledge of feedback and actuation methods, basic controls analysis, quantifying mechanism error, and system‑level testing.
• Deep knowledge of electro‑optical sensing technologies (e.g., focal plane arrays, photodiodes, etc.) – their non‑idealities, noise mechanisms, and mitigations, testing and characterization, and practical implementation/system integration details.
• Experience conducting experimental research, data analysis, and visualizing esoteric datasets.
• Understanding of the failure modes of electrical, mechanical, and optical systems in space environment.

Compensation and Benefits

• Base salary range for this role is $110,000 – $280,000 + equity in the company.
• Salary will be based on several factors including, but not limited to: knowledge and skills, education, and experience level.
• Comprehensive benefits package including paid time off, medical/dental/vision coverage, life insurance, paid parental leave, and many other perks.

If you need a reasonable accommodation as part of your application for employment or interviews with us, please let us know.

Export Compliance

As defined in the ITAR, “U.S. Persons” include U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents (i.e., Green Card holders), and certain protected individuals (e.g., refugees/asylees, American Samoans). The person hired for this role will have access to information and items controlled by U.S. export control regulations, including ITAR. The person hired for this role must therefore either be a “U.S. person” as defined by 22C.F.R. §120.15 or otherwise be eligible for a federally issued export control license.

Equal Opportunity

K2 Space is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with K2 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.