Optics & Camera Systems Lead - High-Impact Imaging

Specter; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

Specter is hiring an Optics & Camera Engineering Lead to own the imaging stack from sensor and lens selection to production validation. You will coordinate with CV/ML, electrical, mechanical, and manufacturing teams to deliver high-performance camera systems across products.

You will benchmark sensors and lenses, translate CV/ML performance into camera requirements, and drive athermal designs for wide operating ranges and field reliability.

Qualifications

• 8+ years in optical, imaging or camera systems engineering, with multiple camera products shipped to volume production.
• Fluency across the stack, from image quality effects to lens design, mechanics and test.
• Deep knowledge of image sensors, lens design and the trade-offs among resolution, FOV, F-number, MTF, aberrations and thermal stability.
• Hands-on optical simulation with Zemax OpticStudio, CODE V or similar.
• Track record specifying off-the-shelf and custom lenses with suppliers, with clear performance and cost trade-offs.
• Athermalization experience covering both mechanical design and optical performance across temperature.
• Experience designing optical test equipment and running test campaigns, with rigorous data analysis behind decisions.
• Experience with NIR imaging and active illumination, as well as L/M/SWIR systems.

Responsibilities

• Own optical performance specifications for fixed, multi-camera, panoramic and PTZ products.
• Integrate the selected sensor, lens, IR-cut filter and mount into a camera system that meets spec across every operating condition.
• Drive athermal design so focus and MTF hold across a wide operating range under solar loading, accounting for IR-cut filters and mounts.
• Specify NIR illumination (LED and laser) matched to lens FOV and include eye safety considerations.
• Guide window, coating, heater, wiper and sun-shade design to ensure long outdoor service life.
• Use optical simulation to evaluate concepts quickly and review supplier prescriptions with confidence.
• Lead vendor and JDM programs with optics suppliers and ODM/JDM partners.
• Build test capability and run campaigns for lab reliability and field validation.

Skills

Optics systems

Camera systems

CV/ML integration

NIR imaging

MTF analysis

Optical simulation

Lenses & sensors

Vendor management

Tools

Zemax OpticStudio

CODE V

Python

MATLAB

Imatest

SolidWorks

Job description

Specter is hiring an Optics & Camera Engineering Lead to own the imaging stack from sensor and lens selection to production validation. You will coordinate with CV/ML, electrical, mechanical, and manufacturing teams to deliver high-performance camera systems across products.

You will benchmark sensors and lenses, translate CV/ML performance into camera requirements, and drive athermal designs for wide operating ranges and field reliability.