Optomechanical Engineer (1144498)

The Judge Group; Denver (CO); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Equity package

Job summary

The Judge Group is seeking an experienced Optomechanical Engineer in Denver, CO to lead design, analysis, integration, and test of mechanical structures ensuring precise alignment of optical components in space environments. You will bridge optics and mechanics to deliver rugged telescope payloads for Earth observation and space surveillance.

Required is a BS or higher in engineering, 5+ years of mechanical design, and the ability to obtain a U.S. Top Secret clearance.

Qualifications

• BS or higher in engineering or hard science.
• Ability to obtain and hold U.S. Top Secret clearance.
• 5+ years of mechanical design experience.
• Experience with exotic opto-mechanical materials (composites, titanium, beryllium, Invar, Zerodur).
• Experience with tolerance stack-ups and mechanical alignments.
• CAD proficiency and ability to create GD&T drawings.
• Hands-on fabrication and assembly skills.
• Strong fundamentals in optics, heat transfer, statics, solid mechanics, and materials.
• Excellent attention to detail and autonomous work style.
• Organized with ability to define scope for ambiguous problems.
• Experience with high-reliability design, athermalization, and vibration/shock resistance.

Responsibilities

• Create opto-mechanical designs of space payloads ranging from small cameras to large telescopes.
• Act as Responsible Engineer: analyses, vendor visits, test plans, and subsystem interfaces.
• Run finite element models and hand calculations to predict stresses in mechanical and optical components.
• Contribute to STOP analyses to evaluate structural and thermal effects on optical performance.
• Conduct hand calculations and thermal analyses to evaluate on-orbit temperatures and solar loading effects.
• Design alignment features and tolerance stack-ups enabling sub-arcsecond payload pointing.
• Own hardware design from concept to launch, pacing design maturity with program needs.
• Use first principles for decisions and simplify designs.
• Communicate pros/cons of architectures with respect to mechanical design and packaging.
• Lead subsystem design reviews and provide status updates on timelines and progress.
• Build prototypes, analyze failures, and transition designs to flight hardware.
• Create technical documentation (drawings, specs, test plans).
• Mentor junior engineers.

Skills

Mechanical design

Opto-mechanical design

CAD proficiency

Tolerance stack-ups

Stat/solid mechanics

Heat transfer

Materials knowledge

Autonomous

Attention to detail

Python

MATLAB

C++

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering or hard science

Tools

NX/Teamcenter

Job description

Location: Denver, CO

Salary: $120,000.00 USD Annually - $160,000.00 USD Annually

Description

Title: Optomechanical Engineer

Rates: $120,000 to $160,000 annually

Location: Denver, CO

U.S. leading Space Surveillance and Intelligence company focused on ensuring orbital safety and sustainability. With expertise in space-based detection, tracking, identification, and monitoring, client provides comprehensive domain awareness across regimes, allowing end users to have actionable intelligence on a single platform. At the core of its infrastructure lies a sophisticated integration of hardware and software capabilities aligned with the key principles of situational awareness: perception (data collection), comprehension (data processing), and prediction (analytics). This holistic approach empowers to monitor all Resident Space Objects (RSOs) in orbit, fostering comprehensive domain awareness.

client is seeking an experienced and driven Optomechanical Engineer to spearhead design, analysis, integration, and test of mechanical structures and assemblies that support and maintain the precise alignment of optical components (like mirrors, lenses, focal plane arrays, and baffles) in the harsh environment of space. The role acts as the bridge between optics and mechanics to deliver high-performance, rugged telescope payloads for Earth observation, space surveillance, or scientific missions. This role is critical in small satellite programs where size, weight, power, and cost (SWaP-C) constraints are tight. U.S. citizen eligible for TS/SCI security clearance.

Why Us?

• Be part of a collaborative, innovative and mission-focused environment where your ideas and skills have significant, real-world impact.
• Shape company culture, set the foundation for future success, build world-class teams.
• Competitive salary, benefits and equity package at an early-stage, well-funded organization.

Responsibilities

• Create opto-mechanical designs of space payloads ranging from small cameras to large telescopes
• Act as Responsible Engineer: conduct analyses, visit vendors and test sites, define and execute test plans, and manage subsystem interfaces
• Run finite element models and hand calculations to predict stresses in mechanical and optical components
• Contribute to STOP analyses to evaluate structural and thermal effects on optical performance
• Conduct hand calculations and run higher order thermal analyses to evaluate survival and operational on-orbit temperatures including solar loading effects through apertures and optics
• Design alignment features and conduct tolerance stack-ups enabling sub-arcsecond payload pointing and stability over large temperature ranges
• Own hardware design from concept to launch, intelligently pacing design maturity with a holistic program view
• Use first principles for every decision and continuously simplify designs
• Communicate pros/cons of system architectures with respect to mechanical design and packaging considerations
• Lead subsystem design reviews and provide clear status updates on timelines and technical progress
• Build prototypes, analyze failures, and transition successful designs to flight hardware and low-rate production
• Create excellent technical documentation (presentations, test plans/reports, procedures, drawings, specifications, etc.)
• Mentor junior engineers

Required Qualification

• BS or higher degree in engineering or hard science
• Ability to obtain and hold U.S. Top Secret security clearance
• 5+ years of mechanical design experience and demonstrated track record of success
• Experience with exotic opto-mechanical materials (composites, titanium, beryllium, Invar, Zerodur, etc.)
• Experience with tolerance stack-ups, mechanical alignments, kinematic mounting, and qualification test campaigns
• CAD proficiency and ability to create engineering drawings meeting industry standards (GD&T)
• Hands-on fabrication and assembly skills with hand tools, mill, lathe, etc.
• Strong fundamentals in optics, heat transfer, statics, solid mechanics, and materials
• Excellent attention to detail, highly motivated, self-starting, and autonomous
• Organized with ability to define scope and requirements for ambiguous problems
• Experience with high-reliability design, athermalization, and vibration/shock resistance.

Preferred Qualities

• Experience in NX/Teamcenter
• Hands-on technical project experience (academic, extracurricular, or personal)
• Parallel industry experience
• Ability to integrate electronic components (PCBAs, motors, sensors) into mechanical designs
• Coding experience in Python, MATLAB, or C++ for analytical models and data acquisition/automation
• Structural or thermal testing experience including sensor selection, data acquisition, and post-processing (Python preferred)