Principal Laser Systems Engineer – High-Power Optics

Sciton; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 220,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity/Stock incentive programs

Profit-sharing bonus

401(k) with matching

Job summary

Sciton is seeking a Staff/Principal Laser Development Engineer in Palo Alto to lead development of high-power pulsed solid-state lasers for medical devices. You will own resonator architecture, thermal management, and beam delivery while coordinating across engineering disciplines.

You will apply deep optics expertise to push innovations from concept to high-volume production, interacting with suppliers and contributing to equity programs.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Optics, Physics, Electrical Engineering (optical emphasis) or related.
• 10+ years designing high-power pulsed solid-state lasers and bringing products to production.

Responsibilities

• Lead design and validation of flashlamp-pumped and diode-pumped solid-state laser resonators (Er:YAG, Nd:YAG).
• Perform optical ray tracing, thermal lensing modeling, cavity stability analysis, and pump-cavity optimization.
• Design beam delivery with fibers, articulated arms, and ophthalmic/medical handpieces.
• Assemble and test breadboard/prototype lasers and verify against requirements.
• Collaborate with mechanical, electrical, and software teams for integration into compact medical systems.
• Engage suppliers and vendors for critical components and tolerances.

Skills

Laser physics

Beam delivery design

Optical simulation

High-power lasers

Team collaboration

Education

PhD in Optics/Physics/Eng

10+ years industry experience

Tools

Zemax

FRED

LASCAD

MATLAB/Python

COMSOL

Job description

Sciton is seeking a Staff/Principal Laser Development Engineer in Palo Alto to lead development of high-power pulsed solid-state lasers for medical devices. You will own resonator architecture, thermal management, and beam delivery while coordinating across engineering disciplines.

You will apply deep optics expertise to push innovations from concept to high-volume production, interacting with suppliers and contributing to equity programs.