Principal Optical Engineer

RTX; McKinney (TX); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Total rewards package

Career development

Job summary

RTX in McKinney, TX on-site is seeking an experienced Optical Design Engineer to design, test, and deliver EO/IR and high-energy laser system capabilities for defense programs. The role focuses on airborne and ground-based imagers, performance, and reliability under strict requirements.

You will create optical drawings, coordinate with vendors, perform alignments, and support product tests and demonstrations.

Qualifications

• Degree in STEM with 8+ years of relevant experience.
• Experience with optical design software (CodeV, Zemax, TracePro).
• EO/IR/laser system experience and opto-mechanical alignments.
• Cleanroom handling of optical components.
• Strong data analysis and programming skills (MATLAB/Python).

Responsibilities

• Design, test, and deliver EO/IR and high-energy laser system capabilities.
• Develop optical designs for airborne and ground-based imagers and subsystems.
• Apply tolerancing and performance analysis for new capabilities.
• Create optical drawings and coordinate with vendors.
• Manage small-to-moderate projects with planning and documentation.
• Perform opto-mechanical alignments and assist with tests and demos.

Skills

Optical design

Optical alignment

Data analysis

MATLAB

Python

Vendor collaboration

Testing

Education

STEM degree

Advanced optics degree preferred

Tools

CodeV

Zemax OpticStudio

TracePro

CREO

Job description

Location: US-TX-MCKINNEY-513WB ~ 2501 W University Dr ~ WING B BLDG

Position Role Type: Onsite

U.S. Citizen, U.S. Person, or Immigration Status Requirements: The ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government issued security clearance is required. U.S. citizenship is required, as only U.S. citizens are eligible for a security clearance

Security Clearance Type: DoD Clearance: Secret

Security Clearance Status: Active and existing security clearance required after day 1

At RTX, the world's largest aerospace and defense company, 185,000 great minds are united by purpose and inspired to make a difference solving the world's most complex problems. With our three market leading businesses, world-class operations and investments in research and development, we offer capabilities and opportunity no one else can. Together, we push the boundaries of known science and find new ways to connect and protect our world.

Raytheon brings the strength of more than 100 years of experience and renowned engineering expertise to meet the needs of today's mission and stay ahead of tomorrow's threat. We deliver solutions that help our nation and allies defend freedom and deter aggression, creating a safer, more secure world. Join us and help shape the future of aerospace and defense.

What You Will Do

• Design, test, and deliver product capabilities for precision EO/IR and High Energy Laser systems which provide situational awareness and a tactical advantage for our customers.
• Apply your knowledge and experience in optical design to support the design, analysis, and development of advanced airborne and ground-based imagers, passive and active electro-optical infrared systems, high energy lasers, LADARs, and specialized test equipment.
• Apply the principles of optical design, tolerancing, and performance analysis to support the development of new advanced capabilities within these domains.
• Create optical drawings and collaborate with vendors for custom components.
• Occasionally manage small to moderate projects, including planning, scheduling, documentation, and communication of progress.
• Perform critical opto-mechanical alignments, assisting with optical design tasks such as modeling, simulation and tolerancing, assembling optical and laser diagnostic test equipment, testing and troubleshooting laser and optical assemblies, and supporting product tests and demonstrations.

Qualifications You Must Have

• Typically requires a degree in Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) and a minimum of 8 years of prior relevant experience or an advanced degree in a related field and minimum 5 years' experience.
• Experience with optical design and analysis software (e.g., CodeV, Zemax OpticStudio, TracePro), including experience developing macros or scripts.
• Experience with optical alignment, testing, and manufacturing methods, including component inspection, cleaning, bonding, and use of cleanroom environments.
• Experience with EO/IR/laser system integration, troubleshooting, and laser characterization (beam quality, wavefront error, noise).
• Experience with data reduction and analysis, including error analysis.
• Experience with optical component inspection, cleaning and bonding.

Qualifications We Prefer

• An advanced degree in Optics Sciences or Optics Engineering.
• Experience in a customer-facing role.
• Experience writing test, assembly, and calibration procedures.
• Experience writing and portion marking classified documents in a proprietary environment.
• Experience with structural, thermal, and optical performance modeling and analysis.
• Experience with opto-mechanical tolerancing.
• Experience with nonsequential optical analysis.
• Experience modeling optomechanical systems in CREO.
• Familiarity with mechanical design processes.
• Experience working with high‑power lasers.
• Proficiency in a scientific programming language such as MATLAB or Python.
• Proficiency with laser characterization tests such as beam quality, wavefront-error, and laser noise measurements.
• Existing security clearance.

What We Offer

A total rewards package that goes above and beyond with compensation; healthcare, wellness, and work/life benefits; career development and recognition programs. Some of the benefits we offer include parental (including