Principal Optical Process Engineer

Monarch Quantum; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 225,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, Vision insurance

Fidelity 401(k) with 4% employer match

20 PTO days per year

13 paid holidays

9/80 work schedule

Job summary

Monarch Quantum seeks a Principal Optical Process Engineer to own active optical alignment processes and automation across production systems. You will bridge optical physics, process development, and automation, delivering repeatable, production-ready solutions.

You’ll work with cross-functional teams to move processes from development to qualification and production release. The role emphasizes designing automated systems, DOE-driven optimization, and robust measurement feedback, with

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in optical engineering, physics, photonics, or related field.
• 10+ years in optical engineering, photonic assembly, or related discipline.
• Experience with optical alignment and photonic assembly, including fiber coupling and tolerancing.
• Ability to explain physical behavior driving active alignment and improve processes.
• Experience applying DOE, statistics, tolerance analysis, and data-driven decisions.
• Experience designing, building, integrating automated equipment for production.

Responsibilities

• Develop and optimize active optical alignment processes for photonic assemblies.
• Translate alignment requirements into robust automated processes for scalable production.
• Develop and validate automated alignment systems using robotics, machine vision, and real-time feedback.
• Characterize alignment processes to identify variation and establish tolerances.
• Use DOE, statistical analysis, and process capability to optimize repeatability.
• Diagnose failures across optical, mechanical, software, or procedural domains and implement corrective actions.
• Drive innovation in alignment methods and automation for product roadmap.
• Collaborate with product/design engineers to enable automated alignment in assemblies.
• Lead processes from development through qualification and production release.

Skills

Optical physics

Process development

Automation

Robotics

Machine vision

Precision motion

DOE

Statistical analysis

Root-cause analysis

Python

MATLAB

Data-driven decision making

Education

Bachelor's degree in optical engineering/physics/photonics

Tools

CAD (SolidWorks/other)

Python

MATLAB

Machine vision equipment

Job description

Join our fast-paced, passionate team as a Principal Optical Process Engineer. As we scale, you will play a critical role in developing the optical alignment processes and automation that form the foundation of our production systems.

This is a highly hands-on engineering role for a self-starter who can bridge optical physics, process development, and automation. You will be responsible for understanding how optical elements behave during active alignment, developing processes that exploit that understanding, and transforming those processes into robust, repeatable, and fully automated production solutions.

You will work closely with optical, mechanical, robotics, software, and manufacturing engineers to take processes from early development through production. The ideal candidate is equally comfortable analyzing optical behavior, designing experiments, debugging an automated system, and driving a team toward a production-ready solution.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and optimize active optical alignment processes for precision photonic assemblies, using a deep understanding of optical physics, alignment sensitivity, coupling behavior, beam propagation, and sources of process variation.
• Translate optical alignment requirements into robust, automated processes, with the goal of eliminating manual intervention and enabling repeatable production at scale.
• Develop, integrate, and validate automated alignment systems using robotics, precision motion, machine vision, optical instrumentation, and real-time measurement and feedback.
• Characterize alignment processes to understand sensitivities, identify sources of variation, and establish process windows, tolerances, and control strategies.
• Use DOE, statistical analysis, tolerance analysis, root-cause analysis, and process capability analysis to optimize processes and demonstrate repeatability and robustness.
• Diagnose process failures by determining whether the underlying cause is optical, mechanical, measurement-related, software-related, or procedural, and develop effective corrective actions.
• Drive innovation in optical alignment methods, process architecture, modeling, analysis, and automation to support the product roadmap.
• Work with product and design engineers to identify opportunities to design products and assemblies for automated alignment and manufacturing.
• Lead processes from development through qualification and production release, including requirements definition, process development, verification, documentation, and transfer.
• Work independently and collaboratively while maintaining clear communication with engineering leadership and cross-functional teams.
• Plan and execute engineering activities including data collection, analysis, peer reviews, technical documentation, and decision-making.
• Support project engineering with scope, schedule, resource, and risk analysis.

• This position requires access to export-controlled information. Employment is contingent upon the applicant being a U.S. person as defined by 8 U.S.C. § 1324b(a)(3).

Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in optical engineering, physics, photonics, or a related field.
• Minimum 10 years of relevant experience in optical engineering, photonic assembly, optical alignment, process development, or a related discipline.
• Extensive experience with optical alignment and photonic assembly, including fiber coupling, precision component alignment, optical measurement, alignment sensitivity, tolerancing, and process variation.
• Demonstrated ability to understand and explain the physical behavior driving an active alignment process, and to use that understanding to develop and improve the process.
• Demonstrated experience developing, characterizing, optimizing, and qualifying production processes using DOE, statistical analysis, tolerance analysis, root-cause analysis, process capability, and data-driven decision making.
• Experience designing, building, integrating, and verifying automated equipment and processes, with demonstrated focus on repeatability, robustness, and production readiness.
• Experience with automated optical alignment or test using robotics, machine vision, precision motion, optical instrumentation, or electrical test equipment.

Skills:

• Demonstrated successful execution of engineering tasks including use of mechanical CAD and quantitative analysis/programming tools, instrumentation and measurement, part fabrication or procurement, integration and test, data collection, analysis and documentation.
• Demonstrated successful execution of automated test or component alignment using robotics, machine vision, or electrical test equipment for photonics alignment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience taking a manual or semi-automated optical alignment process and converting it to a fully automated production process.
• Experience developing closed-loop alignment processes using optical performance feedback.
• Experience with robotic automation, machine vision, precision motion control, or automated metrology.
• Experience developing processes for high-precision photonic or optomechanical assemblies.
• Experience working across optical, mechanical, electrical, controls, robotics, and software disciplines.

• Experience with CAD and quantitative programming/data analysis tools such as Python, MATLAB, or similar platforms

Startup Mindset:

• You're creative, flexible, and eager to wear multiple hats.
• You're passionate about building systems from the ground up and comfortable with ambiguity and change.

The expected annual salary range for this position is $180,000-$225,000.

As a full-time employee, you will be eligible for Monarch’s comprehensive benefits package, which includes:

• Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance
• Fidelity 401(k) plan with 4% employer matching
• 20 paid time off (PTO) days per year
• 13 paid company holidays
• 9/80 work schedule (every other Friday off)

Monarch Quantum is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, citizenship status, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, age, religion, creed, physical or mental disability, medical condition, marital status, veteran status or any other characteristics protected under applicable federal, state and local laws.