Principal Optics Engineer

Thales Defense & Security, Inc.; South Billerica (MA); Hybrid; USD 146,151 - 186,748; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive Salary

Yearly Incentive Compensation Plan

Medical insurance for self and family

401(k) with up to 7% company match

Tuition Reimbursement

Paid wellness, vacation, and holiday

Parental leave

9/80 Work Schedule

Hybrid working environment

Job summary

Thales Defense & Security, Inc. in Billerica, MA seeks a Principal Optics Engineer to lead development of AR head-mounted display components, including waveguides and projectors. You will engage with vendors and customers, drive R&D proposals, and provide technical support across the full lifecycle, often traveling to sites and conferences.

The role requires U.S. citizenship, 8+ years in hands-on engineering with optics, and strong communication skills; the company offers a competitive salary,

Qualifications

• U.S. Citizenship required; security eligibility may be evaluated.
• Bachelor's in engineering or equivalent; advanced degree preferred.
• 8+ years hands-on engineering with at least 6 in optics.
• Experience with motion tracking in AR devices (preferred).
• Strong organizational, written and verbal communication.
• Knowledge of the software development lifecycle.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and coordinate with teams.

Responsibilities

• Understand AR HMD market requirements and customer needs.
• Develop and maintain a network of vendor and industry contacts.
• Understand optics physics and displays; propose feasible R&D tasks.
• Design and develop optical components for head-mounted displays.
• Test waveguides and other optical components in the lab.
• Provide technical support on proposals and customer interactions.
• Interact with customers and vendors at a technical level; travel as needed.

Skills

US Citizenship

Optics specialist

AR/HMD

Systems thinking

multitask management

Software lifecycle

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's in engineering or equivalent

Master’s or PhD preferred

Job description

Principal Optics Engineer

Location: Billerica, MA, 01821

Thales Defense & Security, Inc. (TDSI) headquartered in Clarksburg, MD, is a U.S. company that has been serving domestic and international defense Air, Land and Sea domains for 60+ years. With over 1,000 employees, TDSI and its four subsidiaries (Advanced Acoustic Concepts, Digital Receiver Technology, Tampa Microwave, and Trusted Cyber Technologies) support U.S. Joint Services, special operations forces and multi‑national partners with a variety of communication, visualization, signal intelligence/electronic warfare, and sensor/sonar capabilities. TDSI’s key technologies include tactical handheld radios, expeditionary satellite terminals, helmet‑mounted displays, optics and target recognition capability, advanced radars, undersea sensing and missile systems. Lives depend on what we do!

Top Benefits (Subject to terms of applicable policies/plans)

• Competitive Salary
• Yearly Incentive Compensation Plan
• Medical insurance for self and eligible family members
• Generous 401(k) program—up to 7% company contribution and 100% immediate vesting
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Paid wellness, vacation, and holiday leave
• Paid maternity, paternity, and parental leave
• 9/80 Work Schedule (every other Friday off)
• Hybrid working environment

We are excited to announce that we have an opening in our Billerica, MA office for a Principal Optics Engineer.

Responsibilities

• Understand the Augmented Reality HMD marketspace, its requirements and customer needs
• Develop / maintain a vast network of contacts at vendors, customers, and industry working groups
  • Attend and participate as subject matter expert in relevant conferences and symposia
• Understand the physics and math of optics and displays
• Develop product/development requirements—what is possible, what is manufacturable, how to bend physics to our will, and how much of that can we do now?
• Propose R&D efforts, how to productize the resulting technologies, and the intervening set of tasks
• Provide technical support and expertise on proposals, bid efforts and customer interactions
• Interact with and impress customers, and vendor counterparts at a very technical level
• Manage vendors to a successful conclusion, including providing milestones for evaluating next direction, and cutting bait if such evaluation finds no promising direction
• Design and develop optical components of head‑mounted displays (waveguide, projector, intervening optics)—potentially identifying COTS while overseeing adaption effort
• Test performance of optical components (especially waveguides) in the lab
• Analyze performance of optical components: provide and defend first‑order (oversimplified) calculations with stated assumptions to recommend whether a technical approach is worth further investigation (for instance in the lab)
• Debug problems with our current displays
• Operate without close supervision, which probably means turning an open‑ended problem into a course of action and then following it to an actionable conclusion
  • This means both avoiding rabbit holes and politely avoiding accepting too many assignments or assignments with insufficient time, money, or probability of success
• Perform as an integral member of the HMD team interacting on a regular basis with inter/intra‑company disciplines including engineering, contracts, programs management, business development, and manufacturing; some domestic and international travel to vendors, customers, and conferences
• By example, set the standards that embody the TDSI Core Value and Thales Leadership Model

Qualifications

The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• U.S. Citizenship required. Applicants selected may be subject to a government security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information.
• Bachelor’s in engineering or equivalent technology field, master’s or PhD preferred
• 8+ years’ experience in hands‑on engineering role; with at least 6 dedicated to Optics
• Experience with motion tracking integration into augmented reality devices (expertise preferred)
• Excellent organizational skills and work ethic
• Knowledge of software development lifecycle
• Effective oral and written communication skills and the ability to manage multiple projects

The annualized pay range for this role is $146,151–$186,748 USD along with a target incentive compensation plan (ICP) of 5%. The pay range provided is a good faith estimate representative of the experience level for the role described above. TDSI considers several factors when extending an offer, including but not limited to, the role, function and associated responsibilities, a candidate’s work experience, location, education/training, and key skills.

Thales Defense & Security, Inc. is committed to non‑discrimination as applicable under federal, state and local laws. We are an E‑Verify Employer.

If you need an accommodation or assistance in order to apply for a position with Thales Defense & Security, Inc., please call Human Resources at 202‑961‑1016.