Senior Fiber Laser Optical Engineer – Defense/Space

nLIGHT, Inc.; Westborough (MA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) with company match

Stock Purchase Plan

Paid Time Off

Health benefits

Job summary

nLIGHT, Inc. is seeking a Senior Optical Engineer to develop high‑power fiber amplifiers and lasers for defense and communications.

The role involves taking products from concept through prototypes to production in a fast-growing, vertically integrated R&D team onsite in the Greater-Boston area. The candidate will contribute to cross-functional design, prototype assembly, rigorous testing, and environmental qualification, reporting to Engineering leadership.

Qualifications

• BS in Physics, Optical Engineering, Material Science, or related engineering discipline; MS/PhD preferred.
• 8+ years of relevant work experience or an equivalent combination of graduate education and work experience.
• Hands-on development of fiber and/or solid-state lasers and amplifiers, optics, and/or opto-mechanical systems.
• Expertise in diffractive and non-linear optics with hands-on experience.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Solid theoretical and experimental understanding of lasers and optics.
• Ability to summarize and present results clearly and effectively.
• Ability to work as both a leader and contributor.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to a cross-functional team pursuing the development of novel fiber amplifier and fiber laser designs.
• Manage critical development and program tasks and take ownership of key technical areas.
• Support agile R&D to rapidly develop prototypes with hands-on assembly and testing.
• Apply theoretical and experimental understanding of lasers, non-linear and diffractive optics, and opto‑mechanical design to high-energy lasers and space fiber amplifiers.
• Play a key role in development, assembly, integration, and test of optical communication and high-energy laser systems.
• Test and characterization of complex laser-based opto-mechanical systems.
• Define requirements, interfaces, and system layouts with cross-functional teams.
• Design verification, acceptance testing, and environmental qualification strategies.
• Provide technical oversight for procurement, assembly, integration, and test of prototype and production hardware.
• Work remotely with teams at other sites including WA, OR, CO.
• Occasional travel for field trials and transferring to manufacturing; up to 15%.

Skills

Fiber/solid-state lasers

Opto‑mechanical systems

Diffractive optics

Non‑linear optics

Data analysis

Problem solving

Leadership

Technical presentation

Education

BS in Physics/Optical Engineering

MS or PhD preferred

Tools

Modeling software

Optical simulation

Job description

nLIGHT, Inc. is seeking a Senior Optical Engineer to develop high‑power fiber amplifiers and lasers for defense and communications.

The role involves taking products from concept through prototypes to production in a fast-growing, vertically integrated R&D team onsite in the Greater-Boston area. The candidate will contribute to cross-functional design, prototype assembly, rigorous testing, and environmental qualification, reporting to Engineering leadership.