Senior Optical Engineer: Free-Space & WSS Innovation

Molex; Bridgewater Township (NJ); On-site; USD 160,000 - 220,000; Full time

Job summary

Molex in Bridgewater, NJ, seeks a Senior Optical Engineer to lead design and prototyping of next‑generation optical products. You will guide system architecture for WSS, DGE, and OCM modules, mentored by a senior team, and drive robust experimental validation with advanced free-space optics.

The role requires deep knowledge of optical physics, hands-on experience with alignment, measurement, and simulations, and a track record of ensuring design rigor and project milestones.

Qualifications

• PhD or master's degree in engineering or physics with a photonics focus.
• 10+ years of industry experience in optical product development.
• Hands-on experience with optical alignment and fiber coupling techniques.
• Extensive experience with optical measurement equipment and techniques.
• Experience mentoring engineers and leading design investigations.
• Experience with Zemax and optical simulations.

Responsibilities

• Engage early in new product development to understand optical system architecture, design intent, and performance trade-offs.
• Develop expertise in performance specs and system-level behaviors for WSS, DGE, and OCM modules.
• Collaborate with optical design to translate concepts into validated prototypes with complex free-space alignment.
• Lead technical investigations to identify gaps, characterize failure modes, and drive design improvements.
• Apply data-driven root cause analysis to resolve optical and system-level issues.
• Design and execute validation plans emphasizing repeatability and measurement integrity.
• Use optical measurement tools during prototype evaluation and investigations, including OSA, polarization controls, and spectrum analyzers.
• Leverage Zemax and other tools to validate hypotheses and correlate simulations with data.

Skills

Optical alignment

Fiber coupling

Mentoring engineers

Root-cause analysis

Education

PhD or master's in engineering/Physics (photonics focus)

Tools

Zemax

Spectrometer design

Job description

Molex in Bridgewater, NJ, seeks a Senior Optical Engineer to lead design and prototyping of next‑generation optical products. You will guide system architecture for WSS, DGE, and OCM modules, mentored by a senior team, and drive robust experimental validation with advanced free-space optics.

The role requires deep knowledge of optical physics, hands-on experience with alignment, measurement, and simulations, and a track record of ensuring design rigor and project milestones.