Senior Optical Engineer: Lead Lens Design & Systems (Equity)

Rippling, Inc.; Sunnyvale (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Equity

Medical coverage

Flexible vacation

Inclusive work environment

Job summary

Lyte seeks a Senior Optical Engineer to join the System Optics Team and own optical components from requirements through qualification and sustaining support. You will lead lens and component design, perform hands-on testing, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to meet system-level targets.

The role emphasizes hands-on testing, design-for-manufacturing considerations, and development of next-generation optical solutions in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• Master's or PhD in Optical Engineering, Photonics, Physics, or related field.
• 3–5+ years of relevant optical engineering experience, or 7+ years with a bachelor's degree.
• Hands-on experience in lens or optical system design.

Responsibilities

• Own optical design for lenses, windows, mirrors, and other optical components with requirements flow-down.
• Develop and optimize optical designs using Zemax OpticStudio, CODE V, or equivalent tools.
• Lead optical design execution across internal teams, external consultants, suppliers, and manufacturing partners.
• Review and approve optical design deliverables, prescriptions, tolerance analyses, and vendor documentation.
• Define specs, acceptance criteria, and validation methods for optical components and assemblies.
• Plan and execute hands-on optical testing and characterization (MTF, WFE, distortion).
• Correlate measured performance with simulation models and design assumptions.
• Lead future-generation optical design efforts and architecture studies.

Skills

Lens design

Optical testing

Python automation

Requirements analysis

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Master's degree

PhD

Bachelor's +7y experience

Tools

Zemax OpticStudio

CODE V

Optical design software

Python

Job description

Lyte seeks a Senior Optical Engineer to join the System Optics Team and own optical components from requirements through qualification and sustaining support. You will lead lens and component design, perform hands-on testing, and collaborate with cross-functional teams to meet system-level targets.

The role emphasizes hands-on testing, design-for-manufacturing considerations, and development of next-generation optical solutions in a fast-paced environment.