Senior Optical Engineer – Space Instrumentation

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory; United States; On-site; USD 186,000 - 227,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Retirement plans

Flexible schedule

Paid time off

Job summary

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CA seeks an Optical Engineer IV with TS/SCI clearance to lead optical instrumentation programs for space missions. You will design, analyze, and verify telescopes, spectrometers, imaging systems, and related subsystems.

The role sits in the Optical Systems Engineering Group; you will collaborate with a multidisciplinary team, mentor junior engineers, and contribute to requirement flows, verification plans, and risk reduction activities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree with 9+ years, Master’s with 7+ years or PhD with 5+ years in a related field.
• Familiarity with optical properties of telescopes, spectrometers, coronagraphs and imaging cameras.
• Space-based optical system development experience.
• Experience with Optical Performance Error Budgets (wavefront error, radiometry, spectroscopy).
• Proficiency in MATLAB, Python, C/C++.
• Strong writing, verbal and presentation skills.
• Ability to work in a diverse team.

Responsibilities

• Be a member of the Optical Systems Engineering Group and report to the Group Supervisor.
• Work on optical instrumentation ranging from telescopes to spectrometers and coronagraphs.
• Ensure systems meet specifications and guide requirements for mission success.
• Contribute to design analysis, verification plans and risk reduction activities.

Skills

MATLAB

Python

C/C++

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Physics/Astronomy

Master’s degree in related discipline

PhD in related discipline

Tools

Jama

Cameo

DOORS

Code V

Zemax

Opto-mechanical CAD

Job description

NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CA seeks an Optical Engineer IV with TS/SCI clearance to lead optical instrumentation programs for space missions. You will design, analyze, and verify telescopes, spectrometers, imaging systems, and related subsystems.

The role sits in the Optical Systems Engineering Group; you will collaborate with a multidisciplinary team, mentor junior engineers, and contribute to requirement flows, verification plans, and risk reduction activities.