Senior Optics Engineer

spacekinetic; El Segundo (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity‑Based Compensation

Highly Competitive PTO and Holiday Cal

Comprehensive Medical, Dental and Visn

Unique Performanc

Job summary

Space Kinetic seeks a Senior Optics Engineer to own the design, integration, and qualification of optical and optomechanical systems for spacecraft and payloads. This hands-on role moves complex optical hardware from concept through alignment, environmental testing, and flight-ready production.

The ideal candidate has 7+ years in optical hardware, strong optics fundamentals, and hands-on alignment and testing experience using Zemax/CODE V, Python, MATLAB, and C++.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Optical Engineering, Physics, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical field.
• 7+ years of experience designing, integrating, and testing optical, imaging, photonic, infrared, or laser-based hardware.
• Experience taking an optical or optomechanical assembly from concept through environmental qualification.
• Strong understanding of geometric and wave optics, optical aberrations, radiometry, tolerance analysis, and optical performance budgeting.
• Proficiency with Zemax, CODE V, or equivalent optical design and modeling software.
• Hands-on experience with optical alignment, calibration, and metrology, including methods such as interferometry, MTF, boresight, transmission, or stray-light testing.
• Experience with optomechanical packaging, precision mounting, athermalization, detector integration, and manufacturing tolerance flow-down.
• Proficiency in Python, MATLAB, C++, or a similar language for optical modeling, test automation, and data analysis.

Responsibilities

• Own optical and optomechanical systems from requirements and architecture through detailed design, integration, qualification, and production.
• Design and analyze imaging, sensing, laser, infrared, or free-space optical systems using first-principles optical engineering.
• Develop optical prescriptions, performance models, error budgets, tolerance analyses, stray-light assessments, and system-level trade studies.
• Design and integrate lenses, detectors, mounts, baffles, windows, thermal interfaces, alignment features, and other precision optical hardware.
• Develop alignment, calibration, metrology, and automated test methods to characterize optical performance.
• Plan and execute environmental qualification, including vibration, shock, thermal-vacuum, and other mission-specific testing.
• Analyze test data, diagnose optical performance issues, lead anomaly investigations, and implement corrective design actions.
• Partner with mechanical, electrical, software, systems, manufacturing, and supplier teams to deliver manufacturable, flight-ready hardware.

Skills

Zemax

CODE V

Python

MATLAB

C++

Optical alignment

Education

Bachelor's degree in Optical Engineering, Physics, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or related technical field

Tools

SolidWorks

NX

Creo

GD&T

Job description

Who We Are:

Space Kinetic is a dual use space technology startup building a completely new architecture for space operations - one that brings the advantages of proliferated drone technology (low-cost, operationally flexible, attritable, distributed) to space missions while reducing the ecosystem's reliance on consumable fuel. In a world where many companies are focused on incrementally improving the status quo, we are focused on creating something entirely different - an architecture underpinned by new first principles to meet the opportunities and challenges of the third space age head-on. Our goal is to move away from one-to-one space architectures - where each satellite in a constellation has one (or a small number of) primary payloads attached to the bus - and unlock a "one-to-many" system, where each satellite has a large number of payloads which can be deployed from their host spacecraft at high velocities without firing a thruster.

This is not a role for someone looking for a traditional 40-hour work week. Space Kinetic is building ambitious, first-of-its-kind technology, and that requires urgency, ownership, and a high level of commitment to changing the foundational assumptions for everything we do in space.

What You'll Do:

We are seeking a Senior Optics Engineer to own the design, integration, and qualification of optical and optomechanical systems for our spacecraft and payload technologies. This is a hands‑on role for an engineer who has taken complex optical hardware from early architecture through alignment, environmental testing, and flight‑ready production.

Job Responsibilities:

• Own optical and optomechanical systems from requirements and architecture through detailed design, integration, qualification, and production.
• Design and analyze imaging, sensing, laser, infrared, or free‑space optical systems using first‑principles optical engineering.
• Develop optical prescriptions, performance models, error budgets, tolerance analyses, stray‑light assessments, and system‑level trade studies.
• Design and integrate lenses, detectors, mounts, baffles, windows, thermal interfaces, alignment features, and other precision optical hardware.
• Develop alignment, calibration, metrology, and automated test methods to characterize optical performance.
• Plan and execute environmental qualification, including vibration, shock, thermal‑vacuum, and other mission‑specific testing.
• Analyze test data, diagnose optical performance issues, lead anomaly investigations, and implement corrective design actions.
• Partner with mechanical, electrical, software, systems, manufacturing, and supplier teams to deliver manufacturable, flight‑ready hardware.

What It Takes:

• Bachelor's degree in Optical Engineering, Physics, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical field.
• 7+ years of experience designing, integrating, and testing optical, imaging, photonic, infrared, or laser‑based hardware.
• Demonstrated experience taking an optical or optomechanical assembly from concept through environmental qualification.
• Strong understanding of geometric and wave optics, optical aberrations, radiometry, tolerance analysis, and optical performance budgeting.
• Proficiency with Zemax, CODE V, or equivalent optical design and modeling software.
• Hands‑on experience with optical alignment, calibration, and metrology, including methods such as interferometry, MTF, boresight, transmission, or stray‑light testing.
• Experience with optomechanical packaging, precision mounting, athermalization, detector integration, and manufacturing tolerance flow‑down.
• Proficiency in Python, MATLAB, C++, or a similar language for optical modeling, test automation, and data analysis.

What We'd Love :

• Experience developing optical systems for spacecraft, satellites, defense platforms, airborne systems, or other high‑reliability applications.
• Experience with infrared systems, free‑space optics, laser communications, imaging payloads, star trackers, or pointing, acquisition, and tracking systems.
• Experience with optical coatings, windows, detectors, focal‑plane arrays, thermal interfaces, or stray‑light analysis.
• Familiarity with SolidWorks, NX, Creo, GD&T, and the design of precision optomechanical assemblies.
• Experience qualifying optical suppliers and transitioning optical hardware from prototype development into repeatable production.
• Experience developing hardware for high‑vibration, shock, thermal‑vacuum, radiation, or other demanding aerospace environments.
• Experience integrating optical systems into modeling and simulation environments in support of Hardware‑in‑the‑Loop (HITL) testing

Where You'll Be:

The position is onsite at our headquarters in El Segundo, CA. Domestic travel may be required (up to ~20% of the year).

What We Offer:

• Equity‑Based Compensation
• Highly Competitive PTO and Holiday Calendar
• Comprehensive Medical, Dental and Vision Coverage
• Unique Performanc