Senior Space Optics Engineer - Flight-Ready Payloads

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

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++.