Space-Grade Optical Manufacturing Engineer

K2 Space; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 100,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Comprehensive benefits

Job summary

K2 Space in California is hiring an Optical Manufacturing Engineer to bridge optical design and production. You will define build flows, create tooling, and scale processes for large-aperture space optics while ensuring manufacturability and test readiness.

In this role you will develop cleaning, bonding, mounting, and alignment methods for optical subassemblies, implement robust DFX guidance, and drive production-readiness for flight hardware in a fast-growing, high-stakes environment.

Qualifications

• DFX-focused optomechanical design experience.
• Experience with optical subassembly manufacturing and tooling.
• Proficiency in metrology and cleanroom practices.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with optical design team to provide DFX guidance across optics, optomechanical mounts, bonded assemblies, and integrated electro-optical hardware.
• Develop manufacturing and assembly processes for space-qualified optical subsystems and large aperture telescopes, including precision inspection and cleaning, adhesive bonding and UV/thermal cure, mounting and torque, and alignment of freespace optics and fiber optic assemblies.
• Design alignment fixtures, bonding and handling tooling, and ground support equipment (GSE) that protect sensitive optics while achieving required tolerances and repeatability.
• Support the evaluation and selection of optical fabrication, assembly, and metrology equipment, and help develop the factory and cleanroom layout for in-house optics production.
• Develop in-process inspections, optical metrology, and end-of-line test methods (e.g., interferometry, autocollimation, wavefront and alignment verification), ensuring accuracy and data traceability across all builds.
• Create and maintain work instructions, travelers, and procedures in the MES; lead root cause analysis and corrective action for nonconformances on optical builds.
• Support integration of optical assemblies with their electromechanical interfaces, including harnessing, sensor electronics, thermal management hardware, and machined structures.
• Develop the subassembly build flow and iterate to create an efficient production flow, ensuring build times align with current takt times as production scales.
• Support environmental acceptance and qualification test campaigns on optical assemblies from a build and test-readiness standpoint.
• Partner with a team of optical manufacturing engineers to perform R&D of novel optics manufacturing and alignment technologies for current and future payloads.

Skills

DFX guidance

Optical metrology

Manufacturing process design

Reading GD&T

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering

Tools

NX CAD

Zemax

ANSYS

Job description

K2 Space in California is hiring an Optical Manufacturing Engineer to bridge optical design and production. You will define build flows, create tooling, and scale processes for large-aperture space optics while ensuring manufacturability and test readiness.

In this role you will develop cleaning, bonding, mounting, and alignment methods for optical subassemblies, implement robust DFX guidance, and drive production-readiness for flight hardware in a fast-growing, high-stakes environment.