Space Optics Engineering Leader – Technical Manager

L3Harris; City of Rochester (NY); On-site; USD 141,000 - 262,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health and disability insurance

401(k) match

Flexible spending accounts

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Education assistance

Parental leave

Paid time off

Company-paid holidays

Job summary

L3Harris is recruiting an Optical Engineering Technical Manager in Rochester, NY to lead engineers across optical components, systems, and payloads for space-based EO/IR. You’ll translate mission requirements into practical engineering solutions and guide work from architecture through design, test, and deployment.

The role blends people leadership with hands-on technical contributions, requiring deep expertise in space-based optics, cross-functional coordination, and the ability to communicate

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Optical Engineering, Optics, Physics, or related field with 12+ years experience; or 10+ years with graduate degree; or 16+ years with no degree.
• Leadership experience: 5+ years managing engineering teams or large scopes.
• Ability to obtain a federal security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop optical engineers and technical leads with ~20 direct reports.
• Plan staffing, resources, and program transitions within discipline and programs.
• Guide architectures, designs, and trade studies for space-based optical systems.
• Drive analyses, STOP, and performance predictions for test and operation environments.
• Collaborate with systems, mechanical, electrical, and mission teams to mature designs.

Skills

People leadership

Optical engineering

Space systems

Security clearance

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Optical Engineering/Optics/Physics

Graduate degree (preferred)

Tools

CodeV

Zemax OpticStudio

MATLAB

Python

Job description

L3Harris is recruiting an Optical Engineering Technical Manager in Rochester, NY to lead engineers across optical components, systems, and payloads for space-based EO/IR. You’ll translate mission requirements into practical engineering solutions and guide work from architecture through design, test, and deployment.

The role blends people leadership with hands-on technical contributions, requiring deep expertise in space-based optics, cross-functional coordination, and the ability to communicate