Senior Optical Engineer

Location: Onsite in Broomfield, Colorado
Compensation: 136,764 to 160,000 USD base salary, plus bonus, equity and full benefits
US Person Required

Darwin Space are partnered with an exciting space communications company who are building advanced free space optical communication systems for spacecraft and ground terminals. They are expanding their team with multiple Senior Optical Engineers who can design, simulate and optimise optical systems for high performance laser communication networks.

They are looking for engineers with strong optical engineering fundamentals, stable career history, and the ability to turn ambiguous optical problems into clear system architectures and validated models. This team moves quickly and values people who can work across disciplines, support integration and manufacturing and deliver designs that are robust, scalable and ready for mass production.

Candidates with more than six years of experience are ideal, although strong engineers with three to five years and significant optical research or PhD backgrounds may also be considered. They prefer individuals who are committed, reliable and able to demonstrate progression without excessive job hopping.

Relocation support is available for qualified candidates.

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Role Overview

As a Senior Optical Engineer, you will own the design, modeling and validation of optical communication systems used for inter satellite links and ground to space laser communication. You will define architectures, conduct detailed simulations, specify optical metrology systems and support the integration and troubleshooting of optical subsystems throughout development, qualification and production.

You will work closely with mechanical, electrical, software and systems engineering teams to ensure alignment between design intent, performance requirements and manufacturability. This is a senior individual contributor role with significant autonomy and the opportunity to work on cutting edge optical communication technology.

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Key Responsibilities

Optical System Design and Development

• Design, develop and optimise optical communication systems for space and ground based platforms
• Define architectures for free space transmission, optical metrology and high speed laser communication subsystems
• Specify optical components such as lenses, beam shaping optics, collimators, detectors and light sources

Modeling, Simulation and Requirements

• Conduct detailed optical modeling using Zemax, Code V or equivalent
• Perform radiometric analysis, wavefront analysis, tolerance studies, and far field propagation modeling
• Derive quantified requirements for optical instruments using analytical techniques, numerical modeling and benchtop testing
• Customise vendor optical instruments when needed to meet mass production requirements

Validation, Data and Troubleshooting

• Validate optical metrology and communication systems through hardware and software testing
• Analyse large datasets to understand performance, identify issues and drive improvement
• Support root cause analysis and corrective action for optical subsystem non conformances

Integration and Documentation

• Provide technical support during system integration, alignment and troubleshooting
• Write detailed documentation including test procedures, analyses and technical reports
• Present findings clearly to cross functional teams and leadership

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Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s, Master’s or PhD in Optical Engineering, Physics, Electrical Engineering or related field
• Five to eight years of experience in optical system design, modeling and validation
• Experience developing optical instruments such as telescopes, spectrometers or interferometers
• Proficiency in optical modeling tools such as Zemax or Code V
• Strong quantitative skills using MATLAB, Python or similar
• US Person requirement for export control compliance

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Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in the space flight industry
• Knowledge of laser safety
• Experience transitioning optical products into production
• Spanish language ability

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Compensation and Benefits

• Base salary between 136,764 and 160,000 USD
• Bonus and equity opportunities
• Medical, dental and vision coverage
• 401k plan
• PTO and mental health resources
• Pet insurance and legal insurance options
• Relocation support available