Senior Optical Designer / Analyst (Aerospace)

Location: Onsite at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, United States. Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.

Salary: $142,800–$214,200 per year; the range is specific to the Goddard, Maryland area.

Company

hirify.global provides engineering and technical services for aerospace and other complex mission environments.

What you will do

• Design, analyze, and test optical, opto-mechanical, and electro-optical elements, subsystems, and systems for spaceflight instruments.
• Perform system-level analysis supporting instrument and experiment design, calibration, and verification.
• Develop error budgets, tolerance studies, design requirements, and interface documentation.
• Develop assembly and test procedures and support optical subsystem integration and testing.
• Lead trade studies, recommend system architectures, and assess development and manufacturing risks with mitigation strategies.
• Collaborate with engineers, technicians, manufacturing, and quality teams and present technical results during project reviews.

Requirements

• Master’s degree or higher in Optical Engineering or a related field.
• 10–15+ years of experience as an aerospace electro-optical or optical design engineer.
• Experience designing spaceflight instruments, performing optical tolerancing analysis, and selecting optical materials for spaceflight systems.
• Background in geometrical and physical optics, optical/geometrical STOP analysis, diffractive optics modeling, and physical optics modeling such as point spread function generation.
• Ability to lead optic-handling equipment concepts, support test equipment development, and perform system optimization, tolerance, trade, and performance analyses.
• Familiarity with optics fabrication and testing methods, plus strong written and oral communication skills.

Nice to have

• NASA flight hardware development process and methodology experience.
• FRED software for stray light analysis, optical metrology, and interferometry.
• Optical coating design, processing, inspection, and optical component cleaning experience.
• Experience with laser trackers, theodolites, or photogrammetry for precision alignment.
• Knowledge of detectors, detector systems, fiber optics, and laser system design and development.

Culture & Benefits

• 401(k) plan with company match may be available.
• Medical, dental, vision, life, AD&D, flexible spending, and disability benefits may be available.
• Paid time off and a flexible work schedule may be available.
• Professional training and development support.
• Additional compensation may include bonuses, incentives, sign-on bonuses, or relocation benefits depending on the position and policy.