Senior Optical Engineer

Location: Dayton, OH, US; primary responsibilities are performed onsite in Dayton.

Salary: $90,000–$165,000 annual

Company

A deep-tech engineering organization developing commercial, aerospace, and defense optical systems and next-generation photonic technologies.

What you will do

• Lead the architecture, design, analysis, and optimization of complex optical systems and subsystems.
• Define optical requirements, functional performance budgets, and design trade studies.
• Perform optical modeling, tolerance analysis, stray-light analysis, and performance optimization using industry-standard tools.
• Design and specify lens assemblies, beam expanders, fiber collimators, illumination systems, and other optical components.
• Support prototype development, optical alignment, integration, characterization, and environmental testing.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary engineering teams, support technical proposals and technology roadmaps, and mentor junior engineers.

Requirements

• B.S., M.S., or Ph.D. in Optical Engineering, Physics, Electrical Engineering, Photonics, or a related technical discipline.
• 3+ years of experience designing and developing advanced optical or electro-optical systems.
• Strong knowledge of geometric optics, physical optics, optical tolerancing, polarization, and imaging-system performance.
• Experience with Zemax OpticStudio, CODE V, FRED, or equivalent optical design and analysis software.
• Experience with optical laboratory equipment, alignment techniques, system characterization, and MATLAB, Python, or similar engineering tools.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills and ability to work in multidisciplinary teams.

Nice to have

• Experience with FSOC, laser systems, photonics, space-based or airborne optics, EO/IR imaging, fiber optics, adaptive optics, or optical sensing.
• Experience with SWIR, MWIR, LWIR, metasurfaces, diffractive optics, optical coatings, or advanced optical materials.
• Experience with optical manufacturing, environmental qualification, flight hardware, or aerospace and defense systems engineering.
• Ability to obtain a U.S. security clearance.

Culture & Benefits

• Flexible work arrangements.
• Collaborative, multidisciplinary engineering environment.
• Technical leadership opportunities and significant system ownership.
• Professional development and career growth in a rapidly expanding deep-tech company.
• Competitive salary and equity participation.