Optical Engineer
DRAPER is conducting a nationwide search for an innovative engineer/scientist with technical expertise in the conception, development, and test of a wide variety of advanced optical systems. The successful applicant can expect to work on interesting, complex tasks across technical domains featured on our website. Responsibilities will include: direct contribution to technical system development from concept to prototype, opportunity for technical leadership of engineering teams, coordinating with vendors, and contribution to business development activities such as proposal development.
Qualifications
Required Qualifications:
- M.S. (or B.S. with 3+ years' experience) in: optical engineering, mechanical engineering, physics, electrical engineering, or computer science.
- Experience as a direct contributor in optical system design and tolerancing (in Zemax OpticStudio and/or CODE V) from concept to fieldable prototype or product. Relevant design areas include imaging systems (image generation and image capture), with exposure to any of: non-imaging systems (e.g. illumination, FRED), image sensor design and/or analysis, display technologies, and spatial light modulators.
- Facility with laboratory optical components and test methods. All size scales are of interest, from fiber optics and micro-lens arrays, to centimeter-scale imaging optics, to telescopes.
- Technical experience in the field of optical systems development, ideally depth in one topical area or breadth across several. Instances of technical leadership and individual contribution in developing optical and/or opto-electronic systems.
- Excellent written and verbal communications. Willingness to travel. Track record of a "can-do" approach to challenging tasks.
Preferred Qualifications:
Beneficial additional qualifications include:
- 2+ years of technical experience
- Traditional and/or diffractive optics, coatings, wavelengths inside and outside the visible
- Facility with technical software such as: MATLAB, Mathematica, Python, or MathCAD
- Design for harsh environmental conditions and low SWaP
- Ability to perform or check radiometric / photometric calculations
- Experience with micro-optics, e.g. lens arrays or interfaces to integrated optics
- Performance within a Quality Systems environment
- Experience selecting and managing vendors of optical elements and the assembly of optical components.
- Examples of inventive thinking or thought leadership (a design portfolio, patent filings, technical publications, peer review, or similar)
Security Requirement:
- Applicants selected for this position will be required to obtain and maintain a government security clearance.