Optical Engineer

SpaceX

Confirmed live yesterday Trusted

Quick summary

Work type: On-site
Location: Hawthorne, CA
Salary: $135,000–$170,000 / yr
Posted: 63 days ago
Freshness: Confirmed live yesterday
Nearby: 99+ roles within 25 mi

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Salary context

Competitive pay

How this pay compares to similar roles

Similar $160k

This role $152k

$121k $200k

below market most similar roles pay here above market

This role pays less than 54% of similar roles. Most pay $128,280–$192,031 — the blue band above. At the midpoint, this role pays about $152k versus about $160k for comparable roles.

Based on 240 similar postings.

Employer

About SpaceX

SpaceX designs, manufactures, and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft with the mission of enabling humans to become a multi-planetary species. It operates the Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy, and Starship launch vehicles, as well as the Starlink satellite internet constellation.

SpaceX currently has 851 open roles on FindRole.

Listed pay typically runs $130,000–$165,000 across 590 roles with salary data.

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At a glance

TL;DR · Optical Engineer

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JOB TITLE: Optical Engineer (Starfall) As an Optical Engineer, you will join the team responsible for free-space optical system design, validation, and operation for a navigation sensor combining a visible camera and infrared sensing. You will lead the design of optics, detectors, circuit boards, precision mechanisms, and mechanical enclosures capable of surviving extreme space environments while maintaining high manufacturing rates. Your daily work involves analyzing electronic and optical assemblies, defining requirements for high-performance sensors, and performing verification testing including environmental qualification and fault-injection. You will utilize skills in optics, photonics, and imaging, employing tools like Zemax, C++, MATLAB, and Python within a Linux environment. The role addresses the technical challenge of developing reliable navigation systems that must function under harsh atmospheric optical effects and demanding mission-critical constraints.

Skills

Optics Photonics Infrared (IR) Sensing Zemax Python C++ MATLAB Linux FPGA Mixed-Signal Circuits SERDES DDR4 I2C SPI Signal Integrity Opto-mechanical Design Precision Metrology

What you'll do

Design and validate visible-camera and infrared (IR) sensor architectures for navigation systems.
Lead optical architecture definition through internal trade studies and risk-reduction testing.
Design next-generation optical and IR hardware for high-volume manufacturing.
Perform verification testing including environmental qualification, performance characterization, and fault-injection.
Lead field testing of optical experiments and navigation sensor systems.
Review test data to lead anomaly investigation and resolution.
Maintain performance budgets, design specifications, and system capabilities data.
Develop tools and protocols for automated optical and IR testing with software teams.

What we're looking for

Bachelor’s degree in optical engineering, physics, or another engineering discipline.
2+ years of hands-on laboratory or work experience in optics, photonics, imaging, infrared sensing, or electrical/mechanical design or testing.
1+ years of experience in a computer programming language such as C++, MATLAB, and/or Python.
Master’s degree or PhD in physics or an engineering discipline (preferred).
Proficiency with optical analysis tools such as Zemax (preferred).
Experience in optical/system design, integration, and test of imaging or IR systems (preferred).
Experience designing mixed-signal circuits, processors, FPGAs, and other electronic components (preferred).
Must be a U.S. citizen, national, lawful permanent resident, refugee, asylee, or eligible for Department of State authorization.