{"id":2837217,"url":"https://alion.io/job/azora-pointing-and-tracking-optomechanical-engineer","title":"Pointing and Tracking Optomechanical Engineer","company":{"id":4396803,"name":"Azora","domain":"azora.space","url":"https://alion.io/company/azora-3","size_band":"201-500","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Deel","truth_index":{"grade":"B","score":75,"open_postings":5,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":1,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":null,"computed_at":"2026-10-23T05:54:15Z"}},"role":"Industrial Engineering","role_family":"Industrial Engineering","seniority":"middle","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"hybrid","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Phoenix, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":null,"salary_estimate":{"min_usd":69000,"max_usd":125000,"period":"year","method":"role_seniority_country_remote_cell","sample_n":4013},"experience_years_min":3,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"ANSYS","optional":false},{"name":"GD&T","optional":false},{"name":"Nastran","optional":false},{"name":"SolidWorks","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-09-11T06:17:52Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-09-11","last_verified_at":"2026-10-24T00:31:00Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":42,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":42},"description":"Role\nOwn the productization of compact pointing, acquisition, and tracking (PAT) optomechanical subsystems for Azora's modular optical ground stations and space terminals. You will guide the process of fine-steering and coarse-pointing systems from commercial prototype through field qualification, ensuring microradian-class stability no matter the weather or platform where the Azora systems are located.\nResponsibilities\nDesign optomechanical assemblies for beam steering: gimbals, fast-steering mirrors (FSMs), telescope mounts, relay optics, and fiber-coupling stages.\n\nPerform structural, thermal, and STOP (structural-thermal-optical performance) analysis to verify line-of-sight stability and wavefront error budgets.\n\nDevelop pointing error budgets covering base motion, jitter, thermal drift, and control-loop residuals, and flow them down to component requirements.\n\nDesign, select and qualify actuators, encoders, bearings, and flexures for ground and space environments.\n\nLead alignment, integration, and test of optical assemblies in the field.\n\nSupport acquisition and tracking field campaigns at ground station sites, including troubleshooting under real atmospheric conditions.\n\nWork closely with software, electrical and network engineers to close the loop between lab-based mechanical design and to autonomous optical communications with space assets.\n\nRequired Qualifications\nBSc or MS in Mechanical Engineering, Optical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related field.\n\n3+ years of optomechanical design experience for precision optical systems (laser communications, telescopes, directed energy, or similar).\n\nProficiency with CAD (SolidWorks, NX, Creo, or similar) and FEA tools (ANSYS, Nastran, or similar).\n\nHands-on experience aligning and testing optical assemblies in a lab environment.\n\nWorking knowledge of GD&T, tolerance analysis, and precision machining practices.\n\nPreferred\nExperience with fast-steering mirrors, gimbal design, or telescope pointing systems.\n\nFamiliarity with STOP analysis workflows and optical design tools (Zemax/OpticStudio, CODE V).\n\nExperience qualifying hardware for launch and on-orbit environments (vibration, shock, thermal vacuum).\n\nField experience with optical ground stations or astronomical instrumentation.\n\nLocation\nThis is an onsite/hybrid role based in Tempe, AZ or the Bay Area, CA - hardware work that’s hard to do remotely. Some travel expected for field deployment and vendor/manufacturing visits.\nBenefits:\nGenerous equity\n\nCompetitive healthcare (including options for vision and dental)\n\n401(k)\n\nUnlimited PTO\n\nEEO & Reasonable Accommodations\nAzora is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. \n\nIf you need a reasonable accommodation as part of your application for employment or interviews with us, please let us know by contacting \n\nExport Control\nTo conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicants must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful permanent resident (iii) protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or (iv) be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.\nSalary ranges are based on the following criteria:\nFinal salary is based on geographic location, experience, skills, and qualifications.\n\nAbout this Company\nAzora is building high-bandwidth communications infrastructure for environments where fiber can’t reach. This work spans LEO spacecraft constellations, lunar exploration missions, GEO satcom, deployable optical ground for defense, and data centers both on- and off-world. To enable rapid global proliferation Azora is developing compact and modular optical terminals small enough to deploy from a backpack, and space terminals that support high speed optical links from LEO out to the Moon.","description_format":"text","description_chars":3791,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":3,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":false},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":["Equity","Unlimited PTO"],"hiring_locations":[],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":[],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-10-19T07:23:25Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":35,"band":"fade","label":"Fading","p_open":1,"p_active":0.628,"p_room":0.55,"age_days":41,"expected_fill_days":30,"reasons":["conf:0","win:tail"],"computed_at":"2026-10-23T05:54:15Z"},"pay":null,"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/azora-pointing-and-tracking-optomechanical-engineer","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/azora-pointing-and-tracking-optomechanical-engineer.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-24T02:37:21Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":4258,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-10-25T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":4396803},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=4396803"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fazora-pointing-and-tracking-optomechanical-engineer"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fazora-pointing-and-tracking-optomechanical-engineer"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fazora-pointing-and-tracking-optomechanical-engineer"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/azora-pointing-and-tracking-optomechanical-engineer\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fazora-pointing-and-tracking-optomechanical-engineer"}]}