{"id":3474206,"url":"https://alion.io/job/clera-senior-optical-engineer-rd-2","title":"Senior Optical Engineer, R&D","company":{"id":2706,"name":"Clera","domain":"getclera.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/clera","size_band":"11-50","is_staffing_agency":true,"employer_type":"agency","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Ashby","truth_index":{"grade":"B","score":80,"open_postings":39,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":1,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":6,"computed_at":"2026-11-04T06:34:25Z"}},"role":"Semiconductors","role_family":"Semiconductors","seniority":"senior","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["San Francisco, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":150000,"max":200000,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":200000},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":5,"visa_sponsorship":true,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-10-29T17:07:43Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-10-29","last_verified_at":"2026-11-04T23:46:20Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":6,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":6},"description":"About the Role\nAs a senior optical engineering specialist on a defense technology R&D team, you will lead optical design and investigations for autonomous directed-energy hardware. Your work will help turn optical concepts into robust systems built for real-world use.\nWhat You'll Do\nLead optical design and analysis for core system components.\n\nRun optical investigations and trade studies to guide system-level design decisions.\n\nSpecify and evaluate optical components and subsystem architectures with vendors and fabricators.\n\nCollaborate with mechanical engineers on optical packaging, housing, and integration.\n\nConduct tolerance analysis, performance validation, and design iterations.\n\nGuide alignment, characterization, and testing of integrated optical systems.\n\nEstablish effective practices for optical development, validation, and technical documentation.\n\nWhat We're Looking For\nTypically 5 or more years of relevant experience in optical engineering, optical design, physics, or related hardware engineering.\n\nHands-on experience designing and analyzing optical systems that were built and operated, including aligning and characterizing precision optical hardware.\n\nStrong command of optical theory and experience debugging hardware and leading investigations from first principles.\n\nExperience with optical trade studies, component selection, subsystem architecture, tolerance analysis, and performance validation.\n\nExperience collaborating with mechanical engineers on optical packaging and integration.\n\nFamiliarity with Zemax/OpticStudio or Code V; experience designing high-power laser optics, ruggedized beam delivery, or beam directors is relevant.\n\nA BS or MS in Optical Engineering, Physics, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field.\n\nCompensation & Benefits\nBase salary: $150,000 to $200,000 annually. Visa sponsorship is not available.\nLocation\nOn-site in San Francisco, California, with range days.","description_format":"text","description_chars":1928,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":5,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":false},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":[],"hiring_locations":[],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":[],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-10-29T18:15:25Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":25,"band":"fade","label":"Fading","p_open":1,"p_active":0.336,"p_room":0.75,"age_days":5,"expected_fill_days":6,"reasons":["conf:1","agency","stale_co","velocity","win:late","comp:brand"],"computed_at":"2026-11-04T06:34:25Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":200000,"is_top_pay":true},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/clera-senior-optical-engineer-rd-2","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/clera-senior-optical-engineer-rd-2.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-11-05T00:12:06Z","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":179,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-11-06T00:00:00Z"}},"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":2706},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=2706"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fclera-senior-optical-engineer-rd-2"},{"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%2Fclera-senior-optical-engineer-rd-2"},{"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%2Fclera-senior-optical-engineer-rd-2"},{"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/clera-senior-optical-engineer-rd-2\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fclera-senior-optical-engineer-rd-2"}],"agent":{"mcp":"https://alion.io/mcp/jobs","mcp_open":"https://alion.io/mcp/open","next":[{"tool":"get_job","arguments":{"id":3474206}},{"tool":"search_jobs","arguments":{"company":"getclera.com","detail":"compact"}},{"tool":"match_people","arguments":{"job_id":3474206},"note":"people open to offers who fit this vacancy"}],"note":"The same data through MCP tools: https://alion.io/mcp/open needs no sign-in (compact searches, postings, people); https://alion.io/mcp with an Alion account has everything. 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