{"id":2741413,"url":"https://alion.io/job/cowboy-space-optical-engineer-test-metrology","title":"Optical Engineer, Test & Metrology","company":{"id":8929,"name":"Cowboy Space","domain":"cowboyspace.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/cowboyspace","size_band":"501-1000","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Ashby","truth_index":{"grade":"B","score":75,"open_postings":5,"ghost_share":0.2,"stale_share":0.4,"repost_share":0.2,"time_to_fill_p50_days":47,"computed_at":"2026-10-22T06:10:10Z"}},"role":"Industrial Engineering","role_family":"Industrial Engineering","seniority":"middle","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 Carlos, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":145000,"max":175000,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":175000},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":3,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"Python","optional":false},{"name":"TPU","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-10-16T17:21:59Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-10-16","last_verified_at":"2026-10-22T14:18:13Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":5,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":5},"description":"About Cowboy Space Corp:\nMission\nCowboy Space Corporation is solving the global energy crisis by building the infrastructure for abundant, resilient space-based solar energy. We are tackling one of humanity’s most complex engineering challenges with a world-class team dedicated to delivering a revolutionary power platform. Cowboy Space Corporation is transforming how civilization powers, computes, and connects - from orbit to Earth.\nBackground\nCowboy Space Corporation is building the infrastructure to power and connect the orbital economy. Our modular, scalable satellites collect sunlight in Low Earth Orbit to enable multiple integrated applications: transmitting energy via infrared lasers (space-to-Earth and space-to-space), powering on-orbit high-performance computing clusters (GPU/TPU), and providing secure, high-bandwidth optical data transport.\nCurrent energy and data systems rely on complex logistics and outdated infrastructure. Cowboy Space Corporation overcomes these challenges by enabling direct, on-demand, secure, and scalable energy distribution and data processing from space. This will revolutionize how we operate in orbit and on Earth, supporting the rapidly expanding space industrial base, ISAM (In-Space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing) operations, remote regions, and military bases.\nBaiju Bhatt founded Cowboy Space Corporation in 2024. Inspired by his father’s work with NASA Langley Research Center, Baiju earned his B.S. in Physics and M.S. in Mathematics at Stanford before co-founding Robinhood, now a public company that has helped over 20 million Americans access the financial system. Cowboy Space Corporation has raised ~$365 million from Index Ventures, Interlagos, Construct Ventures, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, NEA, and others.\nThis ambitious mission demands extraordinary talent. Cowboy Space Corporation’s team has worked at places like SpaceX, Blue Origin, Stoke Space, Astranis, and NASA, and is based in San Carlos, CA. If you're ready to solve complex technical challenges and help build the most important energy company in the world, we want to hear from you.\nAbout the Role\nThe Laser Engineering and Optical Communications team is hiring an Optical Engineer, Test & Metrology, to help design and run the tests that verify our laser and optical communications hardware, from individual components through full satellite integration. You will spend most of your time in the lab: building test setups, aligning optics, taking measurements, and turning data into results the design team can act on.\nYou will work alongside the optical, photonics, and laser engineers who design the hardware, follow that hardware through satellite integration, and take on increasing responsibility for test design and test campaigns.\nResponsibilities\nBuild, align, and operate optical test setups for free-space, fiber-optic, and interferometric components and subassemblies.\n\nMeasure optical performance, including power, spectrum, beam quality, wavefront, polarization, and alignment, and reduce the data into clear results.\n\nDevelop test plans and procedures with lead engineers, then execute them and record results accurately.\n\nSupport testing as hardware moves through integration: components, subassemblies, deployable opto-mechanical assemblies, the optical payload, and the full satellite.\n\nOperate test equipment including OSAs, optical power meters, oscilloscopes, BER testers, beam profilers, wavefront sensors, and interferometers.\n\nWrite scripts to automate measurements and data analysis.\n\nInvestigate anomalies and feed findings back into the design.\n\nSupport field campaigns, including ground station setup, fiber-optic system checkout, and validation of pointing, acquisition, and tracking (PAT).\n\nFollow laser safety procedures and keep test setups, calibration records, and configuration logs current.\n\nDomestic and international travel up to 10%.\n\nBasic Qualifications\nBachelor's degree in Optics, Physics, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.\n\n3+ years of hands-on experience in an optics or photonics lab environment.\n\nExperience with precision benchtop optical alignment.\n\nExperience operating standard optical test equipment (power meters, OSAs, oscilloscopes, beam profilers).\n\nWorking knowledge of optics fundamentals: Gaussian beams, fiber coupling, polarization, and interferometry.\n\nExperience analyzing measurement data in Python or a similar language.\n\nFamiliarity with Class 3B and Class 4 laser safety practices.\n\nPreferred Qualifications\nMaster's degree or Ph.D. in Optics, Photonics, or a related field.\n\nExperience with high-power fiber laser or amplifier systems.\n\nExperience with free-space optical communications, coherent detection, or BER testing.\n\nExperience assembling precision opto-mechanical hardware, including interferometric or polarization-sensitive assemblies.\n\nExperience with wavefront or interferometric metrology (Shack-Hartmann sensors, Fizeau interferometers).\n\nExperience with instrument control and test automation (PyVISA, LabVIEW, or similar).\n\nExposure to environmental testing (thermal vacuum, vibration) of optical hardware.\n\nCompensation and Benefits:\nThe salary range for this position is $145,000 - $175,000 annually. The actual base salary offered will depend on factors such as job-related skills, experience, qualifications, and internal equity.\nEquity in Cowboy Space Corp.\n\nEmployees and their eligible dependents may enroll in medical, dental, and vision insurance\n\n401(k) retirement savings plan\n\nPaid time off\n\nUnlimited paid time off\n\nPaid parental leave\n\nRelocation assistance if applicable\n\nDaily lunch in the office and a fully stocked kitchen with beverages and snacks\n\nITAR Requirements:\nExport Control Requirement: To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), applicants must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about ITAR here.\n\nDisclaimer:\nThis job description is a summary of the primary duties and responsibilities of the job and position. It is not intended to be a comprehensive or all-inclusive listing of duties and responsibilities. Contents are subject to change at Cowboy Space Corp.’s discretion.\nCowboy Space Corp. is an equal employment opportunity employer. We consider individuals for employment or promotion according to their skills, abilities and experience. Cowboy Space Corp. is committed to complying with all applicable laws prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, religious creed, age, national origin, ancestry, physical, mental or developmental disability, sex (which includes pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and medical conditions relating to pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding), veteran status, military status, marital or registered domestic partnership status, medical condition (including cancer or genetic characteristics), genetic information, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, as well as any other category protected by federal, state or local laws.","description_format":"text","description_chars":7250,"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":true,"languages":[]},"benefits":["Equity","Parental leave","Relocation assistance","Retirement plans","Vision insurance"],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"United States","iso":"US","kind":"country"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":true,"industries":["Satellite Manufacturing","Space Services","AI Compute & Inference"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-10-16T20:54:07Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":90,"band":"hot","label":"Hiring now","p_open":1,"p_active":0.903,"p_room":1,"age_days":5,"expected_fill_days":47,"reasons":["conf:2","velocity","win:early"],"computed_at":"2026-10-22T06:10:10Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":175000,"is_top_pay":true},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/cowboy-space-optical-engineer-test-metrology","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/cowboy-space-optical-engineer-test-metrology.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-22T16:34:36Z","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":16919,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-10-23T00:00:00Z"}},"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":8929},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=8929"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fcowboy-space-optical-engineer-test-metrology"},{"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%2Fcowboy-space-optical-engineer-test-metrology"},{"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%2Fcowboy-space-optical-engineer-test-metrology"},{"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/cowboy-space-optical-engineer-test-metrology\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fcowboy-space-optical-engineer-test-metrology"}]}