{"id":747520,"url":"https://alion.io/job/spacekinetic-senior-optics-engineer","title":"Senior Optics Engineer","company":{"id":685289,"name":"Space Kinetic","domain":"spacekinetic.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/spacekinetic","size_band":"51-200","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Greenhouse","truth_index":{"grade":"A","score":93,"open_postings":36,"ghost_share":0.028,"stale_share":0,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":145,"computed_at":"2026-10-19T05:45:15Z"}},"role":"Industrial Engineering","role_family":"Industrial Engineering","seniority":"senior","employment_type":null,"work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["El Segundo, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":null,"salary_estimate":{"min_usd":117000,"max_usd":222000,"period":"year","method":"role_seniority_country_remote_cell","sample_n":5578},"experience_years_min":7,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"C++","optional":false},{"name":"Human-in-the-Loop","optional":false},{"name":"MATLAB","optional":false},{"name":"Python","optional":false},{"name":"SolidWorks","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-08-20T16:07:38Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-10-12","last_verified_at":"2026-10-19T19:00:28Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":60,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":0,"flags":["company_stale"],"days_open":59},"description":"A New Paradigm For Space Operations. \nWho We Are: \nSpace Kinetic is a dual use space technology startup building a completely new architecture for space operations - one that brings the advantages of proliferated drone technology (low-cost, operationally flexible, attritable, distributed) to space missions while reducing the ecosystem's reliance on consumable fuel. In a world where many companies are focused on incrementally improving the status quo, we are focused on creating something entirely different - an architecture underpinned by new first principles to meet the opportunities and challenges of the third space age head-on. Our goal is to move away from one-to-one space architectures - where each satellite in a constellation has one (or a small number of) primary payloads attached to the bus - and unlock a \"one-to-many\" system, where each satellite has a large number of payloads which can be deployed from their host spacecraft at high velocities without firing a thruster. \nThis is not a role for someone looking for a traditional 40-hour work week. Space Kinetic is building ambitious, first-of-its-kind technology, and that requires urgency, ownership, and a high level of commitment to changing the foundational assumptions for everything we do in space. \nWhat You'll Do: \nWe are seeking a Senior Optics Engineer to own the design, integration, and qualification of optical and optomechanical systems for our spacecraft and payload technologies. This is a hands-on role for an engineer who has taken complex optical hardware from early architecture through alignment, environmental testing, and flight-ready production. \nJob Responsibilities: \nOwn optical and optomechanical systems from requirements and architecture through detailed design, integration, qualification, and production.\nDesign and analyze imaging, sensing, laser, infrared, or free-space optical systems using first-principles optical engineering.\nDevelop optical prescriptions, performance models, error budgets, tolerance analyses, stray-light assessments, and system-level trade studies.\nDesign and integrate lenses, detectors, mounts, baffles, windows, thermal interfaces, alignment features, and other precision optical hardware.\nDevelop alignment, calibration, metrology, and automated test methods to characterize optical performance.\nPlan and execute environmental qualification, including vibration, shock, thermal-vacuum, and other mission-specific testing.\nAnalyze test data, diagnose optical performance issues, lead anomaly investigations, and implement corrective design actions.\nPartner with mechanical, electrical, software, systems, manufacturing, and supplier teams to deliver manufacturable, flight-ready hardware. \nWhat It Takes: \nBachelor’s degree in Optical Engineering, Physics, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical field.\n7+ years of experience designing, integrating, and testing optical, imaging, photonic, infrared, or laser-based hardware.\nDemonstrated experience taking an optical or optomechanical assembly from concept through environmental qualification.\nStrong understanding of geometric and wave optics, optical aberrations, radiometry, tolerance analysis, and optical performance budgeting.\nProficiency with Zemax, CODE V, or equivalent optical design and modeling software.\nHands-on experience with optical alignment, calibration, and metrology, including methods such as interferometry, MTF, boresight, transmission, or stray-light testing.\nExperience with optomechanical packaging, precision mounting, athermalization, detector integration, and manufacturing tolerance flow-down.\nProficiency in Python, MATLAB, C++, or a similar language for optical modeling, test automation, and data analysis. \nWhat We’dLove: \nExperience developing optical systems for spacecraft, satellites, defense platforms, airborne systems, or other high-reliability applications.\nExperience with infrared systems, free-space optics, laser communications, imaging payloads, star trackers, or pointing, acquisition, and tracking systems.\nExperience with optical coatings, windows, detectors, focal-plane arrays, thermal interfaces, or stray-light analysis.\nFamiliarity with SolidWorks, NX, Creo, GD&T, and the design of precision optomechanical assemblies.\nExperience qualifying optical suppliers and transitioning optical hardware from prototype development into repeatable production.\nExperience developing hardware for high-vibration, shock, thermal-vacuum, radiation, or other demanding aerospace environments.\nExperience integrating optical systems into modeling and simulation environments in support of Hardware-in-the-Loop (HITL) testing \nWhere You'll Be: \nThe position is onsite at our headquarters in El Segundo, CA. Domestic travel may be required (up to ~20% of the year). \nWhat We Offer: \nEquity-Based Compensation\n401(k) retirement plan with a 3.5% company match\nHighly Competitive PTO\nPaid company holidays + winter break \nComprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance\nUnique Performance-based bonus opportunities\nITAR Requirements: \nTo conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicants must be (i) a U.S. citizen or national, (ii) a U.S. lawful permanent resident (green card holder), (iii) a refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, (iv) an asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, or otherwise eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. \nEqual Employment Opportunity: \nSpace Kinetic provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status. \nThe annual base salary for this role is below. Pay Grades are determined by role, level, location, and alignment with market data. Individual pay will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: interviews and an assessment of several factors that are unique to each candidate, job-related skills, relevant education/experience, certifications, abilities of the candidate and internal equity. \nPay Range\n$150,000—$190,000 USD","description_format":"text","description_chars":6185,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":7,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":false},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":["Equity","Retirement plans","Vision insurance"],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"United States","iso":"US","kind":"country"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Missiles","Space Services"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-09-11T14:41:29Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":74,"band":"hot","label":"Hiring now","p_open":1,"p_active":0.827,"p_room":0.9,"age_days":59,"expected_fill_days":145,"reasons":["conf:2","win:mid"],"computed_at":"2026-10-19T05:45:15Z"},"pay":null,"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/spacekinetic-senior-optics-engineer","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/spacekinetic-senior-optics-engineer.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-19T20:30:48Z","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":16314,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-10-20T00:00:00Z"}},"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":685289},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=685289"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fspacekinetic-senior-optics-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%2Fspacekinetic-senior-optics-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%2Fspacekinetic-senior-optics-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/spacekinetic-senior-optics-engineer\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fspacekinetic-senior-optics-engineer"}]}