Join our fast-paced and passionate team as a Senior Optical Engineer. As we scale, you will be instrumental in building our foundation from the ground up. This is a dynamic, hands-on role for a self-starter who thrives i…
Senior Principal Project Engineer, Photonic System Development
San Diego, California, United States · On-site
$160k–$240k/yr
Senior+$76M raised
Join our fast-paced and passionate team as a Senior Principal Project Engineer. As we scale, you will be instrumental in building our foundation from the ground up. This is a dynamic, hands-on role for a self-starter who…
Skills: Photonic System Development, Systems Engineering, Optics And Photonics, Amo Physics, Control Theory
Monarch Quantum is seeking a skilled and driven Project Engineer 3 specializing in Photonic Modules to join our innovative team. In this role, you will manage and drive photonic module development projects from concept t…
Join our fast‑paced and passionate team as a Senior PCB Layout Engineer 4. In this role, you will take ownership of complex PCB designs, collaborate closely with electrical and mechanical engineers, and help establish la…
Join our fast-paced and passionate team as a Senior Principal Photonics Systems Engineer. As we scale, you will be instrumental in building our foundation from the ground up. This is a dynamic, hands-on role for a self-s…
Join our fast-paced and passionate team as a Senior Photonics Process Development Engineer. As we scale, you will play a key role in developing and maturing the processes that enable our products to move from concept to …
Join our fast-paced and passionate team as an Electrical Engineer 3. As we scale, you will be instrumental in building our foundation from the ground up. This is a dynamic, hands-on role for a self-starter who thrives in…
Sign up with Clera and we'll reach out the moment a role actually fits you — no more spraying applications into the void.
$125k–$175k/yr
Full-time
bachelor degree
Medical Insurance, Dental Insurance, Vision Insurance, 401(k) Plan With 4% Employer Matching, 20 Paid Time Off Days Per Year, 13 Paid Company Holidays
Posted 31d ago
~40 hrs/week
Responsibilities
The Senior Optical Engineer will lead the development of optical foundations, executing complex engineering tasks and mentoring junior engineers. Responsibilities include designing laser modules, validating analysis through algebraic methods, and managing vendor relationships for component procurement.
Requirements
Requires a bachelor's degree in Optical Engineering, Physics, or a related field with at least 5 years of relevant experience. Candidates must be U.S. persons and possess deep technical expertise in laser propagation, optical design software, and Python.
Full job description
Join our fast-paced and passionate team as a Senior Optical Engineer. As we scale, you will be instrumental in building our foundation from the ground up. This is a dynamic, hands-on role for a self-starter who thrives in a fluid startup environment. You'll have the opportunity to work on cutting edge technologies, work closely with leadership, and develop and implement engineering practices that support our mission and growth. Your key responsibilities are as follows:
Work independently and in a team while overcommunicating with the manager, project engineer, and the teammates. Will mentor junior engineers
Execute complex engineering tasks involving planning, preparation, data/information collection, and analysis and decision-making in a process involving peer reviews and documentation of the results.
Use tenacity, patience, self-discipline, and passion for excellence to assure accuracy of execution schedule, data quality/integrity, conformance to company best practices, clarity in communication, and documentation
Use every opportunity to grow competency through mentorship, curiosity, communication, exposure, and initiative
This position requires access to export-controlled information. Employment is contingent upon the applicant being a U.S. person as defined by 8 U.S.C. § 1324b(a)(3).
Experience:
A bachelor’s degree in Optical Engineering, Physics, or a related field
Minimum of 5 years of relevant experience, ideally within a startup or technology company.
Skills:
Deep understanding of laser beam propagation: how optic movement and rotation impact a beam’s near-field, far-field, beam quality, and fiber coupling efficiency
Fluency applying ray-equivalent methods of laser propagation to guide architecture and debug layout questions
Fluency determining the best way to answer a design problem, including combinations of design software, macros, external code, and manual calculations
Ability to use paraxial raytracing and ABCD matrices to derive analytical expressions for trends, sensitivities, and scaling factors in various optical layouts
Fluency in applying first-order imaging and the overlap integral of Gaussian beams to interrogate the design space of a laser module
Understanding of how component properties impact alignment sensitivity (e.g. collimation lens focal length)
Ability to take a novel optical design question, distill it to an algebraic method, and validate the analysis using a second calculation method (e.g. optical design software).
Ability to apply first-order imaging and the overlap integral of Gaussian beams to derive component fabrication and alignment requirements
Ability to derive quantitative requirements for optic prescriptions (surface roughness, scratch/dig, surface power, surface irregularity, aspheric sag error, material properties)
Understanding of different tolerancing methods for conventionally polished, sub-aperture polished, and precision glass molded components
Ability to engage vendors to understand capabilities and drive clarity to get quotes for components, accounting for supplier yield, risk, and schedule
Ability to create efficient layout optimization workflows in non-sequential design software for nontrivial architectures
Understanding of polarization components within both Jones and Mueller models
Understanding of fiber optics for high power CW laser systems: multi-mode, single mode, polarization maintaining, step index, photonic crystal, endcaps
Demonstrated successful execution of engineering tasks including use of design software (Ansys Zemax OpticStudio, Photon Engineering FRED, and/or Lambda Research OSLO preferred) and quantitative analysis/programming tools (Python), instrumentation and measurement, part fabrication or procurement, integration and test, data collection, and documentation
Startup Mindset:
You're creative, flexible, and eager to wear multiple hats.
You're passionate about building systems from the ground up and comfortable with ambiguity and change.
The expected annual salary range for this position is $125,000-$175,000.
As a full-time employee, you will be eligible for Monarch’s comprehensive benefits package, which includes:
Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance
Fidelity 401(k) plan with 4% employer matching
20 paid time off (PTO) days per year
13 paid company holidays
9/80 work schedule (every other Friday off)
Monarch Quantum is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, citizenship status, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, age, religion, creed, physical or mental disability, medical condition, marital status, veteran status or any other characteristics protected under applicable federal, state and local laws.
We’re an integrated photonics company in California building the light engines that power the next era of quantum technology — from advanced computing to precision sensing.
Offices: 10150 Meanley Dr, San Diego, California 92131, US
We’re an integrated photonics company in California building the light engines that power the next era of quantum technology — from advanced computing to precision sensing.
Offices: 10150 Meanley Dr, San Diego, California 92131, US