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Full Time Principal Optical Engineer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Monarch Quantum

Optical Engineer Level 4

San Diego, CA · On-site

$150K - $200K/yr

Join our fast-paced and passionate team as a Principal Optical Engineer. As we scale, you will be ... As a full-time employee, you will be eligible for Monarch's comprehensive benefits package, which ...

Monarch Quantum

Optical Engineer Level 4

San Diego, CA · On-site

$150K - $200K/yr

Join our fast-paced and passionate team as a Principal Optical Engineer. As we scale, you will be ... As a full-time employee, you will be eligible for Monarch's comprehensive benefits package, which ...

Monarch Quantum

Optical Engineer Level 4

San Diego, CA · On-site

$150K - $200K/yr

Join our fast-paced and passionate team as a Principal Optical Engineer. As we scale, you will be ... As a full-time employee, you will be eligible for Monarch's comprehensive benefits package, which ...

SAIC

Optical Engineer

Chantilly, VA

$200K - $240K/yr

Systems Engineer Schedule: Full-Time Shift: Day Job Travel: No Minimum Clearance Required: TS.SCI ... Optical Engineering and Fiber Optics: * Design, develop, and test optical components and systems ...

Astera Labs

Optical Test Engineer, Principal

San Jose, CA · On-site

$185K - $240K/yr

We are seeking a world-class Senior Staff to Principal Optical Test Engineer to lead the development and execution of advanced test strategies for Co-Packaged Optics (CPO) solutions. This senior role ...

BAE Systems

Eng Prin - Optical

Boulder, CO · On-site

$118K - $200K/yr

We are looking for a Principal Optical Engineer to join BAE Systems' Optics department. You will be a key contributor to our optical manufacturing capabilities. You will be a key contributor to EO ...

Neuralink

Optical Engineer

Austin, TX · On-site

$86K - $143K/yr

We are responsible for all optical engineering aspects of Neuralink surgeries, which includes ... Base Salary Range: $86,000-$143,000 USD What We Offer: Full-time employees are eligible for the ...

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Full Time Principal Optical Engineer information

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$74K

$147.2K

$212.5K

How much do full time principal optical engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 18, 2026, the average yearly pay for full time principal optical engineer in the United States is $147,220.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $118,500.00 and $173,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is the difference between Full Time Principal Optical Engineer vs Optical Engineer?

AspectFull Time Principal Optical EngineerOptical Engineer
CredentialsBachelor's/Master's/PhD in Optical Engineering or related field; extensive experienceBachelor's or Master's in Optical Engineering or related field
Work EnvironmentResearch and development, product design, leadership roles in industryDesign, testing, and development tasks within engineering teams
Industry UsageUsed in advanced R&D, product innovation, and technical leadershipCommon in manufacturing, testing, and application development

The main difference is that a Full Time Principal Optical Engineer typically holds a senior, leadership role with extensive experience and responsibilities in R&D and product development, whereas an Optical Engineer focuses on design, testing, and implementation tasks within engineering teams. The principal role involves strategic oversight and innovation, while the optical engineer executes technical tasks.

What cities are hiring for Full Time Principal Optical Engineer jobs?

Cities with the most Full Time Principal Optical Engineer job openings:

What are the most commonly searched types of Principal Optical Engineer jobs?

The most popular types of Principal Optical Engineer jobs are:

What states have the most Full Time Principal Optical Engineer jobs?

States with the most job openings for Full Time Principal Optical Engineer jobs include:

Full Time Principal Optical Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Full Time Principal Optical Engineer job openings in the United States as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 92% Full Time, 2% Part Time, and 6% Contract. Highlights an 86% Physical, 5% Hybrid, and 9% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $147,220 per year, or $70.8 per hour.

Optical Engineer Level 4

Monarch Quantum

San Diego, CA • On-site

$150K - $200K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Retirement, PTO

Re-posted 28 days ago

Job description

Join our fast-paced and passionate team as a Principal 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 teammates.
  • 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
  • Drive innovation in modeling, design, analysis, and alignment methods to support product roadmap
  • Support project engineering with project scope, schedule, and risk analysis

Requirements
  • 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 9 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 turn exotic optical requirements into concrete analysis tasks (e.g. acousto-optic modulator RF tuning range, impact of thermal lensing)
    • Fluency in applying 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
    • Understanding of optical metrology methods and how to specify a drawing congruent with a vendor's measurement facilities
    • Fluency creating efficient layout optimization workflows in non-sequential design software for nontrivial architectures
    • Understanding of polarization ray tracing and how to analyze polarization through optic trains with dozens of surfaces
    • Understanding of polarization components within both Jones and Mueller models
    • Deep understanding of fiber optics for high power CW laser systems: multi-mode, single mode, polarization maintaining, step index, photonic crystal, endcaps
    • Understanding of stray light analysis in the context of a laser system
    • 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.

Benefits
The expected annual salary range for this position is $150,000-$200,000.
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.
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