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Optical Coating Engineer Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Sr. Opto Mechanical Engineer

Santa Rosa, CA

$114K - $150K/yr

Duties & Responsibilities: Sr. Opto-Mechanical Engineer Advanced Optical Development Group SUMMARY ... With over seven decades of experience in optical coating technology, VIAVI OSP is a customer ...

Production Manager

Moorpark, CA · On-site

$125K - $145K/yr

Collaborate with Engineering, Quality, and other cross-functional teams to ensure products meet ... Experience with optical fabrication, optical coating, and assembly processes. * Demonstrated ...

Production Manager

Moorpark, CA · On-site

$125K - $145K/yr

Collaborate with Engineering, Quality, and other cross-functional teams to ensure products meet ... Experience with optical fabrication, optical coating, and assembly processes. * Demonstrated ...

Sr. Process Engineer

San Jose, CA · On-site

$121K - $157K/yr

From chip-to-chip optical interconnects to scalable photonic engines, Lumilens is unlocking a new ... In this role, you will drive process development for novel III-V etching, coating, and related ...

Showing results 41-60

Optical Coating Engineer information

What does an optical coating engineer do?

An Optical Coating Engineer designs, develops, and applies thin-film coatings to optical components to enhance performance by controlling reflection, transmission, and absorption of light. They work with vacuum deposition techniques, material science, and precision engineering to create coatings for lenses, mirrors, and optical filters. Their role involves process development, quality control, and troubleshooting to meet performance specifications for industries like aerospace, telecommunications, and medical imaging.

What are some typical projects or daily tasks for an optical coating engineer?

As an Optical Coating Engineer, your daily tasks often include designing thin-film coating processes, calibrating deposition equipment, performing quality inspections, and troubleshooting production issues. You may collaborate closely with optical designers, manufacturing technicians, and quality assurance teams to ensure coatings meet specific optical and mechanical requirements. Projects can range from developing anti-reflective coatings for lenses to creating specialized filters for advanced scientific or industrial applications. Working in this role provides a dynamic mix of hands-on lab work, process optimization, and teamwork, making it both challenging and rewarding.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as an optical coating engineer?

To thrive as an Optical Coating Engineer, you need strong expertise in optics, materials science, thin-film deposition techniques, and typically a degree in physics, engineering, or a related field. Familiarity with vacuum coating equipment, spectrophotometers, and industry-specific software such as thin-film design and simulation tools is highly beneficial. Attention to detail, problem-solving ability, and effective teamwork are important soft skills for excelling in this role. These skills enable precise development and application of optical coatings, ensuring product quality and successful collaboration across multidisciplinary teams.

What are the most commonly searched types of Optical Coating Engineer jobs in California? The most popular types of Optical Coating Engineer jobs in California are:
What job categories do people searching Optical Coating Engineer jobs in California look for? The top searched job categories for Optical Coating Engineer jobs in California are:
What cities in California are hiring for Optical Coating Engineer jobs? Cities in California with the most Optical Coating Engineer job openings:
Infographic showing various Optical Coating Engineer job openings in California as of July 2026, with employment types broken down into 88% Full Time, 7% Part Time, 1% Temporary, and 4% Contract. Highlights an 87% Physical, 4% Hybrid, and 9% Remote job distribution.

Sr. Opto Mechanical Engineer

Viavi Solutions

Santa Rosa, CA

$114K - $150K/yr

Full-time

Re-posted 15 days ago


Job description

Summary:

Job Description Summary
VIAVI (NASDAQ: VIAV) is a global provider of network test, monitoring and assurance solutions for telecommunications, cloud, enterprises, first responders, military, aerospace, and railway. VIAVI is also a leader in light management technologies for 3D sensing, anti-counterfeiting, consumer electronics, industrial, automotive, government and aerospace applications.
We are the people behind the products that help keep the world connected at home, school, work, at play, and everywhere in between. VIAVI employees are passionate about supporting customer success and we welcome people who bring their best every day to the company - to question, to collaborate and to push for solutions that will delight our customers.

Duties & Responsibilities:

Sr. Opto-Mechanical Engineer

Advanced Optical Development Group

SUMMARY

VIAVI Solutions has a 100+ year history of technical innovations that have evolved to keep pace and address our customers' most pressing business issues. We make equipment, software, and systems that help to plan, deploy, certify, monitor, and optimize all kinds of networks - like those for mobile phones, service providers, large businesses and data centers. VIAVI is also a leader in high performance thin film optical coatings and engineered diffusers, providing light management technologies to the bank note security, consumer electronics, automotive, defense and instrumentation markets.

The Optical Security and Performance Products (OSP) business segment of VIAVI leverages its core technology strengths of optics, vacuum coatings, and materials science to deliver innovative and differentiated technologies that manipulate light to improve the performance of sensors, to shape light from high performance light sources, and to create unique visual effects. With over seven decades of experience in optical coating technology, VIAVI OSP is a customer focused, market driven enterprise serving attractive and sustainable market sectors including banknote security, consumer electronics, automotive, industrial, and defense/aerospace. VIAVI OSP's customers include global

The Senior Opto-Mechanical Engineer is responsible for the design, development, analysis, and testing of complex mechanical systems that integrate optical components such as filters, lenses, lasers, and sensors. This role is crucial in ensuring precise alignment, stability, and thermal management to optimize optical performance across various applications, from aerospace/defense to handheld spectrometers and consumer electronics. They will work with various cross-functional teams to ensure designs meet stringent performance, safety, and manufacturability requirements.Additionally, the Sr. Opto-Mechanical Engineer may support development and commercialization efforts for other products and applications that leverage VIAVI's proprietary vacuum deposition capabilities.

Pre-Requisites / Skills / Experience Requirements:

Key Responsibilities

  • Design and development of opto-mechanical systems, including conceptualization, feasibility studies, detailed design, prototyping, and testing.

  • Create detailed mechanical engineering drawings and layouts, ensuring proper application of Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing (GD&T) and adhering to relevant design standards (e.g., ISO, MIL specifications).

  • Lead or participate in the entire design process, including requirements specification, feasibility studies, conceptual and detailed design.

  • Perform engineering analysis to understand the impact of loads and environmental factors (structural, thermal, vibration) on the optical/mechanical system performance.

  • Utilize Finite Element Analysis (FEA) software (e.g. SolidWorks Simulation) for structural, thermal, and vibration modeling of complex assemblies.

  • Conduct tolerance stack-up analyses, potentially including Monte Carlo analysis, to verify design capability within manufacturing and operational conditions.

  • Apply optical modeling software (e.g., Zemax) to simulate and optimize optical performance under various conditions. Extensive knowledge of optical design tools is not required but highly desirable.

  • Work with manufacturing teams to break down complex assemblies into logical subassemblies and subprocesses, considering manufacturing capabilities, cost, and requirements.

  • Interact with customers and suppliers, presenting technical information, and contributing to technical reviews.

  • Travel 10% for in-person meetings with customers

  • Position reports out of Santa Rosa

Background/Experience:

  • Bachelor's or Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Optical Engineering, Physics, or a related technical field with greater than 5 years' experience in opto-mechanical design.

  • In-depth knowledge of precision mechanical design principles, including kinematic design, adhesives, vacuum technology, and precision machining.

  • High proficiency in CAD tools such as SolidWorks, AutoDesk, Creo, etc. and experience with FEA tools (e.g., ANSYS, SolidWorks Simulation) for structural, thermal, and vibration analysis.

  • Strong understanding of optical principles, including geometrical optics, physical optics (ray aberrations, waves, diffraction), and lasers. Experience with optical design software and ray tracing (e.g., Zemax, Code V)

  • Must be U.S. Persons as defined by ITAR. ITAR defines a U.S. Person as a U.S. Citizen, U.S. Permanent Resident (i.e. "Green Card Holder"), Political Asylee, or Refugee.

If you have what it takes to push boundaries and seize opportunities, apply to join our team today.

VIAVI Solutions is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer - minorities/females/veterans/persons with disabilities.