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How much do optical engineer intern jobs pay per hour?

As of Sep 15, 2026, the average hourly pay for optical engineer intern in California is $25.08, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $20.38 and $28.46 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What does an optical engineer intern do?

An Optical Engineer Intern assists in designing, testing, and optimizing optical systems, such as lenses, lasers, and imaging devices. They work under experienced engineers to conduct experiments, analyze data, and develop prototypes. Their responsibilities may also include running simulations, troubleshooting optical components, and documenting findings. This role provides hands-on experience in optics and photonics, crucial for careers in research, manufacturing, and product development.

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

To thrive as an Optical Engineer Intern, you need a solid background in physics, optics, and mathematics, generally demonstrated through coursework or laboratory experience in optical engineering or related fields. Familiarity with optical design software (such as Zemax or Code V), CAD programs, and laboratory instrumentation is often required. Strong analytical thinking, attention to detail, effective communication, and the ability to work collaboratively make candidates stand out. These skills enable interns to contribute meaningfully to technical projects, accurately perform experiments, and smoothly integrate with multidisciplinary engineering teams.

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

The most popular types of Optical Engineer jobs in California are:

What are popular job titles related to Optical Engineer Intern jobs in California?

For Optical Engineer Intern jobs in California, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Optical Engineer Intern jobs in California look for?

The top searched job categories for Optical Engineer Intern jobs in California are:

What cities in California are hiring for Optical Engineer Intern jobs?

Cities in California with the most Optical Engineer Intern job openings:

Optical Engineer Intern jobs near you
Infographic showing various Optical Engineer Intern job openings in California as of September 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% Internship, 86% Full Time, 10% Part Time, 1% Temporary, and 2% Contract. Highlights an 84% Physical, 5% Hybrid, and 11% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $52,174 per year, or $25.1 per hour.

Opto-Mechanical Engineering Intern (Summer 2027)

Redondo Beach, CA • On-site

Impulse Space
Guided Missile and Space Vehicle Manufacturing • 51 - 200 employees
Learn more about Impulse Spaceexternal

$32/hr

Full-time, Temporary, Internship

Medical, Dental, Vision, Retirement

Posted 13 days ago

Job description

Opto-Mechanical Engineering Intern (Summer 2027)
Department: Internship
Employment Type: Internship
Location: Redondo Beach
Compensation: $32.00 / hour
Description
Impulse Space is seeking an Opto-Mechanical Design Engineer Intern to support the development of precision optical systems for spacecraft. This role will focus on the mechanical design of optical assemblies, telescope structures, lens barrels, detector mounts, mirror mounts, baffles, pointing mechanisms, and alignment hardware for optical payloads.
This engineer will help turn optical concepts into flight hardware: mechanically robust, alignable, manufacturable, testable, and stable through launch and on-orbit environments. Depending on experience level, this role may support, own, or lead the design of opto-mechanical assemblies from early architecture through detailed design, build, test, and flight qualification.
The ideal candidate has strong mechanical design fundamentals, hands-on hardware experience, and interest in the intersection of optics, precision mechanisms, spacecraft environments, and production-ready flight hardware.
*This internship is 12 weeks long from May/June through August/September 2027
Responsibilities
  • Design opto-mechanical hardware for spacecraft optical systems, including lens barrels, telescope structures, detector mounts, optical benches, mirror mounts, baffles, flexures, kinematic mounts, and precision alignment features.
  • Design mechanisms used in optical systems, including gimbals, focus mechanisms, launch locks, adjustable mounts, fast steering mirror interfaces, voice-coil or limited-angle actuation systems, motorized stages, and pointing assemblies.
  • Develop mechanical architectures that support optical performance requirements such as element spacing, decenter, tilt, detector placement, boresight alignment, line-of-sight stability, and alignment retention.
  • Work with optical engineers to convert optical prescriptions, lens layouts, chief ray constraints, pupil locations, detector tolerances, and stray light constraints into practical mechanical designs.
  • Support the development of athermalized optical barrels and precision camera/telescope assemblies for high-accuracy star tracker and optical payload applications.
  • Create CAD models, drawings, tolerance stackups, GD&T, BOMs, interface control documents, assembly procedures, and test fixture designs.

Minimum Qualifications
  • Recent completion or currently pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Optical Engineering, Physics, or related technical discipline, or equivalent practical experience.
  • Experience with mechanical design, precision hardware, opto-mechanical systems, mechanisms, aerospace hardware, or related engineering work through coursework, internships, research, or professional experience.
  • CAD experience with NX, SolidWorks, Creo, CATIA, or similar mechanical design software.
  • Understanding of mechanical drawings, GD&T, tolerance analysis, materials, fasteners, manufacturing processes, and assembly constraints.

Preferred Skills and Experience
  • Experience designing optical or precision mechanical hardware such as lens barrels, telescope assemblies, mirror mounts, detector mounts, baffles, flexures, kinematic mounts, or bonded optics.
  • Experience with athermalized optical barrel design, CTE matching, thermal compensation, and material selection for optical stability.
  • Experience with spacecraft, aerospace, camera systems, star trackers, EO/IR payloads, lasercom terminals, optical ground stations, or precision pointing systems.
  • Experience with telescope structures, reflective optics mounting, mirror cells, compact optical assemblies, stray light baffles, and optical alignment features.
  • Experience with mechanisms such as gimbals, fast steering mirrors, voice coils, torque motors, stepper motors, encoders, bearings, launch locks, flexure stages, and deployable or adjustable optical mounts.

Additional Requirements:
  • Willing and able to work on-site in Redondo Beach, CA, for the duration of the internship
  • This position may require overtime hours; interns are eligible for overtime pay.

Additional Information:
Compensation bands are determined by role, level, location, and alignment with market data. Individual level and base pay is determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on job-related skills, education, experience, technical capabilities and internal equity. In addition to base salary, for full-time hires, you may also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of stock options, and access to medical, vision & dental coverage as well as access to a 401(k) retirement plan.
Impulse Space's spacecraft manufacturing business is subject to U.S. export regulations including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and Export Administration Regulations (EAR). This position requires applicants to be either U.S. Persons (i.e., U.S. citizen, U.S. national, lawful permanent U.S. resident (green card holder), an individual granted asylum in the U.S., or an individual admitted in U.S. refugee status) or persons eligible to obtain an export license from the U.S. Departments of State, Commerce, or other applicable U.S. government agencies. Learn more about the ITAR here.
Impulse Space is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Impulse Space is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.

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