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Optical Mechanical Engineer Jobs in Florida (NOW HIRING)

Teledyne

Sr. Mechanical Engineer

Orlando, FL

$97K - $128K/yr

Teledyne FLIR is looking for a mechanical engineer to work in the Surveillance Systems Division in ... Design of optical airborne sensor payloads. * Responsible for the mechanical specifications and ...

US Department of the Navy

$106K/yr

... optics, heat transfer, soil mechanics, or electronics. Such education must demonstrate the ... OR Current registration as an Engineer Intern (EI), Engineer in Training (EIT), or licensure as a ...

U.S. Department of Defense (DOD)

$89K/yr

Serve as a Mechanical Engineer in the RM directorate, Facility Management located at NAS ... as optics, heat transfer, soil mechanics, or electronics. (You must attach a copy of your ...

U.S. Department of Defense (DOD)

$106K/yr

... optics, heat transfer, soil mechanics, or electronics. Such education must demonstrate the ... OR Current registration as an Engineer Intern (EI), Engineer in Training (EIT), or licensure as a ...

USAJOBS - Search

$106K/yr

... optics, heat transfer, soil mechanics, or electronics. Such education must demonstrate the ... OR Current registration as an Engineer Intern (EI), Engineer in Training (EIT), or licensure as a ...

MicroVision

Staff Optical Engineer

Orlando, FL · On-site

$120K - $155K/yr

Collaborate with opto-mechanical engineers to define alignment strategies and tolerances * Support ... Demonstrated ability to perform optical system-level analysis * Experience defining optical ...

Teledyne FLIR LLC

Mechanical Design Engineer

Orlando, FL · On-site

$70K - $96K/yr

Teledyne FLIR is looking for a hands-on mechanical engineer to work in the Surveillance Systems ... Support the alignment of optical components and subsystems * Geometric Tolerancing per ANSI/ASME ...

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All JobsOptical Mechanical Engineer JobsOptical Mechanical Engineer Jobs in Florida

Optical Mechanical Engineer information

See Florida salary details

$34K

$76.9K

$124.4K

How much do optical mechanical engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 26, 2026, the average yearly pay for optical mechanical engineer in Florida is $76,880.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $60,900.00 and $94,500.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is an optical mechanical engineer?

Optical Mechanical Engineers design, develop, and integrate mechanical components and systems that support optical devices, such as lenses, mirrors, lasers, and cameras. They ensure that these components maintain precise alignment, stability, and functionality in complex optical systems. Their work often involves collaborating with optical and electrical engineers to create products like microscopes, telescopes, medical imaging devices, and laser systems. Additionally, they use specialized software to model and simulate mechanical designs, ensuring durability and reliability under various environmental conditions.

What skills and qualifications are needed to be an optical mechanical engineer?

To thrive as an Optical Mechanical Engineer, you need a solid background in mechanical engineering principles, optics, and materials science, ideally supported by a relevant engineering degree. Familiarity with CAD software (such as SolidWorks or AutoCAD), optical design tools (like Zemax or Code V), and experience with precision manufacturing processes are typically required. Strong problem-solving abilities, attention to detail, and effective communication are important soft skills in this role. These competencies enable engineers to design and develop complex optical systems that meet performance, manufacturability, and reliability standards.

What challenges do optical mechanical engineers face when integrating optical and mechanical components?

Optical Mechanical Engineers often encounter challenges related to aligning precise optical elements within mechanical assemblies while maintaining stability and minimizing distortion. Achieving tight tolerances is critical, as even slight misalignments can impact system performance. Additionally, they must consider factors such as thermal expansion, vibration, and environmental conditions, which can affect both mechanical and optical integrity. Collaboration with optical designers, manufacturing teams, and quality assurance is essential to address these challenges effectively and ensure successful product development.

What is the difference between Optical Mechanical Engineer vs Optical Engineer?

AspectOptical Mechanical EngineerOptical Engineer
Required credentialsBachelor's or Master's in Optical, Mechanical, or related engineeringBachelor's or Master's in Optical, Physics, or related field
Work environmentDesigning and testing optical-mechanical systems, often in labs or manufacturingDeveloping optical systems, testing, and analysis, often in R&D or production
Industry usageOptics, aerospace, defense, medical devicesOptics, telecommunications, imaging, laser systems

Optical Mechanical Engineers focus on integrating optical components with mechanical systems, while Optical Engineers primarily work on designing and analyzing optical systems. Both roles require strong technical skills and often overlap in industries like aerospace and medical devices, but their core responsibilities differ in system integration versus optical design.

Are optical mechanical engineers in high demand?

Optical mechanical engineers are in high demand due to the growth of industries such as aerospace, defense, and consumer electronics that require precision optical systems. Skills in CAD design, optics, and mechanical integration are highly valued, and employment opportunities are expected to remain strong as technology advances.

What do optical mechanical engineers do?

Optical mechanical engineers design, develop, and test mechanical components and systems used in optical devices such as cameras, microscopes, and laser systems. They work with precision manufacturing, CAD software, and optical principles to ensure proper alignment, stability, and performance of optical equipment.

What are popular job titles related to Optical Mechanical Engineer jobs in Florida?

For Optical Mechanical Engineer jobs in Florida, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Optical Mechanical Engineer jobs in Florida look for?

The top searched job categories for Optical Mechanical Engineer jobs in Florida are:

Optical Mechanical Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Optical Mechanical Engineer job openings in Florida as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 89% Full Time, 9% Part Time, 1% Contract, and 1% Nights. Highlights an 97% Physical, 1% Hybrid, and 2% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $76,880 per year, or $37 per hour.

Mechanical Engineer - Optical Systems (Miami, FL)

Exowatt

Miami, FL • On-site

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Retirement

Re-posted 6 days ago

Job description

Exowatt is revolutionizing the energy landscape for the AI era with our groundbreaking P3 system that captures solar energy, stores it as heat, and generates electricity on demand. Founded in 2023 and backed by leading investors including Andreessen Horowitz, Sam Altman, and Felicis, we're committed to providing clean, modular, and scalable power that meets the rapidly growing demands of AI infrastructure. Our mission is to make sustainable renewable energy always available and almost free, enabling technological advancement while protecting our planet.
We are seeking a Mechanical Engineer to join our optics team. The team owns the full design-to-commissioning lifecycle for our tracker hardware: precision optical elements and the structures that position them, solar tracking architectures, structural analysis under wind and gravity loading, and the instrumentation that turns prototypes into measured systems. The core problem is deceptively hard: hold optical precision on a large structure that moves all day, outdoors, under wind, gravity, and thermal swings, all at a cost that can scale to thousands of units.
At its core, this is a builder's role. Your main focus will be optomechanical assemblies: designing, fabricating, assembling, aligning, and testing the hardware that positions optical elements (lenses and mirrors, for example) on our trackers. The full loop is yours: idea to CAD to built hardware to test data, learning from what breaks and turning the next revision around in days, not months. You will spend most of your time hands-on in the shop, at the assembly bench, and on the test stand. The work spans structures, optics, precision assembly, sensors, and the code and AI agents that read them. This is an AI-native team: agents already drive our simulation campaigns and babysit our long-running tests, and we expect you to work at that level from day one. Everything around your hardware that is code, calculation, or documentation is something an agent should be running for you. Expect real ownership, a steep learning curve, and senior engineers who will review your work closely and push you to grow fast.
This position is based in Miami, FL. If selected, relocation to Miami, FL is required. Exowatt provides relocation assistance.
Key Responsibilities:
  • Design, build, and align optomechanical assemblies for the tracker platforms (optic mounts, frames, and alignment and adjustment features), owning them end to end: idea, CAD model, fabricated parts, assembled and working hardware
  • Build hardware hands-on: assemble prototypes and test articles, fixture and align optics, work through fit-up issues at the bench, and turn what you learn into the next design revision fast
  • Support test stand build, instrumentation, and commissioning: sensor mounting, wiring, calibration, DAQ integration, first light, and commissioning runs
  • Troubleshoot electromechanical systems hands-on: wiring harnesses, sensors, motor drivers, encoders, microcontrollers, and the code talking to them; multimeter, oscilloscope, and Python debugger in the same afternoon, root-causing failures and driving corrective actions back into the design
  • Work AI-native: drive the scripting, analysis, and documentation around your hardware with AI coding agents, and help make the team's test and simulation infrastructure agent-ready so campaigns can run overnight without a human babysitting them
  • Build and revise CAD models in PTC Creo and SolidWorks; develop drawing packages with GD&T (ASME Y14.5) for fabrication, weldments, and assemblies, run tolerance stack-up analyses, and iterate against fabrication feedback
  • Support structural analysis across tracker platforms: first-principles hand calculations, ANSYS FEA for detailed analysis, SAP2000 for code-checked wind-load combinations under ASCE 7-22
  • Maintain subsystem-level BOMs and handle vendor follow-ups: slew drives, optical components, fasteners, sheet-metal fabrication
  • Document analysis, build progress, and decisions on the team wiki: methodology pages, test plans, weekly status, design memos
  • Present and defend your own work in design reviews, growing into ownership of larger subsystems over time
  • Collaborate with controls, software, and supply chain teams, and with external engineering partners and vendors

Qualifications:
  • BS or MS in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a closely related discipline
  • 1+ years of hands-on build or design experience with real hardware; internships, co-ops, research labs, and major project-team roles count
  • Strong fundamentals in math and physics: you reason from first principles, estimate before you compute, and check every result against known limits before you believe it; we probe this hard in interviews
  • Working knowledge of a parametric CAD tool; the team uses PTC Creo and SolidWorks
  • Working understanding of GD&T (ASME Y14.5) and tolerance stack-up analysis
  • Familiarity with common fabrication processes (machining, sheet metal, welding, 3D printing) and design-for-manufacturability and assembly (DFM/DFA) principles
  • Ability to back up simulation with first-principles hand calculations, and to run structured root-cause analysis when hardware misbehaves
  • A track record of building real hardware: internships, capstone projects, FSAE, solar car teams, robotics, makerspaces, or independent builds all count; bench experience matters more than coursework grades
  • The drive to own the full cycle yourself: take an idea to CAD, to built hardware, to test, learn from the mistakes, and iterate quickly rather than handing steps off to others
  • Comfort with shop and bench work: hand tools, fixturing, assembly, and careful mechanical work on precision hardware
  • Coursework or hands-on project experience in solid mechanics, statics, dynamics, and finite element analysis
  • Comfort troubleshooting electromechanical systems hands-on: wiring harnesses, sensors, motor drivers, encoders, microcontrollers, and the firmware or software talking to them
  • Fluency with AI coding agents (Claude Code, Codex, or similar) as a daily engineering tool: you use them to write most of your code, and you own every line they produce, reviewed, tested, and understood; expect us to ask you to show how you work with AI the same way we ask about your bench skills
  • The instinct to make work agentic: you can decompose a workflow into steps an agent can execute, with clean interfaces, verifiable checkpoints, and guardrails, and you have the judgment to catch an agent when it is confidently wrong; engineers who can direct several agents at once will outrun those who type everything themselves, and we hire the former
  • Strong written communication: you can document your work clearly enough that the next engineer can pick it up without asking you
  • The temperament to hold your ideas loosely: designs evolve weekly and priorities shift on real evidence; engineers who can let go and update move fastest

Preferred Qualifications:
  • Hands-on experience assembling or aligning optical or precision mechanical hardware
  • Experience with motion components and mechanisms: bearings, actuators, gear and slew drives, bolted and welded joint design
  • Exposure to design validation and reliability practices: DFMEA, DVP&R, or environmental qualification testing
  • Coursework or research in optical systems, photonics, heat transfer, or solar energy
  • Hands-on experience with ANSYS, SAP2000, or another FEA package beyond classroom problem sets
  • Python or MATLAB scripting: kinematics, data reduction, plotting
  • Experience building agentic systems around real hardware or simulation: agents driving instruments, CAD, or simulation models through tool interfaces (MCP or similar), running parameter sweeps overnight, and summarizing the results; or any project where you gave an AI real levers and made its output trustworthy
  • Lab or test-stand experience involving DAQ, instrumentation, or calibration
  • Familiarity with controls fundamentals: open-loop versus closed-loop, sensor fusion concepts
  • Interest in solar energy, heliostats, or large-scale renewable infrastructure

Additional Requirements:
  • Willingness to work extended hours and occasional weekends when builds, test campaigns, or program deadlines demand it
  • Ability to lift up to 25 lbs unassisted, and to work safely with shop tools, ladders, and lifts with appropriate PPE
  • Ability to work outdoors in Miami heat during assembly and field testing
  • Occasional travel to fabricators, vendors, and field sites

What We Offer:
Competitive salary and equity options.
Comprehensive benefits package, including health, dental, and retirement plans.
A dynamic work environment that fosters creativity and innovation.
Opportunities for professional growth and development in a rapidly evolving industry.
Relocation assistance.
We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.

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