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Optical Simulation Engineer Jobs in Los Angeles, CA

Visa Hunt

Senior 6-DOF Simulation Engineer

Costa Mesa, CA · On-site

$132 - $198/hr

ABOUT THE JOB We are looking for a Modeling & Simulation engineer to join our team. As part of the ... Characterization work (aero, optics, actuators, IMUs, etc) for both fixed wing and rotorcraft

New

TRL11, Inc.

Lead Optical Engineer

Irvine, CA · On-site

$139K - $179K/yr

Conduct optical system modeling, simulation, and performance analysis using tools such as Zemax ... Bachelor's or Master's degree in Optical Engineering, Physics/Electrical Engineering or a related ...

TRL11, Inc.

Lead Optical Engineer

Irvine, CA · On-site

$139K - $179K/yr

Conduct optical system modeling, simulation, and performance analysis using tools such as Zemax ... Bachelor's or Master's degree in Optical Engineering, Physics/Electrical Engineering or a related ...

TRL11, Inc.

Lead Optical Engineer

Irvine, CA

$138K - $179K/yr

Conduct optical system modeling, simulation, and performance analysis using tools such as Zemax ... Bachelor's or Master's degree in Optical Engineering, Physics/Electrical Engineering or a related ...

TRL11, Inc.

Lead Optical Engineer

Irvine, CA · On-site

$90 - $130/hr

Conduct optical system modeling, simulation, and performance analysis using tools such as Zemax ... Qualifications * Bachelor's or Master's degree in Optical Engineering, Physics/Electrical ...

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Optical Simulation Engineer information

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$89.4K

$154.7K

$181.6K

How much do optical simulation engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Sep 4, 2026, the average yearly pay for optical simulation engineer in Los Angeles, CA is $154,742.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $139,000.00 and $179,900.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is an optical simulation engineer?

An Optical Simulation Engineer is a professional who uses specialized software and modeling techniques to design, analyze, and optimize optical systems such as lenses, lasers, and imaging devices. They simulate the behavior of light within these systems to predict performance and identify potential issues before physical prototypes are built. These engineers work closely with product development teams in industries like telecommunications, aerospace, automotive, and consumer electronics. Their expertise helps to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and ensure the quality of optical products.

What are the main challenges an optical simulation engineer faces when working on multidisciplinary project teams?

Optical Simulation Engineers often collaborate closely with mechanical, electrical, and software engineers to ensure that optical designs integrate seamlessly into larger systems. A common challenge is translating complex optical requirements into terms that colleagues from other disciplines can understand, while also adapting simulations to reflect real-world constraints such as tolerances and material properties. Effective communication and flexibility are essential, as project requirements can evolve rapidly and may require iterative simulations or adjustments. Building strong cross-functional relationships can help overcome these challenges and lead to more robust, innovative solutions.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as an optical simulation engineer, and why are they important?

To thrive as an Optical Simulation Engineer, you need expertise in optics, physics, and mathematics, typically with a degree in optical engineering or a related field. Proficiency in simulation software such as Zemax, LightTools, or COMSOL Multiphysics, along with familiarity with programming languages like Python or MATLAB, is commonly required. Strong problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and effective communication are crucial for collaborating with interdisciplinary teams and conveying complex technical concepts. These abilities ensure accurate optical system modeling, efficient project workflows, and successful development of innovative optical products.

What is the difference between Optical Simulation Engineer vs Optical Design Engineer?

AspectOptical Simulation EngineerOptical Design Engineer
Required CredentialsBachelor's or Master's in optics, physics, or engineering; proficiency in simulation softwareBachelor's or Master's in optics, physics, or engineering; strong design and analytical skills
Work EnvironmentPrimarily uses simulation tools to model optical systems; collaborates with design teamsDesigns and develops optical components and systems; often involved in prototyping
Employer & Industry UsageOptics companies, research labs, aerospace, and defenseOptics and photonics companies, consumer electronics, and medical device industries

Both roles require a background in optics and engineering, but Optical Simulation Engineers focus on modeling and analysis using simulation software, while Optical Design Engineers are more involved in creating and optimizing physical optical systems. They often work together but have distinct responsibilities within the optical development process.

What are popular job titles related to Optical Simulation Engineer jobs in Los Angeles, CA?

For Optical Simulation Engineer jobs in Los Angeles, CA, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Optical Simulation Engineer jobs in Los Angeles, CA look for?

The top searched job categories for Optical Simulation Engineer jobs in Los Angeles, CA are:

What cities near Los Angeles, CA are hiring for Optical Simulation Engineer jobs?

Cities near Los Angeles, CA with the most Optical Simulation Engineer job openings:

Optical Simulation Engineer jobs near you

Optical Modeling and Simulation Engineer

Furientis

Los Angeles, CA • On-site

Full-time

Re-posted 24 days ago

Job description

America is critically deficient in production of defensive munitions- we currently produce shipborne interceptors in the few hundreds per year while our adversaries are producing offensive threats in the tens of thousands per year. Furientis was started to help solve this problem- introducing a new class of cost-effective, high production rate, interceptor missiles. We're seeking motivated individuals who internalize this problem and are eager to apply their past experience in similar industries (aerospace, defense, automotive/racing, robotics) and out of the box thinking to solve this problem for the US and its allies.
About the Team
The Seeker Team builds the eyes and the targeting logic of our weapon system: a low-cost, mass-producible, multimodal missile seeker that leans on commercial supply chains where they outperform, and vertically integrates wherever possible. On a modern missile, the seeker is 40 to 60% of unit cost and often drives overly long delivery cycles; accordingly, the seeker team is at the tip of the spear for delivering capability to our customers and value to the taxpayer.
Seeker design has exactly two real constraints: physics and mission. Nothing else is a show-stopper, only an obstacle to overcome. We are a small, deeply technical team that drives capability through ingenuity and bias for action and ships hardware that flies. This is a wear-many-hats environment where you must be comfortable "building the airplane in flight" and stepping well outside your comfort zone; a narrowly scoped role with clean handoffs is not what this team offers.
This is an AI-native team. Through fluent use of cutting-edge agentic coding tools, one engineer here consistently out-delivers a much larger conventional team. You will have opinions about where these tools help and where they do not, provide governance input, and build out an AI-centric workflow from day one.
About the Role
You will be the responsible engineer for the synthetic-data pipeline and the end-to-end performance model that drive our seeker program. This is a hybrid role: half ML data engineer, half traditional defense modeling and simulation engineer. Your top priority is the production, validation, and management of training data the algorithms team trusts. Behind the pipeline sits the classical M&S work: scene generation, atmospheric propagation, optics, focal-plane response, signal chain, target signatures, and plume/exhaust phenomenology, that gives the imagery and the predictions their physics.
You will play an integral role in standing up the team's end-to-end, real-time, physics-correct engagement simulation pipeline. You report to the seeker lead, who carries final technical authority, and partner closely with the seeker hardware, algorithm, and GNC engineers. Your job is to make sure the trades, predictions, and datasets behind every design decision are rigorous, reproducible, and trusted.
What You'll Do
  • Produce, validate, and manage the synthetic and semi-synthetic image datasets the algorithms team trains and evaluates against, with disciplined provenance, ground truth, and metadata. This is the highest-priority output of the role.
  • Build and maintain end-to-end seeker performance models spanning scene, atmosphere, optics, FPA, ROIC, ADC, signal chain, and image processing in MWIR and LWIR.
  • Build and validate signature models for target hardbody and plume/exhaust phenomenology.
  • Stand up and own the team's real-time, physics-correct engagement simulation pipeline integrating scene, sensor, signal chain, and engagement logic.
  • Integrate DTED and other georeferenced terrain data into scene generation, with discipline around frames, projections, and accuracy budgets.
  • Run CPU and GPU compute at scale on cloud infrastructure to render imagery and produce datasets at the volumes the algorithms team needs.
  • Author CUDA-accelerated rendering and signal-chain kernels where simulation throughput demands it; profile and optimize end-to-end pipeline throughput on multi-GPU rigs.
  • Run Monte Carlo trade studies on optical, sensor, and signal-chain parameters (FPA choice, integration time, f-number, FOV, NETD/NEI) and translate results into program-level design decisions.
  • Validate models against captured imagery from lab characterization, ground tests, and flight tests; close the loop on model fidelity over time.

Skills We're Hiring For
  • B.S. in Optical Engineering, Physics, EE, CS, or related; M.S. or Ph.D. preferred.
  • 4 to 7 years of relevant experience, with at least 2 years on synthetic/semi-synthetic training data for ML or signal-processing algorithms, and at least 2 years of classical EO/IR modeling and simulation.
  • First-hand MWIR/LWIR phenomenology: target signatures, atmospheric propagation, plume/exhaust radiometry, and scene background characterization.
  • Demonstrated responsibility for synthetic image datasets used by an algorithms team to train, evaluate, and test detection, acquisition, or tracking models.
  • Modern Python for science, engineering, and ML; comfortable shipping engineering software, not just notebooks.
  • Hands-on with one or more of MODTRAN, MUSES, DIRSIG, or an equivalent scene/atmosphere toolchain.
  • CUDA and GPU programming proficiency: writing, profiling, and optimizing kernels; reasoning about memory layout, occupancy, streams, and host-device transfer cost. You can take a slow simulation pipeline and make it fast.
  • Managing datasets at scale and running CPU/GPU compute jobs on cloud infrastructure (AWS, GCP, or Azure).
  • Software practices: Git, readable documentation, reviewable code, repeatable runs, and unit/E2E testing.
  • Hands-on with agentic coding tools (Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, Kilo, or similar): building, supervising, and reviewing AI-agent output to accelerate engineering work, with concrete examples of what you've shipped.

Bonus Points For
  • Unreal Engine or Unity for synthetic data generation, simulation, or visualization.
  • RF or radar M&S for multimodal sensor-fusion programs.
  • Hardware-in-the-loop or scene-projection (DMD, IRSP) experience.
  • Image processing and computer vision, including deep-learning detection and tracking.
  • Familiarity with Zemax or Code V; enough to consume an optical design directly into your model.
  • Hands-on with NV-IPM (formerly NVTherm/NVThermIP) or equivalent sensor performance modeling.
  • Direct missile, munition, seeker, or guidance program experience.
  • NeRFs and/or Gaussian Splatting.

Eligibility & Logistics Location: On-site at our Los Angeles, CA HQ; remote work is not available. Monthly weekend travel for test events and supplier engagements. Clearance: A clearance is not required for this position. Must be a U.S. Person.
Equal Opportunity & Export Compliance Furientis is an equal-opportunity employer. To comply with U.S. export control laws, employment is contingent on eligibility to access export-controlled information.
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