Overnight Optical Coating Engineer Jobs in Virginia

Program Chief Engineer

Our client is looking for their very own purple squirrel, AKA, the Technical North Star of the organization. Does this sound like you? A Day in the Life of the Program Chief Engineer You aren't just managing a schedule; you are the guardian of the technical integrity of a mission. Your day moves between the abstract world of photonics and the concrete reality of orbital survival.

The Morning: Strategic Synchronization The Mission Brief: You start by huddling with the Program Manager. You aren't just talking budgets; you're discussing how a recent trade-off in thermal mass might affect the pointing accuracy of a LIDAR sensor. You provide the technical "go/no-go" that keeps the mission on its rails. The Customer Envoy: You jump on a call with a lead scientist from NASA or a senior DOD advisor. You don't just report progress; you articulate why our specific laser architecture is the most resilient solution for their emerging mission needs. You are the voice of technical authority they trust.

The Mid-Day: Deep-Dive Leadership The "Brain Trust" Session: You pull up a chair with a group of PhD physicists and electronics engineers. They've hit a snag in the signal processing of a high-energy pulse. You don't give them the answer—you ask the one question that reframes the problem, drawing on your decade of experience in electro-optical system qualification. Architecture & Trades: You spend an hour reviewing a Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) update. You're looking for the "hidden" risks: Will this optical coating degrade under the specific radiation profile of this orbit? Your signature on this trade-off is the seal of flight-worthiness.

The Afternoon: Shaping the Future The War Room: A Preliminary Design Review (PDR) is two weeks away. You lead a "Red Team" review, stress-testing the team's assumptions. You're mentoring them, showing them how to defend their design against the toughest critics in the industry. Tooling the Edge: You spend 30 minutes with the engineering leads discussing the adoption of a new simulation tool. You're not just looking for efficiency; you're ensuring that the way we design today enables predictable, high-yield manufacturing tomorrow.

The Wrap-Up: Visionary Reflection The Legacy Check: Before heading out, you review the roadmap for a new optical communication system. You aren't just thinking about the current contract; you're thinking about the next decade of space exploration and how our client will lead it.

What you bring to the table: Academic Pedigree: A Master's or PhD in Physics, Optical Engineering, or a related Applied Science field. You have the theoretical depth to challenge assumptions and the practical mind to build what's never been built. A Decade of Command: 10+ years of professional scar tissue. You've led diverse, elite teams through the "valley of death" in technology development and come out the other side with flight-proven hardware. The Space-Hardened Edge: You have a visceral understanding of what it takes to make electronics and optics survive the "shake, bake, and vacuum" of space. You've successfully qualified electro-optical systems for US Military or Space applications—and you have the mission success stories to prove it. Photonics Mastery: You are a subject matter expert in at least one "heavy hitter" area: high-energy laser systems, LIDAR sensing, or deep-space optical communications. Systems Fluency: You speak the language of modern engineering. Whether it's Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE), ZEMAX for optical design, or structural/thermal analysis, you know how these tools interlock to create a reliable system. The Cultural Architect: You don't just manage engineers; you mentor them. You have a passion for building better processes and "design-for-manufacturing" mindsets that make the impossible look routine. The Shield: US Citizenship and the ability to hold a Secret (or higher) Security Clearance. You are ready to work on the programs that define national security.