Staff Optical Engineer Jobs in Tucson, AZ (NOW HIRING)

OPTICAL SYSTEMS ENGINEER

RATE: BASED ON EXPERIENCE ($150K + LOOKING FOR THE RIGHT FIT OVER ANYTHING)

LOCATION: TUSCON, AZ

DURATION: FTE

You have an opportunity to own key aspects of the company's technology portfolio. You can make real impacts on the company and its course, and you can work technically interesting things that will directly make an impact on the company growth and our customers' success.

• Optical Metrology — Some experience here is really a requirement, not just a nice-to-have.
• Optical Systems / Optical Design — Deep expertise is ideal. The candidate should understand how optical systems work and, importantly, why they sometimes don't — spanning all the disciplines that go into optical imaging systems. We don't build them, but a big part of our test expertise comes from understanding how the testing relates to what the system actually needs to do.
• Mechanical / Precision Mechanics — A good systems person needs to know something about everything, but having a knack for and some experience with precision mechanics is important. Some exposure and understanding is a baseline expectation; deeper expertise would be a real plus
• This position is a little different because it's a senior-level role. The person needs to be someone who can take broad responsibility. The exact scope and level of responsibility will depend on who we get, because systems engineering covers a wide range of things — so it's hard to narrow it down to any one area.
• The big goal is somebody who understands the technical needs of a complicated optical test system and can lead the team to put the pieces in place, figure out what needs to be done, and make sure the whole thing works. Understanding is huge, and driving is the other huge thing.
• The challenge is understanding the weeds without getting lost in them — respecting them without being consumed by them. Knowing there are lots of weeds, but not getting stuck in them. That was the problem with Art: you'd ask him to do something at a high level, just handle the high-level thing, and he'd immediately get stuck in the weeds. They were good weeds, but it kept him from doing the other thing. We really need somebody who operates at a high enough level to set the whole work structure down properly.

Key Responsibilities

Systems Engineering & Technical Leadership

• Lead the end-to-end development of optical test systems, integrating optics, precision mechanics, data acquisition systems, and software.
• Develop initial system architecture and design concepts, identifying technical assumptions, trade studies, risk assessments, and cost/performance optimization strategies.
• Collaborate with Project Management to define Work Breakdown Structures (WBS), development plans, manufacturing workflows, quality control (QC), and commissioning strategies.
• Drive design for manufacturability (DFM) and cost-effective engineering solutions through performance analysis and production planning.
• Define and execute verification and validation plans, performance qualification, and documentation in alignment with quality standards.
• Support field deployment, integration, and commissioning of hardware systems.

Optical Engineering & Metrology

• Perform optical system design and analysis for imaging and precision metrology applications.
• Develop detailed optical models, simulations, and perturbation analyses, including comprehensive error budgeting and tolerance analysis.
• Utilize industry-standard tools such as Zemax (or equivalent optical design software) for ray tracing and performance modeling.
• Design CGH (Computer Generated Hologram) test setups for optical surfaces and assemblies using proprietary modeling platforms.
• Conduct hands-on optical alignment and system integration, including precision measurements using interferometers, CMMs (Coordinate Measuring Machines), and laser trackers.
• Develop custom software tools for data analysis, simulation processing, uncertainty quantification, and post-processing of optical measurement data.
• Apply expertise in GD&T (Geometric Dimensioning & Tolerancing), optical surface specifications, kinematic constraints, and precision mechanical integration.
• Generate detailed technical documentation, performance reports, and customer-facing deliverables for metrology systems.

Required Qualifications

• MS or Ph.D. in Optical Engineering or closely related discipline
• 5+ years of experience in optical systems engineering, optical design, or precision metrology environments
• Demonstrated experience balancing performance, cost, risk, and schedule in complex engineering programs
• Proficiency in optical modeling and simulation software (Zemax or equivalent)
• Experience in optical test development, tolerance analysis, error budgeting, and verification planning
• Strong background in data analysis, uncertainty reduction, and quantitative performance validation
• Ability to develop or script software tools for modeling, simulation, and data processing
• Experience producing technical documentation and customer-ready engineering reports
• US Citizenship or Permanent Resident (Green Card) required due to project requirements