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About the Role
This role is centered on optical expertise first. We are looking for someone who can bring deep experience in optical theory, optical design, and system-level problem solving to own optical system design and drive critical optical investigations for our hardware platform.
Responsibilities
- Lead optical design and analysis for core system components
- Drive optical investigations, trade studies, and system-level design decisions
- Specify and evaluate optical components and subsystem architectures
- Partner with mechanical engineers on packaging, housing, and integration decisions
- Support tolerance analysis, performance validation, and design iteration
- Lead or guide alignment, characterization, and test efforts for integrated optical systems
- Work with vendors and fabricators on manufacturability, tolerancing, and component feasibility
- Help establish best practices for optical development, validation, and technical documentation
Requirements
- Strong background in optical engineering, optical design, or related physics-based system work
- Deep understanding of optical theory and the ability to apply it to real hardware problems
- Experience designing, analyzing, and debugging optical systems in practice
- Ability to lead technical investigations from first principles and prior experience
- Enough mechanical fluency to collaborate effectively on packaging and integration, without needing to be a pure mechanical owner
- Strong hands-on engineering judgment and comfort working across disciplines
- Senior-level experience that allows you to guide technical choices with confidence
- Experience with alignment and characterization of precise optical systems operating in the real world
- This role requires access to export-controlled information or items that require "U.S. Person" status.
Skills
- Optical theory
- Optical design
- System-level problem solving
- Mechanical integration
- Optical judgment
- Alignment
- Characterization
- Tolerance analysis
- Performance validation
- Design iteration
- Manufacturability
- Component feasibility
- Technical documentation
Location
- San Francisco
- Detroit
Work Type
- Full-time
Experience Level
- Senior-level experience
Education Level
- BS or MS in Optical Engineering, Physics, Mechanical Engineering, or related field
Salary/Compensations
- Competitive salary + equity
Benefits
- United Health Care medical, dental, and vision coverage
- Flexible 18 days PTO + 5 sick days
- Travel to field test events and range days
- Covered daily lunches and office snacks + drinks
- E-bike / scooter stipend ( Up to $500)
- Direct access to leadership and real ownership over your work
About the Company
- Aurelius Systems is a VC backed defense tech startup building autonomous, edge deployed directed energy systems for counter-UAS.
- We build laser weapons to shoot down drones.
- We're a small team of engineers, former US military operators, and subject matter experts scaling America's directed energy dominance.
- The first cost effective, reliable and robust laser weapon system.
- Marcus Aurelius wrote about doing the work in front of you, every day, without excuses.
- Henry Ford didn't wait for permission to reinvent manufacturing.
- That's how we operate — small team, unreasonable output, no hiding behind the unachievable.
- In addition to our San Francisco lab, we’ve opened a Detroit manufacturing hub and we field test weekly on our own 400-acre private range.