Senior Opto-Mechanical Engineer

The Leidos Innovations Center currently has an opening for a Senior Opto-Mechanical Engineer to work in our San Diego, CA office.  This is an exciting opportunity to develop disruptive optical technologies that could be integrated into future space systems – a business area in which Leidos is transforming the payloads solutions for the future. 

As a Senior Engineer, you will directly support a rapidly growing sector within the Division by designing, developing, and demonstrating new optical technologies that could drastically reduce size, weight, power, and cost of compact satellite optical payloads, and potentially enhancing performance to enable new capabilities. Responsibilities include working with current optical designers to understand the trades in optical payload design, owning the overall mechanical layout of a novel satellite optical payload, understanding the limitations of current designs and providing recommendations for improvements on new prototype systems. The candidate should possess a solid background in optomechanical systems, preferably with experience in satellite optical payloads experiencing launch loads and thermal environments in space. Tasking ranges from developing conceptual designs for proposal efforts to end-to-end detailed designs that “no kidding” need to operate in space. This opportunity resides in the Leidos Innovation Center (LInC) that supports cutting edge Contract R&D and Internal R&D programs across the company.

Primary Responsibilities

• Lead the design of robust optomechanical systems for prototype satellite optical payloads, including telescope barrels, focus mechanisms, and filter assemblies.
• Lead design trade and make vs. buy trade analysis, clearly present findings and recommendations to program leadership.
• Work with the optical design team to ensure manufacturability of prototype optical systems to ensure successful Assembly, Integration, and Test (AI&T).
• Collaborate with optical designers and teammates to evaluate and mature optics technologies and develop a transition pipeline to production and integration into optical payloads.
• Support system analysis including STOP, shock, vibration, and thermal analysis of the payload designs.
• Leverage expertise in optomechanical design to analyze trades in performance and size, weight, and power for satellite optical payloads.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Physics, Optics, or equivalent field with 12+years, Master’s degree with 10+ years of prior relevant experience. May possess a Doctorate in technical domain.
• Must be a U.S Citizen.
• Qualified candidates must be able to obtain and maintain a Secret security clearance (no clearance needed to start).
• Experience with design, fabrication, and characterization of optics and optomechanical systems.
• Proficient with Solidworks CAD tools.
• Excellent communication skills and proven ability to work directly with customers and deliver results.
• Mission oriented with a strong ability guide a team towards goals and deliver real world products.
• Proficient with technical writing, documentation, and organization.
• Robust sense of initiative, a self-starter who can work independently.

Preferred Qualifications

• Active Secret security clearance or higher.
• Master's degree in Engineering, Physics, Optics, or equivalent field are preferred.
• Experience with optical and optomechanical design for space applications.
• Experience with optical design tools such as Zemax or Code V.
• Experience in proposal development and business development.
• Experience leading a small team of optomechanical engineers.

Original Posting Date:

While subject to change based on business needs, Leidos reasonably anticipates that this job requisition will remain open for at least 3 days with an anticipated close date of no earlier than 3 days after the original posting date as listed above.

Pay Range:

The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline only and not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.