Staff Optical Engineer, Space

Costa Mesa, California, United States

Anduril Industries is a defense technology company with a mission to transform U.S. and allied military capabilities with advanced technology. By bringing the expertise, technology, and business model of the 21st century’s most innovative companies to the defense industry, Anduril is changing how military systems are designed, built and sold. Anduril’s family of systems is powered by Lattice OS, an AI-powered operating system that turns thousands of data streams into a realtime, 3D command and control center. As the world enters an era of strategic competition, Anduril is committed to bringing cutting-edge autonomy, AI, computer vision, sensor fusion, and networking technology to the military in months, not years.

 

ABOUT THE TEAM

Anduril's Space team is dedicated to expanding our AI-powered capabilities into the final frontier, enhancing Space Domain Awareness, Space Control, and Command and Control for U.S. military and allied partners. We're developing fully integrated hardware and software systems, including Lattice for Space Missions and modular payloads, to address growing threats in space and ensure our Guardians maintain a decisive advantage in this contested war-fighting domain.

ABOUT THE JOB


As Staff Optical Engineer for Anduril Space, you will be responsible for the optical engineering required to develop EO and IR sensing products to support Anduril Space programs, including IR seekers, EO and IR RPO sensors, Earth imaging EOIR sensors, and others. You will be responsible for possessing deep knowledge on the design, manufacturing, testing and operational capabilities of EO/IR optical components, assemblies, and sensors. These systems will include unique Anduril technologies as well as complimentary 3rd party technologies as needed to grow and support the Space business line at Anduril. The Optical Engineer Lead on the Space team will work closely with the Anduril Imaging team to deliver unique Medium Wave and Long Wave Infrared
(MWIR/LWIR) payload systems and will work with external EO/IR sensor or payload suppliers to develop the necessary optical sensing capabilities to support future captures.

This role is directly tied to ongoing, funded programs within Anduril’s Space Business Line. The programs require building and fielding resilient optical sensing payloads across numerous mission threads. We work with mission partners and customers to deploy reliable and robust capabilities on operationally-relevant fielding timelines to meet complex challenges across the DOD and IC.

WHAT YOU’LL DO 

  • Lead the optical engineering for optical subsystems development for various space programs in all orbital regimes, including the following responsibilities:
    • Coordinate with mission analysts to derive optical performance requirements such as FOV, MTF, sensitivity, allowable stray light, etc.
    • Lead / perform optical design and analysis including sequential and non-sequential ray tracing, tolerancing for manufacturing, optimization for performance and low manufacturing cost
    • Define requirements in specifications, drawings, and or SOW’s for optical component or subassembly procurement, manufacturing, and assembly
    • Define process for and lead / perform structural, thermal, optical performance (STOP) analysis, coordinating with structural and thermal analysts and CAD designers
    • Define assembly, integration, and test plans and procedures for optical products
    • Lead / perform optical requirements verification via analysis or testing
  • Lead make/buy/where trades for critical optical components, subassemblies, or subsystems
  • Support development of the technical roadmap for optical system development for the space team leveraging Anduril’s unique technologies and 3rd party sensors
  • Support challenging schedules during ground testing, launch windows and on-
    orbit operations of the spacecraft systems.
  • Plan, equip, and/or improve optical products lab/factory at one or more Anduril facilities to support development and qualification of new products and/or AI&T of production products

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

  • Currently possesses and is able to maintain an active U.S. Top Secret security clearance
  • Strong engineering background from industry and school in Optical Engineering
  • Ability to quickly understand and navigate complex optical systems and detailed
    requirements
  • Experience with EO/IR systems design for remote sensing, space situational
    awareness, and missile or vehicle detection and tracking, in multiple orbital regimes
  • Experience with optical sensor payload architecture trades between scanning or step-staring for extended area coverage, including familiarity with the hardware types relevant to that trades space (precision pointing gimbals, pointing mirrors, image derotators, wide vs. narrow-FOV telescopes, etc.)
  • Experience with sequential and nonsequential ray tracing for optical design and analysis to meet performance requirements such as FOV, IFOV, f/#, WFE, ensquared energy, MTF, PST, OAR, and other metrics
  • Experience designing reflective and refractive optical systems including off-axis systems with tilted & decentered aspheres and/or free-form surface types
  • Experience with wavefront error testing methodologies for testing all types of optical surfaces including flats, spheres, conics, aspheres, and free forms
  • Experience designing optical systems to support component manufacturability, alignability, and end-to-end testability
  • Experience utilizing optics lab metrology including interferometers, laser trackers, corner cubes, pentaprisms, alignment scopes, autocollimators, and theodolites as needed to perform and verify complex system optical and mechanical alignments
  • Capable of solving complex technical problems with little oversight
  • Experience with infrared sensor testing and calibration utilizing thermal point sources and extended sources
  • Experience defining calibration plans for visible and infrared sensor systems including lab and onboard calibration processes and associated hardware and procedures
  • Experience working with line-of-sight control engineers to assess optical jitter and smear and optimize system performance accordingly
  • Familiarity with optical element manufacturing and figuring processes including single-point diamond turning, computer-controlled polishing, spherical and conic surface polishing, MRF, and others
  • Experience specifying, procuring, and testing optics made from different material types including glasses, IR crystals, oxides, fluorides, beryllium, silicon carbide, aluminum
  • Experience specifying and procuring optical coatings for spectral filters, beam splitters, high reflection, and anti-reflection
  • Experience defining plans and processes for and performing optical testing in a thermal vacuum chamber
  • Clear communication and organizational skills including documentation and
    training material

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

  • Experience with Zemax, FRED, Python, and Matlab
  • Experience with multispectral and hyperspectral sensor design and testing, utilizing dispersing elements such as prisms and gratings
  • Familiarity with orbital mechanics, space EOIR mission con-ops, and space vehicle dynamics
  • Experience with radiometric performance analysis for visible and thermal IR sensors
  • Experience with LIDAR sensors and laser range finders
  • Familiarity with detection and tracking techniques and algorithms to suppress background clutter and otherwise improve tracks and eliminate false alarms
  • Familiarity with automatic target recognition techniques and algorithms

 

US Salary Range

$220,000 - $292,000 USD

 

The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a wide range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offer may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations. Highly competitive equity grants are included in the majority of full time offers; and are considered part of Anduril's total compensation package. Additionally, Anduril offers top-tier benefits for full-time employees, including: 

Healthcare Benefits 

  • US Roles: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans at little to no cost to you. 
  • UK & AUS Roles: We cover full cost of medical insurance premiums for you and your dependents. 
  • IE Roles: We offer an annual contribution toward your private health insurance for you and your dependents. 

Additional Benefits 

  • Income Protection: Anduril covers life and disability insurance for all employees. 
  • Generous time off: Highly competitive PTO plans with a holiday hiatus in December. Caregiver & Wellness Leave is available to care for family members, bond with a new baby, or address your own medical needs. 
  • Family Planning & Parenting Support: Coverage for fertility treatments (e.g., IVF, preservation), adoption, and gestational carriers, along with resources to support you and your partner from planning to parenting. 
  • Mental Health Resources: Access free mental health resources 24/7, including therapy and life coaching. Additional work-life services, such as legal and financial support, are also available. 
  • Professional Development: Annual reimbursement for professional development 
  • Commuter Benefits: Company-funded commuter benefits based on your region. 
  • Relocation Assistance: Available depending on role eligibility. 

Retirement Savings Plan 

  • US Roles: Traditional 401(k), Roth, and after-tax (mega backdoor Roth) options. 
  • UK & IE Roles: Pension plan with employer match. 
  • AUS Roles: Superannuation plan. 

The recruiter assigned to this role can share more information about the specific compensation and benefit details associated with this role during the hiring process. 

To view Anduril's candidate data privacy policy, please visit https://anduril.com/applicant-privacy-notice/. 

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