Senior Optics Engineer

About the company

Space Kinetic develops a propellant-free electromechanical payload-deployment system and patented mechanism to eject diverse small payloads at high velocities from host satellites for space and missile defense applications.

About this role

<p><strong><span data-contrast="auto">A New Paradigm For Space Operations.</span></strong><span data-ccp-props="{"335559739":0}">&nbsp;</span></p> <p><strong><span data-contrast="auto">Who We Are:</span></strong><span data-ccp-props="{"335559739":0}">&nbsp;</span></p> <p><span data-contrast="auto">Space Kinetic is a dual use space technology startup building a completely new architecture for space operations – one that brings the advantages of proliferated drone technology (low-cost, operationally flexible,&nbsp;attritable, distributed) to space missions while reducing the ecosystem's reliance on consumable fuel. In a world where many companies are focused on incrementally improving the status quo, we are focused on creating something entirely different – an architecture underpinned by new first principles to meet the opportunities and challenges of the third space age head-on. Our goal is to move away from one-to-one space architectures – where each satellite in a constellation has one (or a small number of) primary payloads attached to the bus – and unlock a "one-to-many" system, where each satellite has a large number of payloads which can be deployed from their host spacecraft at high velocities without firing a thruster.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"335559738":240,"335559739":0}">&nbsp;</span></p> <p><span data-contrast="auto">This is not a role for someone looking for a traditional 40-hour work week.&nbsp;Space Kinetic is building ambitious, first-of-its-kind technology, and that requires urgency, ownership, and&nbsp;a high level&nbsp;of commitment to changing the foundational assumptions for everything we do in space.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"335559738":240,"335559739":0}">&nbsp;</span></p> <p><strong><span data-contrast="auto">What You'll Do:</span></strong><span data-ccp-props="{"335559739":0}">&nbsp;</span></p> <p><span data-contrast="auto">We are seeking a </span><strong><span data-contrast="auto">Senior Optics Engineer</span></strong><span data-contrast="auto"> to own the design, integration, and qualification of optical and optomechanical systems for our spacecraft and payload technologies. This is a hands-on role for an engineer who has taken complex optical hardware from early architecture through alignment, environmental testing, and flight-ready production.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"335559738":240,"335559739":240}">&nbsp;</span></p> <p><strong><span data-contrast="auto">Job Responsibilities:&nbsp;</span></strong><span data-ccp-props="{"134233117":false,"134233118":false,"201341983":0,"335559738":0,"335559739":0,"335559740":276}">&nbsp;</span></p> <ul> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="19" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1"><span data-contrast="auto">Own optical and optomechanical systems from requirements and architecture through detailed design, integration, qualification, and production.</span></li> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="19" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Design and analyze imaging, sensing, laser, infrared, or free-space optical systems using first-principles optical engineering.</li> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="19" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Develop optical prescriptions, performance models, error budgets, tolerance analyses, stray-light assessments, and system-level trade studies.</li> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="19" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Design and integrate lenses, detectors, mounts, baffles, windows, thermal interfaces, alignment features, and other precision optical hardware.</li> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="19" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Develop alignment, calibration, metrology, and automated test methods to characterize optical performance.</li> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="19" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Plan and execute environmental qualification, including vibration, shock, thermal-vacuum, and other mission-specific testing.</li> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="19" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Analyze test data, diagnose optical performance issues, lead anomaly investigations, and implement corrective design actions.</li> <li data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="19" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Partner with mechanical, electrical, software, systems, manufacturing, and supplier teams to deliver manufacturable, flig