Senior Optical Design Engineer

We are looking for a Senior Optical Design Engineer with 5+ years of experience in nanophotonics and metasurface design to join a small, research-heavy team building the next generation of chip-based LiDAR seekers for defense applications. You will be a superstar on the team — someone with deep expertise in nanophotonic modeling, simulation, and design for manufacturability. This is a high-impact role at a well-funded ($11M) early-stage company building the "TSMC of photonics," with nearly unlimited resources, world-class clean room facilities, and minimal bureaucracy. A PhD from a top optics program is required.

What will you be doing?

- Design and simulate metasurfaces and nanophotonic components for chip-based LiDAR seekers used in counter-UAS interceptors and precision-guided munitions

- Own the full cycle from photonics modeling and simulation through to sending designs off for manufacturing at partner labs

- Collaborate with a small, elite team to prototype and validate optical systems — including work with the company's in-house ISO 5 clean room

- Conduct trade studies and optimize designs for manufacturability, performance, and scalability

- Contribute to the longer-term roadmap including photonic gyroscopes and full merchant photonics foundry capabilities