Staff Optical Communications Engineer
$188,000–$251,000 year
On-site · Long Beach, California, United States
Job Summary
Own the end-to-end architecture, design, development, and delivery of a deep-space optical communications terminal. Translate mission needs into system performance requirements, develop architectures, and drive implementation through in-house design or external partnerships. Lead hands-on development campaigns to evaluate key technologies, derisk interfaces, and validate performance before full system integration. Collaborate across internal and external teams to turn concepts into hardware, balancing agility and rigor as you move from analysis to prototypes to flight-ready systems. Deliver a robust, high-performance optical communications capability enabling breakthrough science across the solar system.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Optical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related field
- 7+ years of experience in laser communications, optical systems engineering, or spacecraft communications system development
- ability to translate mission needs into system performance requirements
- hands-on proficiency in electromechanical prototyping including optics, electronics, and mechanical subsystems such as gimbals, pointing mechanisms, and precision mounts
- deep understanding of optical communications subsystems including PAT; modems; and photonic hardware
- excellent communication skills to synthesize technical details and drive decisions across teams
Desired Qualifications
- 7+ years of experience in laser communications
- hands-on electromechanical prototyping with optics, electronics, and mechanical subsystems
- deep understanding of optical communications subsystems including PAT, modems, and photonic hardware
- excellent communication skills to drive decisions across teams
- experience with spaceflight hardware environmental testing and qualification (nice to have)
- familiarity with NASA or commercial spacecraft systems engineering processes (nice to have)
- experience with deep-space or high-radiation avionics systems (nice to have)
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