Laser Safety Engineer

Summary

Laser Systems is QuEra's horizontal laser infrastructure program. The team owns the full lifecycle of laser systems across all machine generations and across our sites in the US, Japan, and the UK.

The Laser Safety Engineer owns end-to-end laser safety by design. The work sits at the architecture and design stage, where protection is layered into the system: optics and coating selection, beam path routing, containment, scattered light detection, interlocks, and access control. Protective eyewear sits last in that order, behind the engineering controls above it.

Scope begins at the light source and follows the beam through free space and optical fiber to wherever the light is used. It covers heterogeneous setups on optical tables and off them, in rack-mounted chassis and on free-standing benches, whether deployed, under build, or in development.

Designs from HQ reach QuEra sites worldwide. The role works with the Laser Safety Officers and the local scientists and engineers in the UK and Japan, and with QuEra's Laser Safety Officer in Facilities, who holds the regulatory role and site-wide program authority.

Responsibilities

Safety by Design

• Own beam path safety review as a formal design gate for laser modules and systems, covering parasitic and scattered paths as well as primary paths
• Specify layered protection at the design stage: optics and coating selection, beam containment, enclosures, beam dumps, and stray light management
• Address fiber-borne hazards, including connector and end-face integrity, uncontrolled emission from damaged or disconnected fiber, and high power fiber delivery
• Define scattered and stray radiation detection, including sensor selection, placement, thresholds, and integration with system telemetry

Controls and Interlocks

• Design interlock and access control architecture across enclosures, doors, and emergency stop, with fail-safe behavior and machine-readable interlock state for automated operation
• Retrofit containment and interlocks on deployed setups

Verification and Operations

• Perform hazard analysis, define laser controlled area boundaries, and write laser safety acceptance criteria into module and system acceptance test procedures
• Run hazard surveys and periodic spot checks across setups, investigate incidents and near misses, and specify PPE by area

Standards and Global Alignment

• Own laser safety standards for the team across ANSI Z136, IEC and BS EN 60825, and JIS C 6802, and align QuEra practice across the three regimes
• Work with the Laser Safety Officers and the local scientists and engineers at our UK and Japan sites to select protection methods per configuration, review local builds, and audit on site

Collaboration

• Partner with Scientists, Engineers, and Facilities so that safety requirements are coherently applied in design

Qualifications

• B.S. or M.S. in Physics, Optical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field; equivalent hands-on experience will be considered
• Hands-on experience with Class 3B and Class 4 laser systems, including high power sources
• Laser safety engineering built and used on real hardware, such as containment, interlocks, or hazard analysis
• Working knowledge of ANSI Z136 or IEC 60825, and experience applying them to non-standard system configurations
• Competence in optical power measurement, beam characterization, and stray light assessment
• Credibility with practicing laser scientists and engineers, and clear written and verbal communication

Preferred Qualifications

• Certified Laser Safety Officer or equivalent formal laser safety training; support is available to pursue certification
• Experience with fiber amplifiers, frequency conversion, or free-space high power delivery
• Experience in research or prototype environments where hardware configurations change frequently
• Background in AMO experiments, cold atom, or quantum hardware platforms
• Experience coordinating safety practice across multiple international sites
• Experience defining safety requirements for automated or software-controlled hardware

The approximate base salary range for this position is $140,000-$180,000

We consistently monitor external market data and update base salary ranges accordingly.  We determine base compensation decisions on several factors, including as geographic placement, role-specific knowledge, skills, and/or experience.  In addition to our base salary offerings, we also provide equity grants for all new hires.

QuEra is committed to cultivating a diverse work environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We highly value diversity in our current and future employees and do not discriminate (including in our hiring and promotion practices) based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

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