Optical Engineer - Specialist

Job Title: Specialist, Optical Engineering
Job Code: 47641
Job Location: Carlsbad, CA
Job Schedule: 9/80: Employees work 9 out of every 14 days – totaling 80 hours worked – and have every other Friday off

Job Description:
The Carlsbad optical engineering team turns fiber-optic, precision-microscopy, and waveguide concepts into validated optical components and assemblies. The work spans optical design, modeling, laboratory characterization, and integration, with responsibility for delivering technically sound assigned work reliably and with minimal supervision.

Essential Functions:
•    Generate and evaluate optical design concepts for fiber optics, precision microscopy, and waveguides, and use models, prototypes, or experiments to complete assigned technology development and validate the results.
•    Analyze optical designs, coupling efficiency, loss budgets, and alignment tolerances to compare design options and guide component and assembly development.
•    Build, align, and characterize fiber-optic and precision optical assemblies, selecting appropriate laboratory instruments and measurement methods for the assigned task.
•    Use microscopy and optical metrology to assess waveguide performance, optical components, and assembly quality, and investigate discrepancies between expected and measured behavior.
•    Process optical measurement data with Python, MATLAB, or comparable tools, compare results with model predictions, and quantify and document measurement uncertainty.
•    Coordinate with mechanical, electrical, manufacturing, and test colleagues to integrate optical designs and troubleshoot performance, and document methods and verification results for technical discussions and design reviews. Deliver assigned work with minimal supervision and responsibility for technical quality and reliable completion.
•    Must be a U.S. person and have the ability to obtain and maintain a TS clearance with SCI eligibility.

Qualifications:
•    Bachelor’s Degree and minimum 4 years of prior relevant experience. Graduate Degree and a minimum of 2 years of prior related experience. In lieu of a degree, minimum of 8 years of prior related experience.

Preferred Additional Skills:
•    Degree in Optical Engineering, Physics, Applied Physics, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.
•    Relevant laboratory or engineering experience designing, modeling, integrating, or characterizing optical components or systems. Experience with optical instrumentation and alignment, plus optical modeling or data analysis. Tools may include Zemax OpticStudio, BeamPROP, Python, MATLAB, or comparable software to interpret optical performance.
•    Experience with fiber-optic coupling, link analysis, polarization control, or interferometric measurements, including interpretation of coupling efficiency, optical losses, or measured signals.
•    Experience with precision microscopy, optical metrology, or imaging-system characterization to assess optical components and assembly quality.
•    Experience with waveguide modeling or optical packaging, including evaluation of predicted and measured optical performance. Experience with optical tolerance analysis and collaboration on precision optomechanical assemblies to resolve alignment and integration issues.
•    Active TS/SCI clearance with Poly

In compliance with pay transparency requirements, the salary range for this role in California is $97,000 - $180,000. This is not a guarantee of compensation or salary, as final offer amount may vary based on factors including but not limited to experience and geographic location. L3Harris also offers a variety of benefits, including health and disability insurance, 401(k) match, flexible spending accounts, EAP, education assistance, parental leave, paid time off, and company-paid holidays. The specific programs and options available to an employee may vary depending on date of hire, schedule type, and the applicability of collective bargaining agreements.