Mission Readiness Engineer

Location: Longmont, CO (onsite). U.S. DoD Personnel Security Clearance is required; preference given to candidates with an existing clearance.

About the Company

nLIGHT-DEFENSE Systems, Inc. is one of the nation’s leading developers of Directed Energy systems, a top modernization priority of the Department of Defense. Our High Energy Laser (HEL) systems, Adaptive Optical (AO) systems, and Acquisition / Pointing / Tracking (APT) solutions are designed to overcome the most difficult challenges facing the deployment of high-energy laser solutions to the United States military and our allies. Based in Longmont, Colorado, we are a vertically integrated business leveraging internal capabilities—from semiconductor device through target identification—to develop systems that are both high-performance and cost-effective. Headquartered in Camas, Washington, nLIGHT is a publicly listed company (NASDAQ: LASR).

About the Role

Mission Readiness Engineers play a critical role in ensuring that the HADES Directed Energy System’s customer-facing features consistently showcase its capabilities. They stay informed about the latest operational advancements, maintain and update training materials, and strive for operator excellence as both skilled users and effective trainers. As field testers, Mission Readiness Engineers collaborate closely with developers, contributing to rapid system improvements and ensuring reliable performance in real-world scenarios. They lead customer training sessions, equip users with practical skills to operate laser systems, and gather feedback during training and field operations to inform product enhancements. Additionally, they maintain comprehensive training materials, develop maintenance manuals, and create strategies for successfully deploying laser weapons to the warfighter.

Responsibilities

• Conduct field testing to validate system performance and readiness.
• Define and refine operational readiness criteria, identifying risks before deployment.
• Support field evaluations and customer exercises in real operational environments.
• Develop training programs and documentation that enable confident system operation and sustainment.
• Serve as the primary liaison between users and engineering teams, strengthening customer relationships.
• Provide operational troubleshooting, customer support, and mission execution for fielded systems.
• Translate operational observations into actionable product requirements and partner with Technical Operations to mature capabilities.
• Build repeatable processes linking testing, training, deployment, and customer feedback into a continuous improvement cycle.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering, Science, or related technical field.
• 3+ years of experience.
• Commitment to excellence, attention to detail, and pride in workmanship.
• Ability to work in a dynamic environment and maintain composure under pressure while fostering strong working relationships.
• Ability to execute work with minimal oversight, meeting mid- to long-term program milestones.
• Experience working with hardware and software systems such as robotics.
• Strong technical writing skills, including development of training materials, operational procedures, test plans, and/or after-action reports.
• Ability to build trusted relationships with military operators, government customers, and cross-functional engineering teams.
• Demonstrated ability to work within multi-disciplinary technical teams.
• Ability to translate operational observations and customer feedback into actionable product improvements and system requirements.
• Physical fitness and ability to work outdoors in potentially adverse weather conditions.
• Project/program-based travel required; estimated at 50%.

Preferred Qualifications

• Demonstrated ability to develop and deliver technical training, operational instruction, and user enablement programs.
• Experience supporting U.S. Department of Defense programs, military operations, or defense acquisition activities.
• Experience with prototype or developmental systems, operational test, or field experimentation activities.
• FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certification or drone piloting experience.
• Military service or direct experience supporting military operations.

Benefits

• 4 weeks of Paid Time Off per year.
• 11 paid holidays.
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan.
• Tuition Assistance Program.
• Health (ACA Gold Plan), vision, and dental care paid 100% by employer for employee and 75% for dependents.
• Paid Family Leave, Short and Long Term Disability paid 100% by employer.
• Competitive 401k with company match and immediate vesting.

Pay

$120,000 - $160,000 depending on experience.