Sr. Electro-Optical Engineer

About the role

nLIGHT-DEFENSE Systems, Inc. is a leading developer of Directed Energy systems, focusing on High Energy Laser (HEL) and Adaptive Optical (AO) solutions for the Department of Defense. The company is headquartered in Camas, Washington, and is a publicly listed company (NASDAQ: LASR).

Responsibilities

• Lead design, development, integration, and test of High Energy Laser (HEL) Weapon Systems and/or HEL Beam Control Systems (BCS).
• Serve as a system or subsystem technical lead, driving architecture, interfaces, requirements flow-down, and verification strategies.
• Coordinate and technically direct team members to execute complex integration activities across optics, mechanics, electronics, firmware, and software.
• Provide on-site and remote technical leadership during field tests, including troubleshooting, data analysis, and real-time decision-making.
• Identify technical risks and develop mitigation plans in coordination with program management.

Requirements

• Commitment to Excellence. Attention to Detail. Pride in Workmanship.
• Ability to work in a dynamic environment and maintain composure and strong working relationships under pressure.
• Advanced problem-solving capability, with the ability to synthesize information from multiple technical disciplines to reach sound engineering decisions.
• Installation, alignment, and integration of optics, electro-optics, and mechanics (COTS and custom).
• Recognized expertise in working with laser and electro-optical systems, including safety, reliability, and performance optimization.
• Exhibit expert-level troubleshooting skills to solve complex and constrained opto-mechanical alignment problems, particularly for ruggedized systems.
• Author, review, and approve technical reports, test plans, procedures, and customer-facing documentation.
• Integration of auto-alignment algorithms and methods, including algorithm selection and performance trade studies.
• Lead integration efforts for real-time control of electro-optical and mechanical components using LabVIEW, MATLAB, firmware, and/or C/C++/C# (normally involving code re-use).
• Experience with electro-optical systems including acquisition, pointing, and tracking, with demonstrated ownership of system-level performance metrics.
• Strong working proficiency in MATLAB and/or C/C++/C#; ability to review, modify, and guide software development.
• Experience in specification and evaluation of optical coating requirements, particularly for high power applications.
• Experience with optical fiber splicing, polishing, repair/service, and fiber management.
• Experience mentoring engineers and technicians and providing technical direction across disciplines.

Qualifications

• Minimum Education: Master’s Degree in Engineering, Science or related field. PhD is preferred.
• Experience: 10+ years of electro-optical experience.
• U.S. DoD Personnel Security Clearance required.

Skills

• Expertise in laser and electro-optical systems.
• Proficiency in MATLAB and/or C/C++/C#.
• Experience with optical coatings and fiber management.
• Leadership in integration and test activities.
• Mentoring and guiding engineers and technicians.

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 by employer 100% for Employee and 75% for Dependents
• Paid Family Leave, Short and Long Term Disability paid by employer 100%
• Competitive 401k with company match and immediate vesting

Pay

$170,000 - $210,000 depending on experience.

Schedule

N/A