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Harmattan AI is a next-generation defense prime building autonomous and scalable defense systems. Following a $200M Series B at a $1.4B valuation, the company is expanding teams to deliver mission-critical systems to allied forces.
As an Optical Engineer in the Gimbal team, you will own the optical performance of EO/IR imaging payloads, directly driving image quality, detection range, and operational robustness. You will work across the full product lifecycle—from sizing and prototyping through validation and mass production—collaborating closely with mechanical, electronics, software, computer vision, and industrialization teams.
Key responsibilities include:
- Sizing and designing EO/IR imaging payloads, balancing field of view, resolution, range, and sensor selection
- Selecting commercial lenses and sensors or leading custom optical designs to meet image quality and robustness targets
- Designing, building, and maintaining optical test benches for development, validation, and production
- Measuring and validating image quality metrics: MTF, focus, boresight, distortion, and NETD for infrared systems
- Developing camera calibration pipelines (intrinsics, extrinsics, distortion, photometric and radiometric correction) with software and perception teams
- Integrating optics into mechanical assemblies, including tolerancing, athermalisation, windows, coatings, and sealing
- Investigating optical issues across the product lifecycle, from prototype to series production
- Managing optical suppliers and supporting industrialization of lenses, sensors, and components
- Running field tests to assess image quality in real operating conditions
The role demands hands-on rigor, ownership, and execution in a demanding environment where technical excellence and real-world impact are core values.
REQUIREMENTS:
- Master's degree or engineering degree with specialization in optics
- 3+ years of optical engineering experience, ideally on camera or imaging systems
- Proven experience sizing an electro-optical or infrared optical system
- Hands-on experience with standard optical measurements: camera calibration, MTF, NETD
- Experience developing optical test benches from architecture through validation and integration
- Solid grounding in image processing: distortion, gamma, geometric and photometric correction
- Experience with thermal cameras is a strong plus
- Hands-on, rigorous, pragmatic approach with autonomy to iterate fast in a startup environment
