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Overview Energy is building a new layer of energy infrastructure using satellites in geosynchronous orbit to redirect solar energy to terrestrial solar projects via near-infrared light. The company is in the earliest phase of development, backed by world-class investors, and headquartered in Northern Virginia.
You will own the optics lab end-to-end: the physical space, equipment, test setups, and experiments. As the hands-on implementation lead for the optics team, you translate experimentation goals into lab hardware and set the pace for the team's progress. Lab bandwidth is currently the constraint on learning speed, and this role removes that bottleneck.
Reporting to the Director of Optics, you will bridge the design and fielding functions by owning experimentation. This is a high-autonomy position where you work with the integrated team to define project goals and technical risks, then derive experimental setups to retire them. You'll implement repeatable processes, train and mentor the growing team, and sit in on early design discussions to propose fast lab tests that answer design questions and feed results back into iteration cycles.
Key responsibilities include: translating project goals and technical risks into experiment plans and setups; designing or fabricating custom mounts and fixtures with CAD support; assembling optical, fiber, mechanical, and electronic components into functioning test cells; executing test campaigns and reporting actionable conclusions; specifying and building out lab infrastructure (optical tables, lasers, detectors); aligning free-space optical systems and troubleshooting control and data acquisition problems; writing instrument control and data acquisition code in Python, LabVIEW, or MATLAB; maintaining experiment procedures, build and test records, issue logs, and equipment inventory; running laser safety practices for high-power near-infrared systems including Class 3B and Class 4 lasers; and planning and executing field verification of flight-representative hardware for outdoor campaigns.
REQUIREMENTS:
- 7+ years of hands-on experimental lab experience in optics, lasers, or photonics (graduate research, national lab, defense, or industry experience all count)
- B.S. in physics, optics, or related field, or equivalent hands-on optics lab experience
- Proven ability to independently design, build, align, and troubleshoot free-space optical setups
- Experience producing custom mounts and fixtures via CAD design (e.g., Siemens NX) or fabrication/sourcing
- Working knowledge of lasers, detectors, and core optical components (lenses, mirrors, gratings, coatings)
- Hands-on experience using spectrometers and optical spectrum analyzers (OSAs)
- Optical fiber handling and assembly experience (cleaving, splicing, terminating, inspection)
- Understanding of thermal management for laser systems, including chillers and water- or conduction-cooled laser heads
- Disciplined documentation habits: procedures, lab notebooks, test records
- Laser safety training and hands-on practice with Class 3B and Class 4 lasers under formal laser safety program
STRONG PREFERENCES:
- Hands-on experience with optical test and metrology equipment: laser interferometers (Zygo, 4D Technology), wavefront sensors, beam profilers, optical power and energy meters, scientific CMOS/CCD and InGaAs SWIR cameras, autocollimators
- Thermal vacuum chamber (TVAC) integration and testing experience
- Experience planning or supporting outdoor/long-range field tests of optical or laser systems
- Laser Safety Officer (LSO) experience under ANSI Z136.1; Certified Laser Safety Officer (CLSO) credential is a plus
- Cleanroom practices and ISO 14644-1 cleanroom classifications (ISO 5 to ISO 8) familiarity
- Hands-on machining or fabrication skills
- Lab setup or management experience, including equipment selection and budgets
- Training or mentoring experience with lab staff or students
- Military technical, national laboratory, or space hardware program experience
Note: This position is subject to U.S. Government space technology export regulations (ITAR). Candidates must be U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, protected individuals, or eligible to obtain required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.
