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Salary: USD 127,500 - 220,000 / annual
Xcimer Energy is building inertial fusion energy (IFE) power plants using a groundbreaking laser architecture to accelerate global decarbonization. This is a hands-on senior role based at headquarters in Denver, CO, where you will own the mounting concepts and supporting structures for meter-class segmented mirror arrays used in deep-UV, high-energy laser beam transport.
You will develop mounting and support methodologies for large, lightweight mirrors, architecting the trusses, weldments, optical benches, and precision adjustment mechanisms that hold them while optimizing stiffness-to-mass, thermal stability, and vibration resistance. You will perform structural-thermal-optical performance (STOP) analysis—static, modal, random-vibration, and thermal FEA—and correlate models to measured data. You will define vibration isolation and damping strategies, quantify resonant modes and harmonics against PSD-defined sources, and lead modal testing to validate designs.
You will select and specify materials for athermal, dimensionally stable structures (low-CTE metals, ceramics, composites) and define bond-pad and stress-limited mounting approaches for coated DUV substrates. You will design and validate large-optic handling, lifting, installation, and removal fixtures with contamination control and safety as first-order requirements. You will support metrology of mounted optics and use results to accept or iterate designs. You will create and maintain interface control documents, produce detailed models and GD&T drawings per ASME Y14.5, and manage technical data transfer to suppliers.
You will develop and execute assembly, alignment, and test plans in collaboration with manufacturing engineers, assemble prototype hardware, and support integration and troubleshooting in cleanroom and lab environments. You will present work at design reviews to optical, controls, manufacturing, and science stakeholders, and mentor other mechanical engineers on precision design and opto-mechanical integration. This is a technical leadership role on a small, fast-moving team where you will spend time in the optics labs and on the integration floor.
REQUIREMENTS:
- B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Optical Engineering, or related field
- 10+ years of opto-mechanical engineering experience, including full lifecycle ownership (concept, analysis, procurement, assembly, test) of precision optical hardware
- Demonstrated experience designing mounts and support structures for large optics (meter-class apertures), including truss or weldment structures
- Experience designing and characterizing optical mounts under PSD-defined base and external vibration, including quantifying resonant modes and correlating FEA to modal test data
- Working knowledge of athermal design: CTE matching, thermal gradient and soak effects, and low-expansion material selection
- Understanding of gravity-induced sag and print-through and mount strategies to control them
- Strong FEA skills (static, modal, random vibration, thermal) in Ansys, Abaqus, or Nastran; ability to fit and decompose deformed optical surfaces (Zernike or rigid-body fits) into figure and pointing errors
- Experience implementing alignment references and integrating optical subsystems with flat, powered, and off-axis mirrors
- Ability to build tolerance stack-ups for optical sensitivity analysis and translate mechanical tolerances into optical tolerances
- Fluency in 3D CAD (NX preferred; SolidWorks or Creo acceptable) and GD&T per ASME Y14.5
- Practical knowledge of machining, welding, and fabrication processes and design for manufacturability for large precision structures
- Experience creating and maintaining interface control documents
- Comfort working in cleanroom, high-vacuum, and high-voltage environments
- Strong written and verbal communication and track record of clear technical documentation
DESIRED:
- M.S. or Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering, Optical Engineering, or related field
- Experience with segmented mirror arrays or large-format mirrors >1 m, including multi-DOF mounts and array-level alignment
- Design, fabrication, or optimization of lightweight mirror substrates
- Active mount pointing and alignment recovery, including slow and fast steering mirrors
- Experience with high-energy laser systems, particularly deep UV, and laser-induced damage considerations for coated optics
- Hands-on experience with optical fabrication and assembly techniques, including adhesive bonding
- Experience with vibration isolation systems and facility or slab dynamic characterization
- Background in large telescope, lithography, or high-energy laser facility opto-mechanics
