Laser Safety Engineer

QuEra Computing•Boston, MA

About The Position

The Laser Safety Engineer owns end-to-end laser safety by design within QuEra's horizontal laser infrastructure program, which spans the full lifecycle of laser systems across US, Japan, and UK sites. This role focuses on integrating protection into the architecture and design stages, including optics and coating selection, beam path routing, containment, scattered light detection, interlocks, and access control. The scope covers diverse laser setups from the light source through free space and optical fiber, encompassing deployed, under-build, and developmental systems. The position involves collaboration with Laser Safety Officers and local scientists and engineers globally, as well as QuEra's Laser Safety Officer in Facilities who holds regulatory authority.

Requirements

B.S. or M.S. in Physics, Optical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field; equivalent hands-on experience will be considered.
Hands-on experience with Class 3B and Class 4 laser systems, including high power sources.
Laser safety engineering built and used on real hardware, such as containment, interlocks, or hazard analysis.
Working knowledge of ANSI Z136 or IEC 60825, and experience applying them to non-standard system configurations.
Competence in optical power measurement, beam characterization, and stray light assessment.
Credibility with practicing laser scientists and engineers, and clear written and verbal communication.

Nice To Haves

Certified Laser Safety Officer or equivalent formal laser safety training; support is available to pursue certification.
Experience with fiber amplifiers, frequency conversion, or free-space high power delivery.
Experience in research or prototype environments where hardware configurations change frequently.
Background in AMO experiments, cold atom, or quantum hardware platforms.
Experience coordinating safety practice across multiple international sites.
Experience defining safety requirements for automated or software-controlled hardware.

Responsibilities

Own beam path safety review as a formal design gate for laser modules and systems, covering parasitic and scattered paths as well as primary paths.
Specify layered protection at the design stage: optics and coating selection, beam containment, enclosures, beam dumps, and stray light management.
Address fiber-borne hazards, including connector and end-face integrity, uncontrolled emission from damaged or disconnected fiber, and high power fiber delivery.
Define scattered and stray radiation detection, including sensor selection, placement, thresholds, and integration with system telemetry.
Design interlock and access control architecture across enclosures, doors, and emergency stop, with fail-safe behavior and machine-readable interlock state for automated operation.
Retrofit containment and interlocks on deployed setups.
Perform hazard analysis, define laser controlled area boundaries, and write laser safety acceptance criteria into module and system acceptance test procedures.
Run hazard surveys and periodic spot checks across setups, investigate incidents and near misses, and specify PPE by area.
Own laser safety standards for the team across ANSI Z136, IEC and BS EN 60825, and JIS C 6802, and align QuEra practice across the three regimes.
Work with the Laser Safety Officers and the local scientists and engineers at our UK and Japan sites to select protection methods per configuration, review local builds, and audit on site.
Partner with Scientists, Engineers, and Facilities so that safety requirements are coherently applied in design.