Lead, Optical Engineering - Stray light

L3Harris Technologies•Town of Gates, NY

3d•$117,000 - $218,000•Onsite

About The Position

L3Harris is seeking a Lead Optical Engineer to support the design, analysis, and development of advanced optical and electro-optical systems for aerospace and defense applications. The role focuses on stray light analysis and control, optical system modeling, performance analysis, and non-sequential evaluation for active and passive imaging payloads. The work supports mission-critical systems in challenging operational space environments, where stray light suppression, radiometric accuracy, and optical performance influence mission success. The engineer will contribute across the lifecycle of complex imaging and sensing systems, from concept through integration and test. Working with optical, mechanical, electrical, systems, software, and manufacturing engineering teams, the role helps mature payload architectures, evaluate optical trades, and assess how stray light, throughput, background sources, and image-chain behavior affect end-to-end performance. The position also calls for technical leadership, hands-on hardware experience, and effective communication with internal teams, leadership, suppliers, and customers. The position is based in Rochester, New York, with a 9/80 schedule (every other Friday off).

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree and at least 9 years of relevant experience; alternatively, a graduate degree and at least 7 years of related experience; or, in lieu of a degree, at least 13 years of related experience.
2–3 years of relevant experience using optical stray light analysis tools such as FRED.
Ability to obtain a federal security clearance.

Nice To Haves

Active Secret or Top Secret/SCI clearance.
Experience designing, manufacturing, integrating, testing, and selling off space-based EO/IR subsystems.
Hands-on experience with optical metrology equipment such as interferometers, autocollimators, and laser trackers, and with phase retrieval techniques.
Familiarity with specialized metrology software, including Zygo Mx and QED.NET.
Experience with optical design software such as CodeV or Zemax OpticStudio.
Ability to collaborate across all levels of leadership.
Collaborative, team-oriented approach to completing assignments.
Strong communication and interpersonal skills, including explaining complex concepts to others.
Ability to architect an end-to-end space system with an understanding of the product lifecycle.
Experience with project management aspects of technology development programs.
Experience estimating and managing costs and creating and managing schedules.
Optical engineering experience with EO/IR space-based payloads, vehicle systems, and/or high-performance imaging systems.
Experience with programming languages such as MATLAB and Python.
Working knowledge of optical scatter mechanisms, BSDF/BRDF concepts, ghost path analysis, and the interaction between optical design choices and system-level performance.

Responsibilities

Lead or support optical engineering activities for advanced imaging, sensing, and electro-optical systems.
Lead development of non-sequential stray light and radiometric models for active and passive imaging systems, including assessment of scattering, ghosting, and optical throughput for space-based payloads.
Support system performance analysis and verification of optical requirements such as wavefront error, line of sight, distortion, focus, focal length, and image quality.
Perform end-to-end optical performance analyses linking design features to mission-level image quality, signal-to-noise, and sensitivity outcomes; communicate risks, margins, and mitigation recommendations.
Assess optical system behavior, including ghosting, scattering, and stray light performance, for design and verification efforts.
Support design trades for baffles, stops, surface treatments, contamination control, and alignment strategies to reduce stray light and preserve performance through integration, test, and environmental exposure.
Generate and review technical documentation, including test plans, procedures, error budgets, requirements verification artifacts, design review materials, and final reports.
Collaborate with cross-functional engineering teams to ensure optical designs are manufacturable, testable, and integrated into the broader system architecture.
Provide technical leadership in troubleshooting, root cause analysis, and resolution of optical performance issues during development and test.
Support hardware builds, laboratory demonstrations, integration efforts, and verification campaigns.
Interface with internal stakeholders, external partners, and suppliers to coordinate technical execution and ensure requirements are understood and met.
Contribute to risk identification, mitigation planning, and continuous improvement of engineering processes and test methods.
Mentor junior engineers and guide optical analysis, test execution, and engineering best practices.