Lead Optical Manufacturing Technician

Planet•San Francisco, CA

3d•Onsite

About The Position

Welcome to Planet. We believe in using space to help life on Earth. Planet designs, builds, and operates the largest constellation of imaging satellites in history. This constellation delivers an unprecedented dataset of empirical information via a revolutionary cloud-based platform to authoritative figures in commercial, environmental, and humanitarian sectors. We are both a space company and data company all rolled into one. Customers and users across the globe use Planet's data to develop new technologies, drive revenue, power research, and solve our world’s toughest obstacles. As we control every component of hardware design, manufacturing, data processing, and software engineering, our office is a truly inspiring mix of experts from a variety of domains. We have a people-centric approach toward culture and community and we strive to iterate in a way that puts our team members first and prepares our company for growth. Join Planet and be a part of our mission to change the way people see the world. Planet is a global company with employees working remotely world wide and joining us from offices in San Francisco, Washington DC, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, and The Netherlands. About the Role: As the Lead Optical Manufacturing Technician, you will oversee and guide a team of 5 optical technicians responsible for building, testing, aligning, and characterizing optical payloads across multiple satellite programs. You will become deeply knowledgeable in the optical architecture, program milestones, and manufacturing workflows across all optics lines, enabling you to delegate effectively, ensure priorities are clear, unblock issues quickly, and maintain high technical and operational standards. You will serve as the primary liaison between the optics technicians in manufacturing and optomechanical/optical engineering teams, translating requirements, ensuring proper documentation and training, and maintaining an efficient communication loop. The ideal candidate combines strong optics expertise, excellent communication, proactive leadership, and the organizational rigor needed to drive multiple optical programs forward in a fast-paced environment. This is a full-time, in-office position based in our San Francisco office 5 days per week.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Optical Engineering, Physics, Optics, or related field.
6+ years of hands-on experience with imaging systems, telescope builds, optical metrology, or optomechanical assemblies.
Strong understanding of optical alignment, image quality metrics, stray light considerations, camera calibration, and radiometric/MFT calculations.
Ability to lead or mentor technical teams—delegation, prioritization, coaching, and performance feedback.
Excellent communication skills (verbal, written, cross-functional), with demonstrated ability to clearly articulate needs, escalate early, and maintain strong engineering <> manufacturing alignment.
High level of technical curiosity and the ability to ask clarifying questions when requirements, drawings, or instructions are ambiguous.
Strong debugging and analytical skills for optomechanical and electrical subsystems.
Proficiency with optical test equipment (interferometers, wavefront sensors, autocollimators, integrating spheres, monochromators, power meters).
Strong organizational and documentation skills: ability to maintain clean labs, up-to-date procedures, and clear digital trails (Slack, JIRA, Confluence).
Experience writing or modifying detailed test/assembly procedures.
Ability to work in a high-speed, high-accountability environment with multiple deadlines and shifting priorities.
Familiarity with laboratory safety, cleanroom practices, and handling of delicate optical components.

Nice To Haves

Prior experience as a lead, supervisor, or senior optical technician/engineer.
Success improving a lab’s operational health: workflows, communication loops, scheduling, and throughput.
Experience with Zemax or equivalent optical modeling tools.
Experience onboarding, training, and up-leveling technical talent.
Experience bridging gaps between engineering and manufacturing teams, especially during new product introduction (NPI).
Strong systems thinking — ability to anticipate next steps, downstream impacts, and potential risks before they become issues.
Familiarity with Python, MATLAB, or lab automation tools.
Experience bonding optics (epoxies, RTV), handling optical coatings, and completing precision alignments.
Ability to thrive in a dynamic, high-pressure environment while maintaining quality and calm leadership presence.

Responsibilities

Lead a team of optics technicians through daily standups, clear task delegation, and continuous alignment across multiple active optical payload programs.
Become fully fluent in the optical design, requirements, test needs, and build sequences for all optics programs (e.g., telescopes, focal planes, camera assemblies).
Prioritize work across programs, ensuring the team is meeting deadlines, escalating blockers early, and keeping engineers informed.
Train technicians on optical assembly, alignment, metrology, and test procedures; ensure all training and documentation is thorough and consistently followed.
Own execution and quality standards for optical builds, including IPC cleanliness expectations, proper optical handling, and alignment best practices.
Partner closely with optical and optomechanical engineers to resolve issues, perform root-cause analysis, request missing information, and ensure manufacturing readiness for new designs.
Maintain a well-organized optics lab, including test equipment, metrology stations, optical benches, hardware, calibration tools, and inventory.
Review, improve, and enforce detailed procedures and build instructions to ensure repeatability, clarity, and high-quality output.
Report daily/weekly program status, team progress, and risks to engineering and manufacturing managers.
Drive continuous improvement in throughput, yield, documentation, team communication, ergonomics, and workflow.