Manager, Optical Engineering

Alcon•Fort Worth, TX

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Manager, Optical Engineering is part of Alcon’s Engineering function and leads multiple teams responsible for designing, developing, and testing optical systems and components. The role balances technical leadership with managerial responsibilities, supporting teams with the tools and processes needed to drive innovation and maintain product excellence. The position leads the optical systems engineering team within a multidisciplinary engineering function, partnering with mechanical, electrical, and software engineering to design, build, and field optical instruments and clinical devices. As part of Alcon’s Advanced Optics Technologies group, the manager connects integrated optical systems engineering with optical design, metrology, vision science, and advanced analysis capabilities. The role supports intraocular lens and contact lens innovation by developing reusable optical instruments, metrology platforms, test methods, and clinical evaluation technologies. It serves as the technical authority for optical system design, tolerancing, analysis, build, and qualification across early-stage R&D test beds and GxP systems used in manufacturing and clinical studies. This is a player-coach role: approximately 60–70% of the work is leading, directing, and developing the team, and 30–40% is hands-on technical contribution to critical design and analysis work. The manager raises the team’s technical standards through design reviews, demonstrations, and mentoring grounded in direct experience. The role is on-site in Fort Worth, Texas, with travel up to 5%.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent years of directly related experience; alternatively, high school education plus 15 years, an associate degree plus 11 years, a master’s degree plus 4 years, or a Ph.D. plus 3 years.
7 years of relevant experience.
5 years of demonstrated leadership experience.
Ability to fluently read, write, understand, and communicate in English.

Nice To Haves

Practical experience with optical metrology and alignment tools for measuring and qualifying optical systems and subsystems.
Proficiency with OpticStudio/Zemax.
Experience with FRED, MATLAB, and Python is strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Lead the optical systems engineering team within a multidisciplinary engineering function.
Partner with mechanical, electrical, and software engineering to design, build, and field optical instruments and clinical devices.
Connect integrated optical systems engineering with Advanced Optics Technologies capabilities in optical design, metrology, vision science, and advanced analysis.
Develop reusable optical instruments, metrology platforms, test methods, and clinical evaluation technologies supporting intraocular lens and contact lens innovation.
Serve as the technical authority for optical system design, tolerancing, analysis, build, and qualification across R&D, manufacturing, and clinical-study applications.
Lead, direct, mentor, and develop a team of optical engineers, metrology engineers, and optical systems technicians, and set team priorities.
Contribute hands-on to critical design and analysis work.
Raise the team’s technical standards through design reviews, demonstrations, and mentoring.