Optical Engineer - Airborne

Matter Intelligence • El Segundo, CA

8d • Onsite

About The Position

Matter is hiring an Optical Engineer focused on airborne systems to help design, integrate, calibrate, and operate the optical path for our airborne sensing payload. This role will work across optical design, optomechanics, calibration, systems engineering, and flight test.

Requirements

• Strong foundation in optical engineering and experience applying it to physical systems.
• Experience with optical alignment, characterization, calibration, and laboratory test methods.
• Ability to connect models and tolerances to measured system performance.
• Hands-on, cross-functional approach to integration and troubleshooting.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with airborne imaging, spectroscopy, remote sensing, or precision optical instruments.
• Experience working across broad spectral ranges and tightly constrained payload packaging.
• Familiarity with flight test, environmental test, and calibration under operational conditions.

Responsibilities

• Support optical design and trade studies for airborne sensing payloads across the required spectral range.
• Define optical interfaces, alignment approaches, tolerances, and performance budgets with adjacent engineering teams.
• Plan and execute optical assembly, alignment, characterization, and calibration activities.
• Support environmental, ground, and flight testing; analyze results and investigate performance gaps.
• Document optical requirements, test methods, calibration results, and configuration changes.

Benefits

• Competitive compensation based on experience
• Early-stage equity package
• 100% employer-paid health, dental, and vision coverage
• Opportunity to work on novel sensing, data, and AI systems with real-world deployment paths to the largest industries in the world

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed