Optical Engineer - Level 3 or Level 4

Northrop Grumman • Hartford, CT

17h

About The Position

At Northrop Grumman, our employees have incredible opportunities to work on revolutionary systems that impact people's lives around the world today, and for generations to come. Our pioneering and inventive spirit has enabled us to be at the forefront of many technological advancements in our nation's history - from the first flight across the Atlantic Ocean, to stealth bombers, to landing on the moon. We look for people who have bold new ideas, courage and a pioneering spirit to join forces to invent the future, and have fun along the way. Our culture thrives on intellectual curiosity, cognitive diversity and bringing your whole self to work — and we have an insatiable drive to do what others think is impossible. Our employees are not only part of history, they're making history. Northrop Grumman’s Space Systems Sector is seeking an Optical Engineer Level 3 or Level 4 to join our team in East Hartford, CT. Please be aware that this position is contingent upon capturing program award(s) and obtaining and maintaining associated business and/or customer funding. Furthermore, this position is contingent upon the candidate obtaining final clearances and program access(es) within a reasonable period of time as determined by the company. Continued employment thereafter will be subject to maintenance at the level of clearance and program access required for the position in the future. Adaptive Optics Associates – Xinetics (AOA Xinetics), a wholly-owned Northrop Grumman Space Systems, Mission Enabling Products operating unit, designs and manufactures mission critical optical and photonic solutions. We serve markets worldwide including defense (ISR, directed energy, laser communications), industrial (semiconductor) and scientific (astronomy). Since its inception, AOX has been ‘working light’ for the betterment of our customers, the protection of our nation and the advancement of humankind. Overview Reporting directly to the Special Programs Optical and R&D Group Manager, the Optical Engineer will work with program managers and engineers to develop system architectures that meet specific program requirements and fulfill the key system functions. Systems may include optical, mechanical, electrical, and software components. Ability to work in a multi-disciplinary environment is essential. This position provides a broad, exciting opportunity in a high-growth, strategically important business for NGSP. We are looking for a successful team member with exceptional people skills, one who is valued by employees and customers alike. Our ideal candidate can influence and motivate a team to perform at higher levels, and has excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills. The successful team member must be highly influential in conversation and have a record of collaborative approach with peers/peer organizations. The successful candidate will be an individual contributor as an Optical Engineer on programs that have significant optical and photonics aspects. You will be responsible for the overall development of optical systems and work within interdisciplinary teams to develop novel and innovative solutions to advanced technical problems.

Requirements

• Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering, Physics, or Mathematics with 5 years’ experience in optics, photonics, and/or algorithm development; OR Masters of Science degree in Engineering, Physics, or Mathematics with 3 years’ experience in optics, photonics, and/or algorithm development; OR PhD in Engineering, Physics, or Mathematics with 1 year of experience in optics, photonics, and/or algorithm development
• Familiarity with systems containing optical, mechanical, electrical, and software components
• Experience modeling optical or other physical systems
• Experience developing algorithms related to image processing, computational imaging, or optical alignment
• Experience with a general-purpose data processing environment (eg MATLAB or numerical Python)
• Ability to break high-level requirements into constraints on a particular design
• Strong critical thinking and logical reasoning skills and the ability to apply them to solve issues and predict potential technical risks
• Ability to travel up to 10 – 20% of the time
• Must have the ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government DoD Top Secret security clearance

Nice To Haves

• Master of Science or PhD degree in Engineering, Physics, or Mathematics
• 10+ years’ experience in optics, photonics, or algorithm development
• Proven performance on low-TRL projects
• Familiarity with optical products in the space environment
• Past experience with a computational imaging algorithm in a deployed product
• Past experience with both model-based and AI/ML approaches to algorithm development, and understanding of the tradeoffs with each approach
• Active TS/SCI

Responsibilities

• Develop designs for optical and electro-optical systems addressing the customer problem
• Develop mathematical models for simulation and analysis of these systems
• Develop algorithms that make best use of the optical systems, including model-based and AI/ML approaches
• Conduct trade studies to determine the optimal design and algorithm from the analyzed possibilities
• Help reduce the ideas to practice in the lab
• Engage with customers, and clearly communicate the chosen approach and the reasons for the decision
• Work closely with and collaborate with the Special Programs Director, Program Managers and other technical personnel on proposals and responses to customer technical inquiries
• Travel regularly to customer locations to support design and program reviews

Benefits

• Medical, Dental & Vision coverage
• 401k
• Educational Assistance
• Life Insurance
• Employee Assistance Programs & Work/Life Solutions
• Paid Time Off
• Health & Wellness Resources
• Employee Discounts
• Flexible Schedules: for example, the ability to work a 9/80 work schedule, which allows an employee to work a nine-hour day Monday through Thursday and take every other Friday off of work.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree