Optical Modeling and Simulation Engineer (copy)

Furientis•Los Angeles, CA

19d•Onsite

About The Position

Furientis is developing cost-effective, high-production-rate interceptor missiles to address a gap in defensive munitions production. The Seeker Team develops a low-cost, mass-producible, multimodal missile seeker and works across disciplines in a small, highly technical, hardware-focused environment. The team uses agentic coding tools as part of its workflow and expects engineers to apply judgment about where those tools are useful. The role owns every pulsed laser transmitter used by the seeker, whether purchased or built in-house. Initially, the engineer will survey and select commercial Q-switched Er:glass and seeded MOPA transmitters, characterize delivered units, and integrate them behind a swap-ready interface. The role will then design, assemble, and test Q-switched Er:glass lasers and seeded MOPA amplifier chains in-house. The engineer owns the transmitter internals and delivered pulse performance in coordination with the coherent systems engineer, and serves as the program's Laser Safety Officer. The position is based on-site at Furientis's Los Angeles, California headquarters; remote work is unavailable. Monthly weekend travel is expected for test events and supplier engagements. A security clearance is not required, but the candidate must be a U.S. Person and eligible to access export-controlled information.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Optics, Photonics, Physics, or Electrical Engineering.
At least 7 years designing and building pulsed solid-state lasers that shipped or flew, including diode-pumped, Q-switched systems personally taken from modeling through bench hardware and measured performance.
First-principles resonator and Q-switch design knowledge, including rate equations, cavity stability and mode control, passive and active Q-switching, and output-coupler and fluence tradeoffs against coating and material damage thresholds.
Practical diode-pumping experience, including pump-wavelength control over temperature, thermal lensing and fracture limits, diode lifetime and derating, and associated drive electronics.
Amplifier design experience with seeded MOPA chains in fiber and/or bulk, including stored-energy extraction, ASE and parasitic-lasing suppression, SBS/SRS management, linewidth control, and isolation.
Laser-modeling fluency using tools such as LASCAD, ASLD, RP Fiber Power, Zemax, and/or custom Python rate-equation models, with evidence that models matched measured hardware.
Bench characterization experience with pulse energy and temporal shape, M² and divergence, spectrum and linewidth, jitter, temperature, and lifetime; ability to defend data in design reviews.
Experience packaging pulsed lasers for harsh environments using bonded and aligned assemblies that maintain specifications through shock, vibration, and temperature.
Laser-safety ownership experience or expertise, including ANSI Z136.1, classification, NOHD analysis, and range operations; prior Laser Safety Officer duty or the depth to assume the role.
Daily use of agentic coding tools such as Claude Code or similar, with examples of work shipped.
Must be a U.S. Person and eligible to access export-controlled information.

Nice To Haves

Master's or Ph.D. degree in Optics, Photonics, Physics, or Electrical Engineering.
Experience with Er:glass or eye-safe 1.5 µm lasers in a rangefinder, designator, or ladar product.
Microchip laser design or manufacture, including bonded passive-Q-switch assemblies.
High-g or munition-class laser packaging, or direct missile or seeker program experience.
Experience taking a laser from prototype to volume production, including yield, burn-in, and acceptance at rate.
Working knowledge of gain-media, Q-switch crystal, coating, and pump-diode supply bases.

Responsibilities

Own the laser transmitter specification and interface control document with the coherent systems engineer, including pulse energy, width, repetition rate, jitter, divergence and M², size, weight and power, and environmental requirements.
Survey and downselect commercial Er:glass microchip modules, seeded MOPA transmitters, and seed lasers; manage vendor technical relationships.
Characterize purchased laser units, including energy over temperature, repetition-rate derating, beam quality, pulse jitter, shot life, and lot-to-lot variation; establish acceptance tests.
Integrate trigger and synchronization, drive-electronics interfaces, thermal paths, and swap-ready optical, mechanical, and electrical interfaces.
Design, build, and qualify an in-house Q-switched Er:glass laser, including gain-media selection, pump-diode and thermal design, Q-switching, cavity and output coupler, and laser-damage budgeting.
Design and build seeded MOPA amplifier chains around off-the-shelf seed lasers, including gain staging, energy extraction, ASE and parasitic-lasing control, SBS/SRS headroom, isolation, and pulsed pumping.
Package both laser families for flight-environment shock, vibration, and temperature; establish lifetime, burn-in, and acceptance testing for rate production with Manufacturing and Test Systems.
Own the pulsed-laser laboratory, including alignment and bonding fixtures, metrology, and production build procedures for technicians.
Own the program-wide laser safety effort, including classification, NOHD analysis, range paperwork, and the ANSI Z136.1 program as Laser Safety Officer.
Use agentic coding tools and contribute governance input and AI-centric workflow development.