Optical Modeling and Simulation Engineer (copy)

Furientis • Los Angeles, CA

20d • Onsite

About The Position

Furientis is developing cost-effective, high-production-rate interceptor missiles to help address a critical shortfall in U.S. defensive munition production. The Seeker Team develops the missile seeker, including its sensing and targeting capabilities, using commercial supply chains where advantageous and vertical integration where possible. The team is small, deeply technical, and expects members to work across disciplines, take initiative, and help deliver flight hardware. It also uses agentic coding tools as part of an AI-centric workflow.

The role owns the pulsed laser transmitters used by the seeker, whether purchased or designed in-house. Initially, the engineer will survey and select suppliers for Q-switched Er:glass and seeded MOPA transmitters, characterize delivered units, and integrate them through a swap-ready interface. The role will then design, assemble, test, and qualify in-house Q-switched Er:glass lasers and seeded MOPA amplifier chains based on off-the-shelf seed lasers. The engineer owns transmitter performance and the laser safety program, working with the coherent systems engineer on pulse performance and with other teams on electronics, manufacturing, and test.

This is an on-site position at Furientis' Los Angeles, California headquarters; remote work is not available. Monthly weekend travel for test events and supplier engagements is expected. 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 taken from modeling through bench hardware to 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 Python rate-equation models, with demonstrated models that match measured hardware.
• Bench characterization experience with pulse energy and temporal shape, M² and divergence, spectrum and linewidth, and jitter across temperature and life; ability to defend the resulting data in design reviews.
• Experience packaging pulsed lasers in bonded and aligned assemblies that maintain specifications through shock, vibration, and temperature.
• Laser safety expertise including ANSI Z136.1, classification, NOHD analysis, and range operations; prior Laser Safety Officer duty or sufficient depth to take on the role.
• Daily use of agentic coding tools such as Claude Code or similar, with examples of shipped work.
• Must be a U.S. Person and eligible to access export-controlled information.

Nice To Haves

• M.S. or Ph.D. 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 manufacturing experience, including bonded passive-Q-switch assemblies.
• High-g or munition-class laser packaging experience, 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 the gain-media, Q-switch crystal, coating, and pump-diode supply base.

Responsibilities

• Own the laser transmitter specification and interface control document with the coherent systems engineer, including pulse energy, width, repetition rate, jitter, divergence, M², size, weight, power, and environmental requirements, supported by models based on channel link budgets.
• Survey and downselect off-the-shelf Er:glass microchip modules, seeded MOPA transmitters, and seed lasers; manage vendor technical relationships.
• Characterize purchased laser units for energy over temperature, repetition-rate derating, beam quality, pulse jitter, shot life, and lot-to-lot variation; write acceptance tests.
• Integrate trigger and synchronization, drive-electronics interfaces, thermal paths, and swap-ready optical, mechanical, and electrical interfaces.
• Design, assemble, and test an in-house Q-switched Er:glass laser, including gain-glass selection, pump-diode and thermal design, Q-switching, cavity and output coupler design, and laser-damage budgeting; take it from first light to a qualified, producible unit.
• Design and build seeded MOPA amplifier chains around off-the-shelf seed lasers, addressing gain staging, energy extraction, ASE and parasitic lasing, SBS/SRS headroom, isolation, and pulsed pumping.
• Package both laser families for flight conditions, including shock, vibration, and temperature, and own 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 build procedures for technicians.
• Own the program-wide laser safety function, including classification, NOHD analysis, range paperwork, and the ANSI Z136.1 program as Laser Safety Officer.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior