Optical Systems Technical Lead, AR/VR Displays - EagleEye

Anduril • Bellevue, WA

4d • Onsite

About The Position

This role is within the Warfighter Systems division, focusing on pioneering mixed reality (MR) technologies for defense applications. The team is dedicated to revolutionizing experiences for the warfighter by developing and optimizing advanced display test and calibration processes and station architectures. This position requires a blend of deep technical expertise and creative problem-solving skills to contribute to national defense initiatives and push the boundaries of mixed reality.

Requirements

• BS in Engineering, with a concentration in Optics.
• Relevant experience in the design and analysis of complex optical systems — including optical system design, analysis, alignment, and test — in industry or an applicable academic environment.
• Demonstrated ownership across the full systems-engineering lifecycle, from architecture through verification and validation of delivered hardware.
• Deep experience with optical design and analysis software (Zemax or CODE V).
• Experience with STOP (Structural, Thermal, and Optical Performance) analysis.
• Knowledge of image quality metrics and data analysis methods.
• Experience with the design of diffraction-limited imaging systems in dynamic environments.
• Willingness and ability to travel internationally on a regular cadence.

Nice To Haves

• MS or PhD preferred, but not required.
• Demonstrated first-principles approach to complex opto-mechanical problems.
• Direct experience partnering with optical process / manufacturing engineering to carry designs into volume production.
• Optical component testing experience (spectral transmission, interferometry, etc.), optical system alignment and testing (EE, MTF, PSF, etc.), and opto-electrical system modeling.
• Experience with radiometry and stray light analysis.
• Demonstrated team leadership and mentoring of junior staff.
• Knowledge of common materials used in optical systems and the limitations of fabrication methods for optics (molded, polished, diamond-turned) as well as micro-structures.

Responsibilities

• Lead architecture decisions and optical trades for novel near-to-eye display sub-systems against broadly defined missions.
• Own the optical system across its full lifecycle — not just architecture and design, but integration, alignment, test, and successful verification and validation (V&V) of as-built hardware.
• Define optical performance requirements given multi-disciplinary engineering constraints, and flow them down into component and subassembly specifications within mechanical, electrical, thermal, and industrial design limits.
• Build and defend the optical error budget for the system, allocating tolerance across components, assembly processes, and alignment operations.
• Partner closely and continuously with optical process engineering — co-developing manufacturing and metrology processes, grounding tolerances in real process capability, and closing the loop between design intent and what the production line can actually build.
• Own the correlation between model and measured hardware, closing the loop between predicted and as-built performance so that each design iteration is more predictive than the last.
• Evaluate and analyze prototype and production optical system performance errors to determine root cause.

Benefits

• Highly competitive equity grants are included in the majority of full time offers.
• Top-tier benefits for full-time employees.
• Comprehensive, competitive benefits package (available at little to no cost to employees) ensures you’re supported in health, recovery, and whatever comes next.

What This Job Offers

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