Senior Optical Engineer

MicroVision • Orlando, FL

2d • Hybrid

About The Position

MicroVision is seeking a Senior Optical Engineer to join their Product Engineering team in Orlando, Florida. This role involves contributing to the design, analysis, and validation of free-space optical systems for cost-optimized automotive LiDAR products. The engineer will collaborate with cross-functional teams and be mentored by senior optical staff. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in free-space optical design, electro-optical components, and translating optical requirements into manufacturable designs. Hands-on experience with optical modeling tools, lab validation, and test scripting is expected, along with a product-focused mindset that balances technical performance with cost and manufacturability.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Optical Engineering, Physics, Electrical Engineering, or related field
• 5–10 years of industry experience in optical engineering with demonstrated involvement in product-focused development programs
• Proficiency with Zemax OpticStudio for optical system modeling, performance analysis, and tolerance analysis
• Demonstrated experience designing free-space optical systems, including lens definition, system layout, and performance trade studies
• Working knowledge of electro-optical components relevant to LiDAR or active sensing systems, including laser sources (VCSELs) and photodetectors (APDs, SPADs)
• Experience designing and executing optical lab test setups for component and subsystem characterization
• Experience writing test scripts or analysis tools using Python, MATLAB, or equivalent programming environments
• Familiarity with optical component specifications including coatings, tolerances, surface quality, and material properties
• Working knowledge of optical manufacturing methods with the ability to apply DFM principles to optical design decisions, balancing technical performance against cost, manufacturability, and schedule constraints
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to document optical analyses and specifications clearly
• Must live and reside within commuting distance from MicroVision’s office in Orlando, FL.
• Must be able to work in the U.S. without sponsorship.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s or PhD in Optical Engineering, Physics, or related field
• Experience with LiDAR systems, active illumination sensors, or other time-of-flight or ranging optical architectures
• Familiarity with non-sequential optical modeling or stray light analysis using FRED, LightTools, or equivalent tools
• Experience supporting optical component development with external suppliers, including specification review and first article evaluation
• Familiarity with opto-mechanical integration, alignment strategies, and tolerance stack-up analysis
• Experience with laser safety standards and classifications applicable to LiDAR and active optical systems
• Experience with regulated industry product development processes, including environmental standards and reliability qualification testing
• Experience with image quality metrics, wavefront analysis, or interferometric measurement techniques
• Experience with mass-production optical elements including micro-lens arrays, plastic injection-molded optics, and other non-traditional lens architectures relevant to high-volume LiDAR designs

Responsibilities

• Perform optical design and analysis of free-space optical systems using Zemax OpticStudio, including lens layout definition, system performance evaluation, trade studies, and design iteration.
• Conduct optical tolerance analysis to assess sensitivity to manufacturing variation, alignment error, and environmental effects; own the optical alignment tolerance budget, ensuring allocations across components and assemblies are well-defined, tracked, and reconciled against system-level requirements.
• Define and document optical component requirements and specifications, including lens prescriptions, surface form and finish, aperture and field requirements, and environmental performance expectations.
• Work with optical suppliers to design, validate, and deliver optical components — including coatings, lenses, and filter elements — ensuring deliverables meet performance, tolerance, and cost requirements through specification review, design iteration, and first article validation.
• Apply knowledge of optical manufacturing methods — including molded aspheres, precision glass elements, diffractive optics, and thin-film coatings — to inform design decisions and provide DFM feedback throughout the development cycle.
• Contribute to cost-optimization strategies for optical designs, identifying opportunities to reduce component cost through lens architecture choices, material selection, manufacturing method tradeoffs, and specification rationalization.
• Collaborate with manufacturing engineering to develop low cycle time optical alignment processes and stations, translating alignment tolerance budgets into practical production-ready procedures and fixtures.
• Apply working knowledge of laser-based illumination sources, including VCSELs, VCSEL arrays, and fiber lasers, to support optical design and system-level performance analysis in LiDAR transmit path design.
• Apply knowledge of photodetector and receiver technologies, including single-element and array detectors, avalanche photodiodes (APDs), and SPADs, to inform optical design decisions in LiDAR receive path development.
• Support system-level performance analysis by connecting optical design parameters — including throughput, beam divergence, spot size, and collection efficiency — to electro-optical component performance requirements.
• Collaborate with electrical and systems engineering teams to ensure optical designs are compatible with electro-optical component interfaces, mounting constraints, and thermal operating conditions.
• Design and execute optical lab test setups for component and subsystem characterization, including far-field beam profiling, wavefront measurement, MTF evaluation, throughput and alignment verification, and stray light assessment.
• Demonstrate working knowledge of optical metrology equipment and measurement best practices, including interferometers, profilometers, spectrophotometers, beam analyzers, and imaging-based measurement systems; apply appropriate measurement techniques to ensure data quality and traceability.
• Write and maintain test scripts and data analysis tools using Python, MATLAB, or similar languages to automate optical measurements, instrument control, and analysis workflows.
• Correlate test results with model predictions, documenting discrepancies and supporting root cause investigation in collaboration with optical and systems engineering staff.
• Support design validation events and qualification testing across environmental, thermal, and reliability test conditions, contributing to test planning and hardware preparation.
• Collaborate with opto-mechanical, electrical, systems, and manufacturing engineering teams to support integrated product development, ensuring optical designs are compatible with system-level constraints.
• Generate and maintain optical design documentation including specifications, analysis reports, design review materials, and release artifacts.
• Support supplier interactions for optical components under the guidance of senior engineering staff, contributing to design reviews, specification reviews, and first article evaluation activities.

Benefits

• Competitive compensation and equity program
• Choice between an HSA Medical plan with 100% employer-paid premiums for employees and generous contributions or a Buy-Up PPO Medical plan
• Buy-Up PPO Dental plan
• Vision coverage
• 401(k) plan with company match
• Generous time off package including a flexible vacation program as well as incidental personal/sick days and standard holidays
• Supplemental pay for Parental Leave
• Company-paid basic life and AD&D insurance and long-term disability

What This Job Offers

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