Engineering - Senior Optical Engineer

Grote Industries • Madison, IN

3d

About The Position

The Senior Optical Engineer is responsible for the design, development, validation, and support of automotive exterior lighting systems for OEM customers in the heavy-duty market. This role leads optical design activities, supports cross-functional teams, and ensures products meet regulatory, customer, performance, durability, quality, manufacturing, and cost requirements while mentoring less-experienced engineers.

Requirements

• The ideal candidate will have a Bachelor’s degree or higher in Optical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical field and extensive (3-5+ years) optical engineering design experience in automotive exterior lighting (headlamps and/or signal lamps) including familiarity with relevant mechanical and/or electrical engineering design principles, along with experience with the manufacturing processes relevant to automotive lighting and optical components in particular, such as injection molding, plastic part assembly, coatings, etc. Good documentation, communication, and teamwork are essential.
• Extensive experience with Lucid Shape and associated optical design modules/software is preferred followed by Zemax, SPEOs, or other optical design software
• Extensive experience designing optical systems using LEDs, molded lenses (including thick lenses), and molded/metallized reflectors for automotive lighting applications is preferred, though other optical design experience may be considered
• Extensive experience testing and validating optical systems/devices using goniometers, integrating spheres, spectroradiometers, etc.
• Injection molded plastic part design including a thorough understanding of injection mold tooling and plastic part assembly
• Creo CAD experience is optimal, followed by Catia or NX and then other systems
• Capability in the research, review, interpretation, and application of relevant regulatory requirements and industry standards, specifically in relation to FMVSS 108, UN Regulations (R148-R150), and the SAE Lighting Systems Group
• Advanced GD&T application
• Tolerance stack-up analysis
• Reviewing the listed simulations/analyses correlated with optical design: Vibration/Static/Thermal FEA Thermal CFD Mold flow analysis Part measurement and dimensional analysis

Responsibilities

• Working with project team members to understand/develop requirements and to develop new or improved lamp concepts/designs satisfying regulatory and customer performance, durability, and quality requirements along with meeting internal manufacturing process requirements and cost targets.
• Developing the design of optical systems for lamps using LEDs, reflectors, thin plastic lenses with Fresnel/pillow/etc. optics, thick/TIR lenses, light pipes, etc. using LucidShape and other tools.
• Performing and/or coordinating testing of lamps and components using goniometers, integrating spheres, spectroradiometers, and related equipment to ensure the product meets all requirements.
• Developing/improving and documenting design, simulation, and testing standards related to all aspects of lamp optical design.
• Research, interpret, and apply relevant regulatory requirements and industry standards including FMVSS 108, UN Regulations (R148–R150), and SAE Lighting Systems Group standards.
• Working with the Manufacturing and Quality teams to troubleshoot and resolve issues related to manufacturing processes and quality controls.
• Working with the Purchasing team in the sourcing of purchased components and validation of suppliers and ensuring that purchased components are properly designed/spec’d to conform to industry standards, minimize cost, and maximize supply chain flexibility.
• Working with the Sales team in the quoting of new or revised business and customer management including the estimation of part and capital costs.
• Mentoring other engineers and team members in all aspects, and optical aspects in particular, of lamp quoting, design, manufacturing, validation, etc.

What This Job Offers

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