The Leidos Innovations Center currently has an opening for a Principal Optical Design Engineer to work in our San Diego, CA office. This is an exciting opportunity to develop disruptive optical technologies that could be integrated into future space systems - a business area in which Leidos is transforming the payloads solutions for the future. As a Principal Engineer, you will directly support a rapidly growing sector within the Division by leading design, development, and demonstration of new optical technologies that could drastically reduce size, weight, power, and cost of compact satellite optical payloads, and potentially enhancing performance to enable new capabilities. Responsibilities would initially be in working with current optical designers to understand the trades in optical payload design, leading investigation into new optics including diffractive optics, meta-optics, and gradient index lenses, and developing new insights and capabilities in integration of such technologies into future optical payload development. Additional responsibilities will likely include working on novel payload concepts through internal R&D (IRAD) effort, and may include the opportunity to serve as a supervisor.
Primary Responsibilities
- Leverage expertise in optics design and new optics technologies to lead trades analyses in performance and size, weight, and power for satellite optical payloads.
- Utilize modeling tools to develop insights in co-design of different optical technologies in a single optical payload.
- Lead collaboration with optical designers and team mates to evaluate and mature optics technologies, and develop a pipeline to transition them to production and integration into optical payloads.
- Develop a roadmap of novel imaging technologies for future space systems, and explore nascent concepts.
Basic Qualifications
- BS in Engineering, Physics, optics, or equivalent field with 12+ years of prior relevant experience or Masters with 10+ years of relevant experience or Doctorate with 8+ years of prior relevant experience.
- Must have the ability to obtain and maintain a Secret security clearance.
- Expertise in performance evaluations of optical components, including point spread functions (PSFs), modulation transfer functions (MTFs), encircled power, etc.
- Proficient experience with finite element-based design tools such as COMSOL, CST, or Lumerical.
- Proficient experience with optical design tools such as Zemax or CODE V.
- Proficient in Windows.
- Excellent communication skills and proven ability to work directly with customers and deliver results.
- Mission oriented with a strong ability to guide a team towards goals and deliver real-world products.
- Proficient with technical writing, documentation, and organization.
- Robust sense of initiative, a self-starter who can work independently.
Preferred Qualifications
- Active TS or TS/SCI security clearance.
- Experience in developing hybrid optical systems with novel optical components.
- Experience with fabrication and characterization of optics, including diffractive/meta-optics.
- Experience in proposal development and business development.
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