Director of Optical Engineering

Organizational Leadership 

 

• Build, lead, mentor, and grow the Optical Engineering team through hiring, coaching, performance management, and career development. 
• Establish team goals, priorities, staffing plans, and organizational capabilities aligned with company objectives. 
• Develop engineering processes, design standards, documentation practices, and quality expectations for the optical engineering organization.  
• Foster a culture of technical excellence, accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.  
• Partner with executive leadership to develop long-term optical engineering strategy and organizational growth plans.  

 

Technical Leadership 

 

• Oversee the development of optical architectures for laser beamlines, diagnostics, adaptive optics systems, beam transport systems, and related optical subsystems.
• Work with science, systems engineering, and laser teams to derive, allocate, and manage optical system requirements. 
• Provide technical oversight for optical design, tolerancing, alignment strategies, and system performance analyses.  
• Chair reviews of optical designs and analyses, ensuring technical rigor and adherence to performance requirements. 
• Guide development of active beam control systems including adaptive optics, beam stabilization, and tracking systems. 
• Ensure that requirements and specifications for optical components, coatings, imaging systems, cameras, sensors, and precision optical assemblies are established in compliance with the Xcimer Product Development Process.
• Drive resolution of complex optical performance issues through modeling, experimentation, root-cause analysis, and corrective actions.  
• Oversee optical system integration, alignment, verification, validation, and commissioning activities.  

 

Cross-Functional Collaboration 

 

• Partner with optomechanical engineering teams to optimize system performance, manufacturability, alignment accessibility, and maintainability. 
• Collaborate with optical physicists, electrical engineers, controls engineers, and software engineers to develop integrated laser and diagnostic systems. 
• Support supplier selection, technical evaluations, and strategic relationships with optical component vendors and manufacturing partners. 
• Work closely with program management to identify risks, develop mitigation plans, and ensure successful execution of program milestones. 
• Present technical status, risks, and recommendations to engineering leadership and executive stakeholders.  

 

• Ph.D. degree in Optical Engineering, Optical Science, Physics, or a related discipline. 
• 15+ years of experience in optical system design, optimization, tolerancing, integration, and precision alignment.  
• Experience working in a Matrix Organization delivering multiple projects and programs in parallel.
• Experience leading optical engineering organizations supporting large-scale technical programs.  
• Experience designing adaptive optics systems and beam pointing stabilization systems.  
• Experience performing high-fidelity physical optics modeling and wavefront propagation analyses in both near-field and far-field regimes.  
• Experience with high-energy laser systems and deep ultraviolet (UV) optical systems.  
• Experience developing comprehensive end-to-end optical system models and performance budgets.  
• Experience defining and flowing requirements from system-level architectures to subsystem and component specifications. 
• Experience supporting development of advanced scientific, aerospace, defense, fusion, or directed-energy systems. 
• Demonstrated success scaling engineering teams in fast-paced, high-growth technical organizations.  

Xcimer Energy is proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer and is committed to attracting, retaining, and developing a highly qualified, diverse, and dedicated work force. Xcimer Energy hires and promotes people on the basis of their qualifications, performance, and abilities. We support the establishment and maintenance of a workplace that fosters trust, equality, and teamwork, in which all employees recognize and appreciate the diversity of individual team members. We provide all qualified applicants for employment and employees with equal opportunities for hire, promotion, and other terms and conditions of employment, regardless of their race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin/ethnicity, age, physical or mental disability, genetic factors, military/veteran status, or any other status or characteristic protected by federal, state, and/or local law. Xcimer Energy will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with applicable federal, state, and local laws. For more information on “EEO Is the Law,” please see here and here.

 

Xcimer offers a comprehensive benefits package designed to support employee health, well-being, and long-term success. Benefits include medical, dental, and vision coverage; basic and supplemental life insurance; short- and long-term disability; paid parental leave for employees at the time of birth or adoption; and a 401(k) with a company match of up to 6%. Eligible employees also receive equity, allowing them to share in the company’s long-term success.

Xcimer operates under a flexible Paid Time Off (ATO) approach. Rather than a fixed number of vacation days, employees are trusted to take the time they need to rest and recharge while meeting the expectations of their role and team. In addition, employees receive paid sick time, 13 company-paid holidays, and an annual paid company shutdown. Benefits are available to regular employees, including part-time and fixed-term roles, as well as interns, with eligibility varying by benefit.