Senior Optical Assembly & Alignment Engineer

Responsibilities

Build optical breadboards from released layouts, drawings, bills of materials, and instructions; verify optic identity, coating orientation, mount placement, and assembly references.
Install and align lenses, mirrors, beam splitters, polarization optics, and fiber-coupling assemblies to establish specified free-space beam paths, geometry, and subsystem interfaces.
Measure throughput, power, beam profile, polarization, and coupling efficiency; use wavefront sensors or interferometers when required by the approved subsystem verification procedure.
Diagnose beam clipping, optical loss, pointing drift, polarization errors, and mount-induced alignment changes; document the cause and perform only approved adjustment or rework.
Establish pre-bond alignment and fixturing with Optical Bonding Technicians; compare alignment and optical measurements after curing before accepting the assembly.
Inspect and clean optical surfaces using approved methods; protect sensitive coatings and maintain clean-handling and laser-safety practices through build, test, storage, and delivery.
Combine optical-board assemblies into the assigned subsystem and execute approved verification steps; subsystem optical tests remain separate from later testing with atoms.
Record component identifiers, revisions, alignment references, instrument identity, raw measurements, and completed steps in the subsystem traveler and release package.
Capture first-of-a-kind alignment methods alongside Engineering; propose repeatable sequences, fixtures, and access improvements using measured rework and repeatability data.
Deliver verified assemblies and alignment records to System Integration & Test; diagnose subsystem issues identified during integration while preserving the approved configuration.

Experience & Education

BS in optics, optical engineering, physics, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, or a related discipline; advanced degree preferred.
7+ years of hands-on optical assembly, free-space alignment, fiber coupling, and characterization of precision laser or photonics hardware.
Experience building from controlled optical layouts and recording repeatable measurements for subsystem acceptance.
Experience with neutral-atom quantum-computer optics, atomic, molecular, and optical (AMO) laboratory systems, or precision scientific instrumentation preferred.