Staff Optical Design Engineer
NeurophosJob Title
Staff Optical Design Engineer
Role Summary
The Staff Optical Design Engineer will own the optical architecture and performance of the free-space optical path used in an optical processing unit (OPU). You will design and simulate optical systems from concept through production, and work closely with optomechanical, photonics, electrical, and systems engineering teams.
Onsite role in Austin, TX. Reports to the VP of Optics.
Experience Level
Senior-level. The role expects 5+ years of industry experience in optical design and bringing advanced optical systems to market.
Responsibilities
Accountable for optical system performance, simulation, and integration across development stages.
- Architect, design, and optimize complex free-space optical systems and components.
- Perform tolerance analysis, sensitivity studies, and stray/ghost light simulations using Zemax, LightTools, or similar tools.
- Lead optical performance trade studies and represent optical design in system reviews and requirement documents.
- Work with optomechanical, photonics, electrical, and systems teams to ensure manufacturability and system-level integration.
- Collaborate with external suppliers on technical specifications and design-for-manufacturing (DFM).
- Support lab activities for alignment, debugging, characterization, and verification of optical assemblies.
- Communicate technical status and risks to engineering peers and executives.
Requirements
Core technical skills and demonstrated track record required; preferred skills listed separately.
- Must-have: Minimum 5 years industry experience as an optical design engineer delivering advanced optical systems from concept to market.
- Must-have: Deep expertise in imaging optical system design and beam shaping; strong understanding of aberration theory, tolerancing, and stray/ghost analysis.
- Must-have: Proficiency with optical design and simulation tools (Zemax, LightTools, sequential and non-sequential ray tracing).
- Must-have: Programming skills for automation and analysis (Python, Zemax macro language, or equivalent).
- Must-have: Experience supporting laboratory alignment, metrology, and characterization of optical systems.
- Must-have: Strong written and verbal communication skills for technical and executive audiences.
- Nice-to-have: Experience in fast-moving startup environments.
- Nice-to-have: Experience designing freeform optical systems.
- Nice-to-have: Advanced knowledge of optical metrology, alignment, and assembly processes.
Education Requirements
Master's or Ph.D. in Optical Science, Optical Engineering, Physics, or a closely related technical field.
About the Company
Company: Neurophos
Headquarters: Sunnyvale, California, United States
Startup developing silicon-photonic AI accelerator chips that use programmable metasurfaces and dense optical cells to perform matrix multiplications at the speed of light, targeting large-scale AI inference with much higher energy efficiency and performance than traditional electronic approaches.
