Staff Optical Engineer
South Park Commons is a venture capital firm and community for founders and technologists exploring what to build next. It operates member residencies and founder fellowships, provides community and programming, and invests $1 million to $10 million in ambitious early-stage companies.
About South Park Commons
South Park Commons supports founders, researchers, and technologists during the stage from pre-idea to early conviction. Its six-month Member Residency provides a talent-dense community, learning forums, workshops, events, collaboration, and social support at hubs in San Francisco, New York City, and Bengaluru. Its Founder Fellowship and venture fund provide capital and hands-on partner support, including initial investments of $1 million to $10 million, for founders building venture-scale companies. SPC invests across a broad portfolio of technology companies and supports founders through later stages.
Skills
About the Role
You will act as the technical lead developing infrared remote sensing instruments. You will be the definitive technical authority for a new optical subsystem, owning performance metrics while defining and driving hands-on assembly, integration, and test of critical optical and optomechanical subsystems. You will dive into everything from conceptual design and error budgeting to precision optical metrology and rigorous hardware execution in a fast-paced, small-team environment.
Requirements
- Ph.D. and 5+ years of experience developing imaging systems and infrared remote sensing instruments; or M.S. and 8+ years industry experience; or B.S. and 10+ years industry experience
- Expertise in optical design and analysis (Zemax, Code V, FRED) including STOP analysis, error budgets, and component specifications with vendors
- Extensive hands-on experience with precision optical metrology, advanced AI&T execution, root cause analysis, and test data reporting
- Software proficiency in one or more languages (e.g., Python, C++) for data analysis and automation
- Demonstrated technical leadership and project management skills
- Ability to obtain security clearance strongly preferred
Responsibilities
- Own the delivery of optical subsystems to the instrument program as the primary technical lead
- Own and manage comprehensive optical error budgets and performance metrics including image quality (MTF, WFE), stray light, and radiometric throughput from conceptual design through hardware build and test
- Collaborate with systems engineering to support cross-functional technical budgets including thermal constraints and line-of-sight pointing/jitter
- Define and drive the strategy for optical instrument assembly, integration, and test (AI&T) planning and implementation
- Support subsystem and instrument level functional, performance, and environmental testing including vibration, thermal-vacuum, and thermal stress
- Champion continuous improvement of testing methodologies, tools, and best practices
Benefits
- Equity compensation
- Medical insurance
- Dental insurance
- Vision insurance
- 401k retirement plan
- Short and long term disability insurance
- Life insurance
- Three weeks paid vacation
- 12 paid holidays
- Unlimited sick time
- Paid parental leave
