Optical Instrument IPT Lead

Title: Optical Instrument IPT Lead

Location: Littleton, Colorado; Sunnyvale, California

Clearance: Top Secret
Citizenship Requirement: Yes
Req #: 3298 (645224BR)

Salary: $153,200- $331,900

Ability to Work Remotely: Onsite Full-time: The work associated with this position will be performed onsite at a designated Craig Technologies facility.

 

Pay Rate:
The annual base salary range for this position in Colorado or Washington is $153,200 - $293,600. Please note that the salary information is a general guideline only. Craig Technologies considers factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate's work experience, education/ training, key skills as well as market and business considerations when extending an offer.

 

The annual base salary range for this position in California or New York City is $176,200 - $331,900. Please note that the salary information is a general guideline only. Craig Technologies considers factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate’s work experience, education/ training, key skills as well as market and business considerations when extending an offer.

 

We are looking for someone with a strong background in optical engineering and technical team leadership to lead an optical payload product team from program planning at ATP, into design reviews, through assembly and integration, through test, and to the hardware sell-off review for delivery. You’ll be the team’s expert on optical systems engineering, optical procurement, optical assembly, optical alignment, and/or optical test and you’ll work with the OPCOE experts to solve execution problems. This role requires systems engineering skills to be able to capture requirements capture and decompose them into the optical system requirements. The person in this role will lead a small, excellent team of dedicated engineers and coordinate with other IPT Leads, systems engineers, and program management.

You should have previous experience working in space programs which have fielded optical systems so that you are the expert and the mentor for the team. You will need broad skills in aerospace such as knowledge of focal plane arrays, electronics, manufacturing, contamination, structural engineering, and thermal analysis. You will need project engineering skills, an ability to work with a large technical team, and strong technical presentation skills.

As a Principal Optical Systems Engineer, you will:
• Lead a small optical engineering team of Certified Product Engineers (CPEs) as the Integrated Product Team Lead (IPT Lead) for the build and test of prototype or high TRL optical sensor hardware.
• Perform optical analysis to determine ability of designed optical systems to meet specifications
• Work with Systems Engineering to perform system level design and decomposition into optical system requirements
• Participate in studies and system trades for enhanced capabilities
• Lead development of materials for program technical reviews and present data throughout the product development and maturation processes to assure the customer that the optical payloads and optical components with specific characteristics are within specified requirements and will perform according to specifications
• Procure optical components to specification to meet performance goals of an optical system
• Lead development of build documents, hardware assembly, integration, test planning, and test execution of optical systems
• Report progress periodically to program leadership and external customers.
• Participate in failure investigations and anomaly resolution boards
• Work with Certified Principal Engineers (CPEs), Responsible System Engineers (RSEs), designers, and test engineers to ensure smooth integration at the system level
 

Basic Qualifications:
• Bachelor’s degree or higher in optical engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, physics, or a related field; or equivalent combination of education and experience
• Experience leading teams in design and fabrication of tactical or space-based optical systems and relevant performance parameters
• Experience with integration, test, characterization, and/or verification of optical systems
• Ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret clearance, thus requiring US Citizenship
 

Desired Skills:
• Active Top Secret clearance
• Demonstrated ability to lead a technical team through procurement, build, test, and sell-off of optical hardware for a space flight program.
• Experience in optical engineering including geometrical optics, instrumental optics, optical design, physical optics, radiometry, interferometry, and adaptive optics
• Experience deriving requirements and writing specifications for optical systems based on customer requirements
• Experience writing specification and statements of work and successful procurement of optical components for space flight programs
• Experience developing ground support equipment for alignment and aligning optical systems and performing radiometric performance validation measurements for space flight programs
• Demonstrated ability to perform environmental tests on optical system including vibration testing, thermal vacuum testing, and performance testing
• Experience in the development of verification plans and performance of verification allowing successful sell-off of optical hardware
• Experience working with other space vehicle subsystems to ensure requirements meet overall mission CONOPs
• Certified Principal Engineer (CPE) certification

 

Security Clearance Statement: This position requires a government security clearance, you must be a US Citizen for consideration.
Clearance Level: Top Secret

Other Important Information You Should Know
Expression of Interest: By applying to this job, you are expressing interest in this position and could be considered for other career opportunities where similar skills and requirements have been identified as a match. Should this match be identified you may be contacted for this and future openings.

 

Work Schedules: Craig Technologies supports a variety of alternate work schedules that provide additional flexibility to our employees. Schedules range from standard 40 hours over a five day work week while others may be condensed. These condensed schedules provide employees with additional time away from the office and are in addition to our Paid Time off benefits.
Schedule for this Position: 9x80 every other Friday off

 

Experience Level: Experienced Professional
Business Unit: SPACE
Relocation Available: Possible
Career Area: Electro-Optical Engineering

Type: Full-Time
Shift: First

 

***All candidates selected will be subject to a security background investigation and must meet all eligibility requirements for access to classified information. ***

Craig Technologies is an EEO Employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetics, or any other non-job-related protected status.  All candidates selected will be subject to a security background investigation and must meet all eligibility requirements for access to classified information.