Principal Optical Design Lead

Unleash Your Potential!

The Leidos Innovations Center currently has an opening for a Principal Optical Design Lead. This is an exciting opportunity to develop disruptive optical technologies that could be integrated into future space systems – a business area in which Leidos is transforming the payloads solutions for the future.

If this sounds like an environment where you can thrive, keep reading!

As a Design Lead, you will directly support a rapidly growing sector within the Division by leading design, development, and demonstration of new optical technologies that could drastically reduce size, weight, power, and cost of compact satellite optical payloads, and potentially enhancing performance to enable new capabilities.

Your greatest work is ahead!

Responsibilities would initially be in working with current optical designers to understand the trades in optical payload design, leading investigation into new optics including diffractive optics, meta-optics, and gradient index lenses, and developing new insights and capabilities in integration of such technologies into future optical payload development. Additional responsibilities will likely include working on novel payload concepts through internal R&D (IRAD) effort, and may include the opportunity to serve as a supervisor.

Primary Responsibilities

• Leverage expertise in hybrid optics system design and new optics technologies to lead development of compact satellite optical payloads
• Lead teams focused on modeling and simulation, fabrication, assembly and characterization to rapidly evaluate, integrate, and deploy new optical and photonic technologies
• Leverage expertise in modeling tools to build capabilities in development of new EO/IR technologies for space payloads.
• Build and lead partnerships with internal Leidos teams and external partners to investigate and mature optics technologies, and develop a pipeline to transition them to production and integration
• Support development of optics technology roadmaps to justify strategic IRAD investments to secure future CRAD opportunities.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, physics, optics, or equivalent field with 12+ years of prior relevant experience or Master’s degree in technical domain mentioned with 10+ years of prior relevant experience or Doctorate in technical domain mentioned with 8+ years of prior relevant experience.
• Must be a U.S. Citizen
• Must have the ability to obtain and maintain a Secret security clearance.
• Experience working on inter-disciplinary teams working on challenging DoD problems.
• Experience in developing hybrid optical systems with novel optical components.
• Expertise in performance evaluations of optical components, including point spread functions (PSFs), modulation transfer functions (MTFs), encircled power, etc.
• Proficient experience with finite element-based design tools such as COMSOL, CST, or Lumerical.
• Proficient experience with optical design tools such as Zemax or CODE V.
• Proficient in Windows
• Excellent communication skills and proven ability to work directly with customers and deliver results
• Mission oriented with a strong ability guide a team towards goals and deliver real world products
• Proficient with technical writing, documentation, and organization
• Robust sense of initiative, a self-starter who can work independently

Preferred Qualifications

• Active Secret security clearance
• Experience in proposal development and business development
• Expertise in broader technical areas to include integrated photonics, quantum optics, nano-optics, and optical materials

LInC

Original Posting Date:

2024-09-20

While subject to change based on business needs, Leidos reasonably anticipates that this job requisition will remain open for at least 3 days with an anticipated close date of no earlier than 3 days after the original posting date as listed above.

Pay Range:

Pay Range $122,200.00 - $220,900.00

The Leidos pay range for this job level is a general guideline only and not a guarantee of compensation or salary. Additional factors considered in extending an offer include (but are not limited to) responsibilities of the job, education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities, as well as internal equity, alignment with market data, applicable bargaining agreement (if any), or other law.