Laser Engineer
Job Location:
Job Location:
San Francisco, CA - USA
Yearly Salary:
$ 130000 - 170000
Yearly Salary:
Posted on:
4 days ago
Posted on:
Vacancies:
1 Vacancy
Vacancies:
Department:
Job Summary
Citizens and permanent residents only - we do not sponsor and cannot hire non-citizens or PRs. We work 6 days a week in the office in downtown San Francisco with one Saturday off per month no remote available.
What is Aurelius Systems
Aurelius Systems is a directed energy company developing edge-deployed laser systems for cUAS applications
We shoot down drones with laser guns
Why
The US and our allies have prepared for a world where we will be fighting increasingly large and sophisticated systems (Planes Aircraft carriers etc) but this world never came. The future of warfare will involve large numbers of small-scale and mass-manufacturable drones and we arent prepared to defend our country from these threats abroad or domestically. Aurelius Systems has set out to address this problem by equipping the US and our allies with the systems they need to fight current and future conflicts in a scalable and cost-effective manner.
Role Overview:
We are seeking an experienced Senior Laser Systems Engineer to architect develop and validate beamdelivery and targeting subsystems for our nextgeneration defense laser platforms. You will lead endtoend beamtrain design automated aiming and materialstesting efforts across pulsed and CW regimes progressing from lab prototype to fielddeployed hardware.
Key Duties and Responsibilities
- BeamTrain Architecture & Assembly: Design and assemble the endtoend optical pathincluding coatings mirrors fiber/optics interfaces and alignment fixturesto meet power and beamquality specifications.
- Automated Aiming & Targeting: Develop and integrate laseraiming subsystems combining optomechanics and controlsystem hooks for precision tracking and dwell control.
- Ablation & DamageThreshold Testing: Plan and execute material ablation experiments characterize damage thresholds and iterate on optical and mechanical designs to optimize performance and durability.
- Laser Trade Studies: Conduct comparative analyses of various laser operation leading wavelengthselection campaigns considering efficacy safety and supplychain constraints.
- CrossFunctional Collaboration: Partner with controls mechanical and sensor teams to synchronize beam outputs with targeting data and ensure systemlevel integration.
- Prototype Iteration & Field Trials: Drive rapid benchprototype builds through rangetesting cycles (dryruns live engagements) capturing performance data to refine optical and mechanical designs.
- Documentation & Reporting: Produce comprehensive technical reports optical alignment procedures and testplan documentation; present findings to stakeholders and update design specifications accordingly.
Qualifications:
- Hyper Engineer - your brain only releases dopamine when youre building
- 47 years in highpower or directedenergy laser development opticaltrain engineering or related fields
- Must be able to obtain a security clearance
Technical Skills:
- Deep expertise in optical design software (Zemax Code V) and CAD tools (SolidWorks Creo).
- Handson experience with highpower coatings mirror mounts and fiberoptic interfaces.
- Proven track record of ablation testing and damagethreshold characterization.
- Familiarity with both pulsed and CW laser architectures wavelength tradeoffs and safety standards.
Education:
- BS/MS in Optical Engineering Physics Electrical Engineering or related discipline.
Soft Skills:
- Strong analytical mindset collaborative communication and problemsolving under experimental constraints.
Nice-to-Haves:
- Fielddeployed laser systems experience (DoD or industrial optics).
- Background in optical fiber handling and splice qualification.
- Experience with environmental qualification testing (vibration thermal shock).
- Familiarity with laser safety (ANSI Z136) and ITAR regulations.
Why Join Aurelius Systems
- Drive innovation in cutting-edge directed energy defense technology.
- Contribute directly to national security with robust and scalable hardware solutions.
- Build more in 12 months than most engineers do in 5 yearswe field test monthly on our own 400 acre range executing against a $151B MDA SHIELD IDIQ contract.
- Grow fast: engineers here typically get promoted 1-2x per year. Erick Brito went from Founding Robotics Engineer to Lead in 12 months.
- Work alongside a founding team from to build what directed energy should have been.
We work 6 days (yes well relocate you) a week because thats what it takes to ship real hardware to real operators. If you want balance we respect that. If you want to buildkeep reading.
Required Experience:
IC
