Director of Optical Engineering

Company: Avegant
Location: San Mateo
Posted on: June 18, 2022

Job Description:

At Avegant, we are a unique team. Heads-down when we need to be, we enjoy each other's company and play together as well as work together. Each member of our team contributes in their own way to our culture of openness, collaboration, and creativity.Avegant is seeking a Director of Optical Engineering to lead our optical engineering team in the continued development of our cutting-edge near eye display technology. The position will be best filled by a highly-motivated person with at least 8 years of experience in optical engineering, preferably in a design and production environment, or equivalent experience. This position will be responsible for directing the optical engineering team members in the development and evaluation of new optical technologies, architectures, components, and assembly concepts for near-eye display systems. This is a great opportunity to be a part of a revolutionary technology in a fast-growing field. This position will work closely with our mechanical engineering, optical and industrial design teams. This position reports to the Chief Technology Officer.Competitive salary based on experience, stock options, full medical, dental, vision benefits, 401k matching, unlimited PTO, office snacks, and team lunches.The role is an in-office role, at our office located in San Mateo, CA, within walking distance of Caltrain.Responsibilities:

• Manage team of optical engineers, including deployment of resources for customer engagements and manufacturing ramp-up
• Lead the design of novel imaging and illumination systems to support product development and manufacturing
• Develop plans and procedures for design and fabrication of components, and for assembly, testing, and integration of optical systems, balancing cost and manufacturability
• Work with optical component suppliers on custom or semi-custom component selection, specification, and qualification
• Direct the assembly, testing, and evaluation of prototypes - specifically optical characteristics, image quality (MTF), light polarization measurement, thermal characteristics
• Direct the testing of samples and analysis of results of testing and experiments
• Evaluate new test / process equipment and tools and make recommendations to management
• Maintain database of laboratory test results that can be accessed for comparison of data from various evaluation samples
• Document prototype assembly procedures that can be used for subsequent manufacturing process documentation
• Mentor optical engineersQualifications:
  • Interest in directing the optical engineering strategy for the company and leading a team tackling challenging problems, identifying, and discussing solutions supported by data
  • Experience managing a small team
  • Willingness to try new solutions and share challenges and roadblocks
  • A "how can I help" mindset
  • Curiosity, humility
  • Bachelor's Degree in optical engineering or similar
  • Master's degree or PhD, preferred, or a demonstrated understanding of Optical Physics and first principles-based approach to problem solving
  • 8+ years' work experience in optical design, including design of imaging systems, especially for image projection, preferably with near-eye displays
  • Experience with optical design software such as Code V, LightTools, and Zemax, including tolerance analysis and stray light modeling
  • Experience with the transfer of new designs and processes to manufacturing including knowledge of high volume optical manufacturing methods
  • Experience with optical system assembly methods and materials
  • Familiarity with the tools and techniques needed to characterize optical systems, including resolution, distortion, field curvature and colorimetry
  • Experience with Solidworks a plusAvegant is a well-funded, venture-backed technology company developing next-generation display technology to enable previously impossible augmented reality experiences. We are pioneering innovative hardware and software solutions that will forever change how we learn, play, work and interact with each other. We've won multiple awards, our team is best in class, and we're just getting started.Avegant is about the journey of innovation, together as a team. Interested in joining us? Send a pdf of your resume to jobs@avegant.com.

Keywords: Avegant, San Mateo , Director of Optical Engineering, Executive , San Mateo, California