Senior Optical Engineer

About the role

MicroVision is at the forefront of driving the global adoption of innovative perception solutions, with the goal of making mobility and autonomy safer. Our engineering excellence, based in Washington State, Washington D.C., Hamburg, Germany and Orlando, Florida, enables us to develop and supply integrated lidar hardware and perception software solutions. Our proprietary technologies enhance safety and automation across various industrial applications, including robotics, automated warehouses, and agriculture, and are instrumental in the development of autonomous systems. MicroVision's core technology, initially developed for the automotive industry, continues to accelerate advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving. Building on our history of providing technology to the military segment, our target offerings include semi- and fully autonomous airborne and terrestrial sensor systems. With our solid-state lidar technologies, encompassing FMCW and MEMS-based long-range lidar and flash-based short-range lidar, integrated with our onboard perception software, MicroVision possesses the expertise to deliver safe mobility at the speed of life. To strengthen our team at the Orlando location, we are looking for a Senior Optical Engineer. As a key member of MicroVision's Product Engineering team, you will contribute to the design, analysis, and validation of free-space optical systems for cost-optimized automotive LiDAR products, working closely with cross-functional engineering teams and mentored by senior optical staff. The Senior Optical Engineer contributes to the design, analysis, and testing of optical systems and components for MicroVision's LiDAR sensor products. This role requires a solid foundation in free-space optical design, working knowledge of electro-optical components, and the ability to translate optical performance requirements into well-specified, manufacturable designs. The ideal candidate brings hands-on experience with optical modeling tools, lab-based validation, test scripting, and is driven by a product-focused mindset that balances technical performance with real-world cost and manufacturability constraints.

Responsibilities

• Optical Design and Analysis
• Perform optical design and analysis of free-space optical systems using Zemax OpticStudio, including lens layout definition, system performance evaluation, trade studies, and design iteration
• Define and document optical component requirements and specifications, including lens prescriptions, surface form and finish, aperture and field requirements, and environmental performance expectations
• Work with optical suppliers to design, validate, and deliver optical components - including coatings, lenses, and filter elements - ensuring deliverables meet performance, tolerance, and cost requirements through specification review, design iteration, and first article validation
• Apply knowledge of optical manufacturing methods - including molded aspheres, precision glass elements, diffractive optics, and thin-film coatings - to inform design decisions and provide DFM feedback throughout the development cycle
• Contribute to cost-optimization strategies for optical designs, identifying opportunities to reduce component cost through lens architecture choices, material selection, manufacturing method tradeoffs, and specification rationalization
• Collaborate with manufacturing engineering to develop low cycle time optical alignment processes and stations, translating alignment tolerance budgets into practical production-ready procedures and fixtures
• Electro-Optical Component and Systems Knowledge
• Apply working knowledge of laser-based illumination sources, including VCSELs, VCSEL arrays, and fiber lasers, to support optical design and system-level performance analysis in LiDAR transmit path design
• Apply knowledge of photodetector and receiver technologies, including single-element and array detectors, avalanche photodiodes (APDs), and SPADs, to inform optical design decisions in LiDAR receive path development
• Support system-level performance analysis by connecting optical design parameters - including throughput, beam divergence, spot size, and collection efficiency - to electro-optical component performance requirements
• Collaborate with electrical and systems engineering teams to ensure optical designs are compatible with electro-optical component interfaces, mounting constraints, and thermal operating conditions
• Optical Testing, Validation, and Scripting
• Design and execute optical lab test setups for component and subsystem characterization, including far-field beam profiling, wavefront measurement, MTF evaluation, t

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