Optics & Camera Engineering Lead

Optics & Camera Engineering LeadSpecter's mission is to help automate the physical world. Today, we build video sensors with state-of-the-art AI agents that answer any question, anywhere in their environments. Our systems can automatically detect and reason about any physical activity captured on camera, from security incidents (e.g. perimeter intrusion, theft, LPR), to safety monitoring (e.g. PPE detection, injured people), to operational efficiency (e.g. material tracking, congestion monitoring). We offer both long range wireless (1km range) and wired sensor variants to suit any deployment.Our co-founders Xerxes and Philip are passionate about empowering our partners in the fast approaching world of physical AI and robotics. We are a small, fast growing team who hail from Anduril, Tesla, Uber, and the U.S. Special Forces.Specter is hiring an Optics & Camera Engineering Lead to own camera performance across our product portfolio. This individual will own the imaging stack end to end: sensor and lens selection, optical requirements tied to CV/ML and customer outcomes, vendor and JDM programs, test campaigns and results analysis, and high volume production. This individual will collaborate with systems, software, CV/ML, electrical, mechanical, manufacturing, supply chain and test teams to deliver performant, scalable and validated camera + optical systems to the field.The role spans the full stack. One day you'll be benchmarking sensors and lenses for a new product. Next, you'll work with our CV/ML team to translate detection, recognition and LPR performance at range into pixel density, MTF and low-light targets, or review athermal lens designs, define a slant-edge MTF test across temperature, or analyze a wiper endurance run. You'll work with systems, software, electrical, mechanical, manufacturing and supply chain, and lead technical engagements with tier-one optics and sensor suppliers.Responsibilities:Select sensors and lensesConnect customer value to optical requirementsOwn optical and camera system designLead vendor and JDM programsBuild test capability and run campaignsScale to production and grow the teamQualifications:8+ years in optical, imaging or camera systems engineering, with multiple camera products shipped to volume production.Fluency across the stack, from how image quality affects CV/ML and the end user down to lens design, mechanics and test.Deep knowledge of image sensors, lens design and the trade-offs among resolution, FOV, F-number, MTF, aberrations, depth of focus and thermal stability.Hands-on optical simulation with Zemax OpticStudio, CODE V or similar.A track record specifying off-the-shelf and custom lenses with suppliers, with clear performance and cost trade-offs.Athermalization experience covering both mechanical design and optical performance across temperature (focus shift, MTF drift).Experience designing optical test equipment and running test campaigns, with rigorous data analysis behind decisions.Experience with NIR imaging and active illumination, as well as L/M/SWIR systems.Experience taking hardware through NPI with contract manufacturers or ODM/JDM partners.Clear communication of optical trade-offs to software, business and customer-facing teams.Nice to Have:Outdoor, automotive or security camera experience, including sealing, condensation, window cleaning and environmental qualification.Active alignment and high-volume camera module manufacturing.PTZ, zoom/focus optics, panoramic or multi-camera systems, and camera calibration for computer vision.EO/IR (thermal) imaging.GMSL/FPD-Link camera interfaces and ISP tuning.Laser illumination and eye-safety certification.Experience leading engineers and cross-functional technical programs.Tool Proficiency:Zemax OpticStudio, CODE V or equivalent optical design software.Imatest or equivalent image quality analysis tools.Python or MATLAB for test automation and data analysis.Familiarity with MCAD (SolidWorks) for opto-mechanical review.Computer vision fundamentals and tools (OpenCV or similar) for image analysis, calibration and evaluating model performance.Linux command line for sensor bring-up, data capture and scripting on embedded systems.Hardware reliability and test methods: environmental qualification, accelerated life testing, FMEA and failure analysis.