{"schemaVersion":"jobsearcher.job.v1","id":"73bf272cc6cf1b38db89e8e5","url":"https://jobsearcher.com/jobs/73bf272cc6cf1b38db89e8e5","canonicalUrl":"https://jobsearcher.com/jobs/73bf272cc6cf1b38db89e8e5","title":"Sr. Optomechanical Engineer, R&D","description":"Who We Are:\nAurelius Systems is a VC backed defense tech startup building autonomous, edge deployed directed energy systems for counter-UAS. We build laser weapons to shoot down drones.\nWe're a small team of engineers, former US military operators, and subject matter experts scaling America's directed energy dominance. The first cost effective, reliable and robust laser weapon system.\nOur namesake isn't an accident. Marcus Aurelius wrote about doing the work in front of you, every day, without excuses. Henry Ford didn't wait for permission to reinvent manufacturing. That's how we operate — small team, unreasonable output, no hiding behind the unachievable.\nIn addition to our San Francisco lab, we’ve opened a Detroit manufacturing hub and we field test weekly on our own 400-acre private range.\nThe Role & Your Impact:\nYou'll own the beam train end-to-end, from simulation to field demo.\nYou take Zemax models and turn them into hardware that works downrange. You run aberration analysis on long path, large aperture, broad frequency systems. You spec the optics, design the opto-mechanical assemblies, build ruggedized hardware, and align and characterize integrated systems on the bench and in the field.\nYou'll work directly alongside our laser engineer on source-side trades, our mechanical team on integration, and our electrical team on system-level packaging. The laser engineer owns the source. You own everything between the source and the target.\nThis is a senior role. We want someone who can walk into a design review and tell us about optical strategies we haven't already considered.\nWhat You'll Own:\nLead beam train optical design end-to-end\nOwn aberration mitigation on long path, large aperture, broad frequency systems\nSpec and qualify optical components (lenses, mirrors, coatings, windows) for high power laser operation\nDesign ruggedized opto-mechanical mounts, housings, and assemblies for field-deployed environments\nRun opto-mechanical tolerance analysis and validate designs through structural and thermal modeling\nLead optical alignment, characterization, and beam quality measurement on integrated systems\nSupport field testing end-to-end: setup, alignment, data collection, post-test analysis, failure writeups\nWork directly with fabricators and vendors on DFM, tolerancing, and production readiness\nGenerate optical system documentation, drawings, and BOMs meeting MIL-STD and ITAR requirements\nWhat We're Looking For:\n5+ years (or PhD + 3 years) in opto mechanical design with shipped hardware\nOptical system design in Zemax OpticStudio\nAberration mitigation experience on long path, large aperture, broad frequency systems\nIndustrial laser tooling background\nHands-on optical alignment and characterization experience\nMechanical design experience in CAD (SolidWorks preferred) for opto-mechanical mounts, housings, and assemblies\nUnderstanding of thermal and structural effects on optical performance\nFamiliarity with high-power laser optics and their damage thresholds, coating selection, thermal lensing\nComfortable working across mechanical, electrical, and laser teams to integrate optical subsystems\nNot a fit if: Your experience is entirely theoretical or software-based with no hands-on optical bench or hardware integration work.\nWe want to talk if you've designed a beam train, taken it from simulation to a working system, and put your hands on the alignment yourself.\nEducation:\nBS or MS in Optical Engineering, Physics, Mechanical Engineering, or related field.\nWhat you've built matters more than where you went to school.\nHow You Operate:\nExtreme bias for action. You'd rather build a prototype tomorrow than model it for a month\nRigorous testing mindset. You characterize your own systems before the field does\nComfortable with ambiguity and fast, constantly iterating in a startup environment\nYour brain only releases dopamine when you're building\nYou debug from first principles, not Stack Overflow\nClear communicator across mechanical, electrical, optical, and software teams\nSelf-directed. You identify what needs to happen next and do it without being told\nWhy Join Aurelius Systems?\nBuild more in 1 month than most engineers build in 1 year. We field test weekly. Your work goes downrange, not into a filing cabinet.\nCareer velocity is real. Erick Brito went from Founding Robotics Engineer to Lead in 12 months. At ~10 engineers, there are no layers between you and impact… or between you and your next title.\nWork on a problem that actually matters. Small, cheap drones are changing warfare. Our laser systems are the asymmetric answer. Think infinite magazine, cost-per-shot near zero, scalable to every base, border, facility, truck and infrastructure.\nJoin the densest defense startup ecosystem in the country. California is where the next generation of defense companies are being built. You'll be in the room with the people reshaping how America builds weapons.\nHow we work: Core hours are Monday through Friday, 9 to 6. When we're sprinting toward a demo or field test, the team ramps up — nights, weekends, whatever it takes to ship. When the sprint lands, we ramp down. We don't manufacture intensity for show.\nBenefits:\nCompetitive salary + equity\nUnited Health Care medical, dental, and vision coverage\nFlexible 18 days PTO + 5 sick days\nTravel to field test events and range days\nCovered daily lunches and office snacks + drinks\nE-bike / scooter stipend ( Up to $500)\nDirect access to leadership and real ownership over your work\nExport Control Notice:\nThis role requires access to export-controlled information or items that require \"U.S. Person\" status. As defined by U.S. law, individuals who are any one of the following are considered to be a \"U.S. Person\": (1) U.S. citizens, (2) legal permanent residents (a.k.a. green card holders), and (3) certain protected classes of asylees and refugees, as defined in 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3).\nCompensation Range: $150K - $200K","company":"Aurelius Systems","rawCompany":"aurelius systems","city":"Millbrae","state":"CA","isRemote":false,"isActive":false,"createdAt":"2026-08-06T13:14:53.363Z","occupations":[{"code":"17-2199.07","title":"Photonics Engineers","slug":"photonics-engineers"},{"code":"17-2199.00","title":"Engineers, All Other","slug":"engineers-all-other"},{"code":"17-2199.06","title":"Microsystems Engineers","slug":"microsystems-engineers"}],"industries":[{"code":"334511","title":"Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing","slug":"search-detection-navigation-guidance-aeronautical-and-nautical-system-and-instrument-manufacturing"},{"code":"541715","title":"Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology)","slug":"research-and-development-in-the-physical-engineering-and-life-sciences-except-nanotechnology-and-biotechnology"},{"code":"334519","title":"Other Measuring and Controlling Device Manufacturing","slug":"other-measuring-and-controlling-device-manufacturing"}],"jobPosting":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"JobPosting","title":"Sr. Optomechanical Engineer, R&D","description":"Who We Are:\nAurelius Systems is a VC backed defense tech startup building autonomous, edge deployed directed energy systems for counter-UAS. We build laser weapons to shoot down drones.\nWe're a small team of engineers, former US military operators, and subject matter experts scaling America's directed energy dominance. The first cost effective, reliable and robust laser weapon system.\nOur namesake isn't an accident. Marcus Aurelius wrote about doing the work in front of you, every day, without excuses. Henry Ford didn't wait for permission to reinvent manufacturing. That's how we operate — small team, unreasonable output, no hiding behind the unachievable.\nIn addition to our San Francisco lab, we’ve opened a Detroit manufacturing hub and we field test weekly on our own 400-acre private range.\nThe Role & Your Impact:\nYou'll own the beam train end-to-end, from simulation to field demo.\nYou take Zemax models and turn them into hardware that works downrange. You run aberration analysis on long path, large aperture, broad frequency systems. You spec the optics, design the opto-mechanical assemblies, build ruggedized hardware, and align and characterize integrated systems on the bench and in the field.\nYou'll work directly alongside our laser engineer on source-side trades, our mechanical team on integration, and our electrical team on system-level packaging. The laser engineer owns the source. You own everything between the source and the target.\nThis is a senior role. We want someone who can walk into a design review and tell us about optical strategies we haven't already considered.\nWhat You'll Own:\nLead beam train optical design end-to-end\nOwn aberration mitigation on long path, large aperture, broad frequency systems\nSpec and qualify optical components (lenses, mirrors, coatings, windows) for high power laser operation\nDesign ruggedized opto-mechanical mounts, housings, and assemblies for field-deployed environments\nRun opto-mechanical tolerance analysis and validate designs through structural and thermal modeling\nLead optical alignment, characterization, and beam quality measurement on integrated systems\nSupport field testing end-to-end: setup, alignment, data collection, post-test analysis, failure writeups\nWork directly with fabricators and vendors on DFM, tolerancing, and production readiness\nGenerate optical system documentation, drawings, and BOMs meeting MIL-STD and ITAR requirements\nWhat We're Looking For:\n5+ years (or PhD + 3 years) in opto mechanical design with shipped hardware\nOptical system design in Zemax OpticStudio\nAberration mitigation experience on long path, large aperture, broad frequency systems\nIndustrial laser tooling background\nHands-on optical alignment and characterization experience\nMechanical design experience in CAD (SolidWorks preferred) for opto-mechanical mounts, housings, and assemblies\nUnderstanding of thermal and structural effects on optical performance\nFamiliarity with high-power laser optics and their damage thresholds, coating selection, thermal lensing\nComfortable working across mechanical, electrical, and laser teams to integrate optical subsystems\nNot a fit if: Your experience is entirely theoretical or software-based with no hands-on optical bench or hardware integration work.\nWe want to talk if you've designed a beam train, taken it from simulation to a working system, and put your hands on the alignment yourself.\nEducation:\nBS or MS in Optical Engineering, Physics, Mechanical Engineering, or related field.\nWhat you've built matters more than where you went to school.\nHow You Operate:\nExtreme bias for action. You'd rather build a prototype tomorrow than model it for a month\nRigorous testing mindset. You characterize your own systems before the field does\nComfortable with ambiguity and fast, constantly iterating in a startup environment\nYour brain only releases dopamine when you're building\nYou debug from first principles, not Stack Overflow\nClear communicator across mechanical, electrical, optical, and software teams\nSelf-directed. You identify what needs to happen next and do it without being told\nWhy Join Aurelius Systems?\nBuild more in 1 month than most engineers build in 1 year. We field test weekly. Your work goes downrange, not into a filing cabinet.\nCareer velocity is real. Erick Brito went from Founding Robotics Engineer to Lead in 12 months. At ~10 engineers, there are no layers between you and impact… or between you and your next title.\nWork on a problem that actually matters. Small, cheap drones are changing warfare. Our laser systems are the asymmetric answer. Think infinite magazine, cost-per-shot near zero, scalable to every base, border, facility, truck and infrastructure.\nJoin the densest defense startup ecosystem in the country. California is where the next generation of defense companies are being built. You'll be in the room with the people reshaping how America builds weapons.\nHow we work: Core hours are Monday through Friday, 9 to 6. When we're sprinting toward a demo or field test, the team ramps up — nights, weekends, whatever it takes to ship. When the sprint lands, we ramp down. We don't manufacture intensity for show.\nBenefits:\nCompetitive salary + equity\nUnited Health Care medical, dental, and vision coverage\nFlexible 18 days PTO + 5 sick days\nTravel to field test events and range days\nCovered daily lunches and office snacks + drinks\nE-bike / scooter stipend ( Up to $500)\nDirect access to leadership and real ownership over your work\nExport Control Notice:\nThis role requires access to export-controlled information or items that require \"U.S. Person\" status. As defined by U.S. law, individuals who are any one of the following are considered to be a \"U.S. Person\": (1) U.S. citizens, (2) legal permanent residents (a.k.a. green card holders), and (3) certain protected classes of asylees and refugees, as defined in 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3).\nCompensation Range: $150K - $200K","datePosted":"2026-08-06T13:14:53.363Z","dateModified":"2026-08-06T13:14:53.363Z","hiringOrganization":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Aurelius Systems","sameAs":"https://jobsearcher.com"},"jobLocation":{"@type":"Place","address":{"@type":"PostalAddress","addressLocality":"Millbrae","addressRegion":"CA","addressCountry":"US"}},"identifier":{"@type":"PropertyValue","name":"JobSearcher","value":"73bf272cc6cf1b38db89e8e5"},"url":"https://jobsearcher.com/jobs/73bf272cc6cf1b38db89e8e5"}}