Principal, Photonics Engineer

Who We Are:Aurelius 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.We'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.Our 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.In 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.The Role & Your Impact:We need a Principal Photonics Engineer who has actually built fiber laser sources and can own them as a domain.You'll own the laser source from fiber to beam — architecture, build, characterization, and field validation of the high-power fiber laser systems that put energy on target. You'll set the technical direction across the full optical chain (pump diodes, fiber combiners, gain fibers, beam delivery optics) and make it all survive real-world conditions. You'll mentor the photonics team, set the bar for how we build, and be the senior technical voice on laser source decisions inside the company.You'll splice fiber, align optics, troubleshoot thermal issues in the field, and watch your system destroy a drone. The feedback loop between your bench and the test range is days, not weeks.What You'll Own:Architecture and technical direction for high-power fiber laser systemsHands-on design and build across the full optical chainThermal management strategyBeam delivery and beam combining strategySelection and integration of pump diodes, gain fibers (Yb, Er, Tm), fiber Bragg gratings, and passive optical componentsHands-on prototyping, assembly, alignment, and field testing on our rangeLaser performance characterization including output power, beam quality (M²), spectral stability, and thermal behavior under operational conditionsOptical simulation and design (Zemax, MATLAB, COMSOL, RP Fiber Power, or equivalent)Design for manufacturability and ruggedization. Our systems must survive transport, vibration, and harsh field environmentsIntegration of laser systems with power electronics, perception, and control subsystemsSchematics, BOMs, test procedures, and documentation meeting MIL-STD and ITAR requirementsMentorship of the photonics team and setting the technical bar for how we build, test, and field laser sourcesWhat We're Looking For:10+ years building fiber laser systems or high-power fiber-based optical systemsSenior IC track record at fiber laser companies, directed energy programs, or photonics groups that actually shipped high-power fiber systemsDirect hands-on experience with fusion splicing, fiber preparation, and high-power fiber assemblyDeep understanding of fiber laser physics including stimulated emission, nonlinear effects (SBS, SRS), thermal lensing, and how they limit real systemsExperience selecting and integrating pump diodes, gain fibers, couplers, isolators, and fiber Bragg gratingsProficient with optical test equipment (power meters, beam profilers, OSAs, thermal cameras)Comfort with optical simulation tools (Zemax, MATLAB, RP Fiber Power, COMSOL, or equivalent)Track record taking laser source designs from prototype to validated, fielded systemWhere you probably come from: Senior IC at fiber laser companies that shipped, directed energy programs at primes or government labs, university laser groups that built high-power fiber systems and transitioned them out, or photonics startups where you owned the laser source end to end.We want to talk if: You've personally architected a high-power fiber laser system and watched it work in the field. You can splice fiber and set technical direction in the same week. You know the gap between a clean bench result and a system that survives a range day.Not a fit if: Your experience is primarily using commercial lasers as tools (laser machining, laser scanning, lidar integration), semiconductor laser fabrication in a cleanroom, or free-space solid-state laser design without fiber experience. We need people who build fiber laser sources, not people who plug them in.Nice-to-Haves:Experience with directed energy weapon systems or defense laser programsBackground in spectral or coherent beam combining for power scalingFamiliarity with MIL-STD standards and ITAR complianceExperience with ruggedized optical system deployment in harsh environmentsActive security clearance or ability to obtain oneExperience with laser safety protocols and high-power laser operationsEducation: BS, MS, or PhD in Optical Engineering, Photonics, Physics, Electrical Engineering, or related field.What you've built matters more than where you went to school.How You Operate:Extreme bias for action. You'd rather build a prototype tomorrow than model it for a monthRigorous testing mindset. You characterize your own systems before the field doesComfortable with ambiguity and fast, constantly iterating in a startup environmentYour brain only releases dopamine when you're buildingYou debug from first principles, not Stack OverflowClear communicator across mechanical, electrical, optical, and ML teamsSelf-directed. You identify what needs to happen next and do it without being toldWhy Join Aurelius Systems?Build more in 1 month than most engineers build in 1 year. We field test weekly. Your work goes downrange, not into a filing cabinet.Career 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.Work 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.Join 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.How We Work:Core hours are Monday–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. We go hard when the mission demands it, and we recover when it doesn't.Benefits:Competitive salary + equityUnited Health Care medical, dental, and vision coverageFlexible 18 days PTO + 5 sick daysTravel to field test events and range daysCovered daily lunches and office snacks + drinksE-bike / scooter stipend ( Up to $500)Direct access to leadership and real ownership over your workExport Control Notice:This 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).