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Electro-Optical Engineer

nLIGHT
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Longmont, CO, USA
Oct 07, 2026

Description

Location: Longmont, CO (onsite)
Experience: 3+ years of electro-optical experience
Minimum Education: Bachelor's Degree or equivalent in Engineering, Science or related field.
Compensation: $90,000-$129,000 depending on experience.   

Who We Are
nLIGHT-DEFENSE Systems, Inc. is one of the nation’s leading developers of Directed Energy systems, which is a top modernization priority of the Department of Defense.  Our High Energy Laser (HEL) systems, Adaptive Optical (AO) systems, and Acquisition / Pointing / Tracking (APT) solutions are designed to overcome the most difficult challenges facing the deployment of high energy laser solutions to the United States military and our allies.  Located in Longmont, Colorado, nLIGHT-DEFENSE Systems, Inc. is a vertically integrated business that leverages internal capabilities - from semiconductor device through target identification - to develop systems that are both high-performance and cost-effective.  We continue to invest in capabilities, facilities and technology to bring leading edge HEL solutions to the warfighter. This is a great opportunity to work at a company that is on the leading edge of the HEL industry and provides a culture of excellence and commitment to delivering solutions to the warfighter and our country.  

Headquartered in Camas, Washington, nLIGHT is a publicly listed company (NASDAQ: LASR).
Summary:
Electro-Optical (EO) Engineers at nLIGHT DEFENSE Systems, Inc. are the engine of execution.  We expect EO Engineers to not only problem-solve and align systems during a system integration but also to grow to coordinate execution of multi-disciplinary teams through GitLab-based planning tools.  EO Engineers at our company learn a range of multi-disciplinary tools and techniques from opto-mechanical design and integration methods to software integration to data analysis.  If you want a career progression opportunity from learning disciplined bench procedures, advancing to working as an integrated product team lead and ultimately a technical program manager and delivering complete EO systems to customers, then we are the right place for you.  Our work can be difficult at times, but it is always entertaining, rewarding, and challenging.

All applicants must possess or be qualified to obtain a U.S. DoD Personnel Security Clearance. Preference will be given to candidates with an existing U.S. DoD Personnel Security Clearance.  Further information on requirements to obtain a security clearance is available at: .  Please review this information before applying.
Responsibilities:
  • Design, Development, Integration, and Test for High Energy Laser (HEL) Weapon System and/or HEL Beam Control System (BCS). 
  • Responsibilities include hardware integration and test as well as data processing and preparation of performance and test documentation. 
  • Responsible for development of test setups to evaluate performance parameters. 
  • Work with team to execute complex integration activities. 
  • Support field tests.
Required Experience / Capability:
  • Commitment to Excellence.  Attention to Detail.  Pride in Workmanship.    
  • Ability to work in a dynamic environment and maintain composure and good working relationships under pressure.
  • Effectively manage schedule and priorities with minimal daily direction to meet mid to long-term schedule objectives.
  • Superior problem-solving ability and ability to absorb information from multiple sources to reach a solution.
  • Installation, alignment, and integration of optics, electro-optics, & mechanics (combination of COTS & custom mechanics & optics). Competence in maintaining cleanliness standards and operation in a clean room environment.
  • Expertise and competence in working with laser and electro-optical systems.
  • Exhibit strong troubleshooting skills to solve complex and constrained opto-mechanical alignment problems (particularly for ruggedized systems) and familiarity with implementation of electro-optical systems.
  • Technical Report Writing (i.e. good technical writing and documentation skills are critical).
  • Expertise and competence in working with high power laser systems.
  • Integration of auto-alignment algorithmsand methods. 
  • Integration for real-time control of electro-optical / mechanical components using LabVIEW, MATLAB, Firmware, and/or C/C++/C# (normally involving code re-use).
  • Experience with electro-optical systems including acquisition, pointing, and tracking.
  • Experience with MATLAB and/or C/C++/C# is beneficial.
  • Experience in Adaptive Optical (AO) Systems.
  • Experience in specification and evaluation of optical coating requirements, in particular for high power applications.
  • Experience with optical fiber splicing, polishing, repair/service, and fiber management.
Additional Desired Experience / Capability: 
  • Experience in rugged design for optical systems including kinematic, flexure mounting and optical and structural adhesive mounting.
  • Familiarity with implementation of electro-optical systems.
  • Experience in optical system alignment and test methods.
  • Experience in Opto-Mechanical Assembly, including receiving and inspecting components, dry-assembly, bonding.
  • Experience in thermal management systems.
  • STOP analysis (structural, thermal, optical performance).
  • Experience in vibration test and analysis and isolation methods, in particular jitter analysis for opto-mechanical systems.
  • Experience in finite element analysis (FEA) and modeling of vibration and thermal effects.
  • Static structure, fatigue, random vibration, and modal analysis.
  • Experience in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis.
  • Experience with MATLAB & LabVIEW.
  • Experience in Adaptive Optical (AO) Systems and/or High Energy Laser systems.
  • Exposure to MIL-STD-810 design and/or testing.
  • Experience with operation of machining, welding, or fabrication equipment.
Benefits Summary: 
  • 4 weeks of Paid Time Off per year 
  • 11 paid Holidays 
  • Employee Stock Purchase Plan 
  • Tuition Assistance Program 
  • Health (ACA Gold Plan), Vision and Dental Care paid by employer 100% for Employee and 75% for Dependents 
  • Paid Family Leave, Short and Long Term Disability paid by employer 100% 
  • Competitive 401k with company match and immediate vesting  
Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or age. For more information about our commitment to equal employment opportunity, please see this government poster: Know Your Rights: Workplace Discrimination is Illegal. If you are an individual with a disability and need a reasonable accommodation in the application or hiring process, please contact Human Resources at [email protected]. 

Job ID

oNGuAfwh

Security Clearance

Public Trust
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