Koch Industries

Principal Mechanical Engineer - Optical Solutions

Koch Industries$180K — $260K *
Consumer Technology
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Masters in Mechanical Engineering required
  • 10+ years in R&D focusing on optoelectronic package design
  • Experience with optical alignment to submicron tolerances
  • History of designing for high thermal power density
  • Proficient in mechanical design software with FEA capabilities
  • Strong knowledge of optical components and attachment methods
  • Experience in New Product Introduction processes

Responsibilities

  • Lead mechanical design of laser diode packages
  • Design and optimize optical subassemblies for alignment and stability
  • Develop package architectures with thermal and reliability considerations
  • Ensure compatibility with active alignment processes
  • Conduct thermal and mechanical design analysis using FEA
  • Design for hermetic sealing to meet leak rate targets
  • Drive design-for-manufacturability principles for scalable production

Benefits

  • Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans
  • Flexible spending and health savings accounts
  • Life insurance and disability coverage
  • Retirement savings plans
  • Paid vacation and time off
  • Educational assistance programs
  • Support for infertility, parental leave, and adoption assistance
Full Job Description
The Principal Mechanical Engineer will own mechanical designs of advanced optoelectronic packages (e.g., CPO, ELSFP). This role is responsible for all elements of mechanical design that relate to component design, manufacturability and long-term reliability. The position requires close collaboration with R&D and product design teams, manufacturing, suppliers, and customers to ensure laser components meet stringent optical, mechanical, and Telcordia reliability requirements.

What you will do:
  • Lead mechanical design and layout of laser diode packages and various subcomponents
  • Design and optimize optical subassemblies (laser, lens system, isolator/grating, fiber coupling) to achieve submicron alignment with high coupling efficiency and long-term stability
  • Develop package architectures integrating thermal electric coolers, submounts, hermetic housings, lids, getters, and fiber attach features
  • Ensure compatibility with active alignment processes, including fixture design, alignment tolerancing, and drift control during solder reflow or epoxy cure
  • Perform thermal and mechanical design analysis: FEA, thermal modeling and evaluate impact on wavelength shift
  • Design for high thermal power density and ensure adequate thermal margin
  • Design for hermetic sealing approaches meeting leak rate targets
  • Select and qualify materials and attachment methods
  • Partner with suppliers to evaluate component capability, process maturity, and long-term reliability risks
  • Drive design-for-manufacturability (DFM) to enable high-yield, scalable production


What You Will Have (Basic requirements):
  • Masters in Mechanical Engineering
  • At least 10+ years of industry R&D experience with mechanical design of fiber-coupled optoelectronic packages developed and transferred to manufacturing environments
  • Demonstrated experience with optical alignment of components to submicron tolerances, designing for high thermal power density
  • Proven ability to design for submicron stability over life
  • Mechanical design using Mech software package/s with finite element analysis (FEA)
  • Strong background in FEA modeling to calculate stress/design from CTE mismatch, optic misalignment, thermal limits, etc.)
  • Knowledgeable of various optical components (e.g., gratings, mirrors, lenses), stable attachment methods (e.g., epoxy and solder based)
  • Knowledgeable in component qualification methodologies
  • Experience with New Product Introduction (NPI) methodology: design, verification, qualification, release to manufacturing
  • Strong communication skills with suppliers, customers, and cross-functional internal teams


For this role, we anticipate paying $180,000 - $260,000 per year. This role is eligible for variable pay, issued as a monetary bonus or in another form.

Hiring Philosophy

All Koch companies value diversity of thought, perspectives, aptitudes, experiences, and backgrounds. We are Military Ready and Second Chance employers. Learn more about our hiring philosophy here .

Our Benefits

Our goal is for each employee, and their families, to live fulfilling and healthy lives. We provide essential resources and support to build and maintain physical, financial, and emotional strength - focusing on overall wellbeing so you can focus on what matters most. Our benefits plan includes - medical, dental, vision, flexible spending and health savings accounts, life insurance, ADD, disability, retirement, paid vacation/time off, educational assistance, and may also include infertility assistance, paid parental leave and adoption assistance. Specific eligibility criteria is set by the applicable Summary Plan Description, policy or guideline and benefits may vary by geographic region. If you have questions on what benefits apply to you, please speak to your recruiter.

Additionally, everyone has individual work and personal needs. We seek to enable the best work environment that helps you and the business work together to produce superior results.

About Koch Industries

Koch Industries, Inc. is an American privately-held multinational conglomerate corporation based in Wichita, Kansas. Its subsidiaries are involved in the manufacturing, refining, and distribution of petroleum, chemicals, energy, fiber, intermediates and polymers, minerals, fertilizers, pulp and paper, chemical technology equipment, ranching, finance, commodities trading, and investing. Koch owns Infor, Invista, Georgia-Pacific, Molex, Flint Hills Resources, Koch Pipeline, Koch Fertilizer, Koch Minerals, Matador Cattle Company, i360, and Guardian Industries. The firm employs 120,000 people in 60 countries, with about half of its business in the United States. The company is the largest non-Canadian landowner in the Athabasca oil sands. With annual revenues of $110 billion by 2014, the company is the largest privately held company in the United States. In 2007, it was ranked as the largest privately held company. If Koch Industries had been a public company in 2013, it would have ranked 17th in the Fortune 500. The company was founded by its namesake, Fred C. Koch, in 1940 after he developed an innovative crude oil refining process. Fred C. Koch died in 1967 and his majority interest in the company was split amongst his four sons. In June 1983, after a bitter legal and boardroom battle, the stakes of Frederick R. Koch and William "Bill" Koch were bought out for $1.1 billion and Charles Koch and David Koch became majority owners in the company. Charles owns 42% of the company; trusts for the benefit of Elaine Tettemer Marshall and Elaine's children, Preston Marshall and E. Pierce Marshall Jr., own 16% of the company. The heirs of David Koch, who died on August 23, 2019, own the balance, 42%, of the corporation.
Learn more about Koch Industries
Industry
Founded
1940

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