Senior Optical Engineer Jobs

Explore Senior Optical Engineer opportunities with organizations developing advanced optical and photonic technologies. Ladders features vetted professional roles paying $100,000 or more, including positions focused on optical design, imaging systems, lasers, and precision instrumentation.

What Senior Optical Engineers Do

Senior Optical Engineers design, analyze, test, and refine optical systems and components. Their work may span lenses, cameras, sensors, lasers, fiber-optic systems, imaging instruments, and optoelectronic devices. They often use optical modeling and simulation tools, guide prototype development, interpret test results, and collaborate with electrical, mechanical, software, and manufacturing teams to bring products from concept to production.

Common Skills and Qualifications

Employers commonly seek a degree in optical engineering, physics, electrical engineering, or a related technical field, along with substantial experience developing optical systems. Relevant skills may include optical design and analysis, imaging and illumination, tolerance analysis, metrology, laboratory testing, laser safety, and familiarity with tools such as Zemax OpticStudio or CODE V. Senior roles may also call for technical leadership, clear communication, and experience mentoring engineers or coordinating cross-functional projects.

Industries and Career Opportunities

Senior Optical Engineers work across aerospace and defense, medical devices, semiconductors, telecommunications, consumer electronics, scientific instrumentation, and photonics. Depending on the employer, roles may emphasize research and development, product engineering, systems integration, manufacturing support, or technical program leadership. Browse opportunities to find positions aligned with your specialties, experience, and career goals.

Find Senior Optical Engineer Jobs on Ladders

Search vetted Senior Optical Engineer jobs paying $100,000 or more on Ladders. Review role requirements, compare opportunities, and discover professional positions where your optical engineering expertise can make an impact.

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$116K - $195K *

Shape targeted account-based marketing strategies and execute initiatives for strategic Enterprise accounts, driving collaboration across sales and marketing teams to achieve measurable business outco...

RemoteRemote

Reposted 4 days ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Enterprise Technology

$155K - $200K *

Engage as a Senior Backend Software Engineer, driving innovation in Go-based backend systems and contributing to the OpenTDF project, ensuring data security solutions for enterprise and federal client...

Washington, DCRemote

4 weeks ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Information Technology

$95K - $129K *

Advance your career by leveraging your expertise in solid rocket motor ballistics. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to perform detailed analyses, provide technical leadership, and drive innovat...

Huntsville, ALRemote

2 weeks ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Aerospace & Defense

$110K - $130K *

Partner with us to bridge technical solutions and customer needs in a dynamic, cross-functional role. Utilize your expertise to drive adoption of AI agents, influencing product roadmaps and enhancing...

United StatesRemote

Reposted 3 weeks ago

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Finance & Insurance

$130K - $160K *

Take ownership of complex projects and drive technical direction in a dynamic environment. You'll play a crucial role in enhancing product functionality and infrastructure to accelerate growth and imp...

United StatesRemote

3 weeks ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Enterprise Technology

$135K - $160K *

Unlock potential by driving innovative, AI-powered financial audit solutions. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to design agent-driven experiences and own complex onboarding workflows for major...

RemoteRemote

Reposted 3 weeks ago

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Enterprise Technology

$184K - $356K *

Transform the future of enterprise AI by architecting innovative multi-agent systems. Collaborate with industry leaders to deploy advanced workflows and optimize performance using NVIDIA's cutting-edg...

California, USRemote

Reposted 2 weeks ago

  •   8 - 10 years exp.  •   Manufacturing & Automotive

$177K - $257K *

Advance internal AI platforms, enabling efficient engineering workflows for scalable AI agents. Collaborate with teams to build and enhance tools that increase productivity and reduce toil across the...

Boulder, CORemote

Reposted today

  •   8 - 10 years exp.  •   Telecommunications & Hardware

$166K - $238K *

Transform high-volume DNS resolver systems as a key engineer, driving exceptional performance in mission-critical environments. Collaborate with teams to develop services on AWS and OpenStack, ensurin...

Boxborough, MARemote

Reposted 3 weeks ago

  •   8 - 10 years exp.  •   Telecommunications & Hardware

$170K - $250K *

Lead the charge in building high-throughput systems as you manage a team of engineers. Drive technical excellence and team growth while collaborating across functions to deliver innovative solutions i...

RemoteRemote

Today

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Finance & Insurance

$180K - $229K *

Join a team that's shaping the future of insurance technology by leading engineering efforts, collaborating with cross-functional teams, and driving strategic initiatives to enhance product effectiven...

United StatesRemote

4 days ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Enterprise Technology

$132K - $211K *

Unlock potential by serving as a key technical leader, bridging engineering and enterprise architecture to eliminate adoption friction and enhance cloud-native infrastructure and AI platform deploymen...

RemoteRemote

Reposted 2 weeks ago

  •   15+ years exp.  •   Manufacturing & Automotive

$100K - $185K *

Unlock business growth by leading technical scoping, managing client relations, and guiding consultants. This hybrid role integrates project management with hands-on consulting to ensure accurate prop...

United StatesRemote

Reposted 2 weeks ago

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Information Technology

$89K - $121K *

Transform data into actionable insights by developing scalable BI solutions. Collaborate with stakeholders to enhance reporting capabilities and support analytics initiatives using advanced tools and...

United StatesRemote

2 days ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Healthcare

$90K - $110K *

Advance your career by providing essential maintenance and support for cyclotrons and analytical equipment, ensuring optimal performance in a dynamic oncology environment. Collaborate on quality contr...

United StatesRemote

1 week ago

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Pharmaceuticals & Biotech

$162K - $194K *

Drive growth as a Senior Product Marketing Manager, shaping messaging and campaigns for Observability products. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to enhance customer engagement and retention thr...

United StatesRemote

Today

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Enterprise Technology

$209K - $273K *

Drive innovation by owning customer-facing products end to end, leading technical strategy, and shaping product direction. Collaborate across teams to build AI-native experiences that enhance user eng...

RemoteRemote

Today

  •   8 - 10 years exp.  •   Information Technology

$145K - $165K *

Drive your career by owning the end-to-end data platform, designing and maintaining scalable pipelines and infrastructure. Collaborate with analytics teams to ensure data quality and governance while...

United StatesRemote

2 days ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Healthcare

$159K - $235K *

Champion advanced detection engineering to enhance threat identification capabilities. Collaborate with Protective Services to develop and optimize detection systems, integrating diverse data sources...

United StatesRemote

2 weeks ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Retail & Consumer Goods

$125K - $150K *

Optimize integration capabilities within a dynamic software environment, leading the design and implementation of robust APIs and services while mentoring team members and enhancing project workflows...

CanadaRemote

Reposted 3 weeks ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Enterprise Technology

$89K - $148K *

Lead the design and development of scalable full-stack applications, mentoring junior engineers while integrating AI features. Collaborate with stakeholders to align engineering solutions with busines...

Flower Mound, TXRemote

Reposted yesterday

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Healthcare

$186K - $232K *

Drive customer success by integrating innovative technology solutions, enhancing operational efficiency, and establishing strategic partnerships. Collaborate with teams to deliver impactful presentati...

RemoteRemote

1 week ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Information Technology

$104K - $117K *

Engage with senior technical requisitions, ensuring quality outreach and swift hiring. Collaborate with executives, utilize AI tools, and uphold communication standards to attract top talent in a comp...

RemoteRemote

Today

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Finance & Insurance

$221K - $289K *

Join a dynamic team as a Principal Product Designer, leading innovative design initiatives for Jira. Drive user-centric experiences, mentor designers, and collaborate across teams to shape the future...

San Francisco, CARemote

3 weeks ago

  •   8 - 10 years exp.  •   Information Technology

$100K - $130K *

Empower our team by integrating cutting-edge industrial automation solutions. This hands-on role involves collaborating with clients to enhance manufacturing processes through effective PLC integratio...

United StatesRemote

1 week ago

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Staffing

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

  • What does a Senior Optical Engineer do?question toggle

    A Senior Optical Engineer designs, models, tests, and improves optical systems and components, such as lenses, imaging devices, lasers, sensors, and photonic systems. The role may also involve technical leadership and collaboration across engineering and product teams.

  • What qualifications are commonly required for Senior Optical Engineer jobs?question toggle

    Requirements vary by employer, but many positions seek a degree in optical engineering, physics, electrical engineering, or a related discipline, plus significant experience with optical design, analysis, testing, and measurement.

  • Which industries hire Senior Optical Engineers?question toggle

    Common employers are found in aerospace and defense, medical technology, semiconductors, telecommunications, consumer electronics, photonics, and scientific instrumentation.

  • What skills are useful for Senior Optical Engineers?question toggle

    Useful skills include optical modeling, lens and imaging design, tolerance analysis, metrology, laboratory testing, laser safety, and experience with optical design software. Senior positions may also require project leadership and cross-functional communication.

  • What salary range can I expect for a Senior Optical Engineer job on Ladders?question toggle

    Ladders focuses on vetted professional jobs paying $100,000 or more. Actual compensation depends on factors such as location, experience, industry, and role responsibilities; review individual listings for details.