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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$84K - $87K *

Join us as a Data Operations Engineer, where you'll develop and manage data systems for healthcare claims processing. Collaborate with teams to ensure data accuracy and optimize ETL/ELT pipelines whil...

United StatesRemote

Reposted 2 weeks ago

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Healthcare

$144K - $288K *

Lead the design, implementation, and maintenance of cloud infrastructure, ensuring security and scalability while collaborating with cross-functional teams to support healthcare applications and syste...

Woonsocket, RIRemote

Reposted 2 weeks ago

  •   8 - 10 years exp.  •   Pharmaceuticals & Biotech

$139K - $285K *

Drive the analytics engineering team to create AI-ready data solutions, ensuring trusted access to data across the organization. Lead strategic initiatives, build self-service capabilities, and foster...

United StatesRemote

1 week ago

  •   11 - 15 years exp.  •   Information Technology

$125K - $172K *

Shape the future of digital experiences by leading creative direction for marketing campaigns and branding initiatives. Collaborate across teams to deliver innovative, high-quality assets that resonat...

CanadaRemote

3 weeks ago

  •   8 - 10 years exp.  •   Enterprise Technology

$114K - $205K *

Create innovative marketing campaigns by leading a dynamic team of designers. Drive the creative vision across multiple platforms, ensuring high-quality visuals that align with brand strategy and maxi...

RemoteRemote

Reposted 3 weeks ago

  •   8 - 10 years exp.  •   Enterprise Technology

$130K - $155K *

Engineer innovative mechanical solutions by translating architectural concepts into practical designs. Collaborate across engineering disciplines while leading HVAC standards and ensuring effective ex...

Fort Worth, TXRemote

Reposted 1 week ago

  •   11 - 15 years exp.  •   Information Technology

$140K - $170K *

Advance your career by leading a dynamic team in developing secure access solutions. Drive technical direction, manage project delivery, and mentor engineers while balancing customer reliability with...

United StatesRemote

1 week ago

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Enterprise Technology

$126K - $162K *

Lead the charge in advanced ICT design for mission-critical data centers. Collaborate with stakeholders to oversee complex projects, manage resources, and drive innovation through technology adoption...

United StatesRemote

Reposted 4 weeks ago

  •   8 - 10 years exp.  •   Technical Services

$110K - $172K *

Unlock potential by leading the design and deployment of a global Quality Management System, ensuring compliance and operational excellence across multiple aerospace sites while fostering collaboratio...

United StatesRemote

2 weeks ago

  •   8 - 10 years exp.  •   Manufacturing & Automotive

$172K - $237K *

Lead the charge in defining and governing technology solutions that align business objectives with enterprise architecture standards, ensuring scalable and secure implementations across applications...

United StatesRemote

2 weeks ago

  •   8 - 10 years exp.  •   Healthcare

$80K - $95K *

Transform eDiscovery management by driving operational excellence, ensuring timely project delivery, and enhancing workflow efficiency. Collaborate with stakeholders to uphold quality standards and fo...

United StatesRemote

1 week ago

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Legal & Accounting

$82K *

Explore a dynamic role driving growth in the U.S. Eye Care Professional channel. Leverage your B2B sales expertise to cultivate relationships, implement strategic plans, and exceed sales targets while...

RemoteRemote

5 days ago

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Healthcare

$184K - $356K *

Transform the energy sector by architecting AI infrastructure solutions. Collaborate with customers to optimize accelerated computing platforms, driving innovation in AI workloads from data centers to...

Texas, USRemote

2 days ago

  •   8 - 10 years exp.  •   Manufacturing & Automotive

$92K - $154K *

Drive your career by developing integrated power conversion solutions for diverse industries. Leverage your technical expertise to create innovative applications and enhance business opportunities in...

RemoteRemote

Reposted 2 weeks ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Business Services

$140K - $180K *

Elevate your career by leading strategic customer engagements in the Naval Aviation sector. Drive business growth and operational excellence while collaborating with cross-functional teams to meet cus...

Torrance, CARemote

Today

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Manufacturing & Automotive

$130K - $160K *

Lead engineering efforts by writing production code and mentoring a team. Drive modernization initiatives through Java microservices while managing performance and growth of engineers. Collaborate wit...

United StatesRemote

Today

  •   8 - 10 years exp.  •   Enterprise Technology

$95K - $115K *

Join us to lead complex safety projects, collaborate globally, and implement pharmacovigilance practices, ensuring product safety and efficacy while working independently and managing day-to-day CEC/D...

North Carolina, USRemote

4 days ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Pharmaceuticals & Biotech

$162K - $258K *

Drive the design and implementation of cutting-edge GenAI solutions, leading the development of LLM capabilities and ML pipelines to enhance insurance workflows and deliver impactful outcomes for cust...

United StatesRemote

Yesterday

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Enterprise Technology

$110K - $135K *

Elevate your career by leading large-scale Healthcare IT programs, partnering with C-suite stakeholders to ensure delivery excellence and strategic oversight. Drive financial performance and mentor te...

CanadaRemote

1 week ago

  •   8 - 10 years exp.  •   Healthcare

$175K - $200K *

Optimize our data infrastructure platform by enhancing automation, observability, and stability. Drive architectural changes to support long-term service requirements while ensuring high throughput an...

United StatesRemote

3 days ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Enterprise Technology

$179K - $232K *

Drive AI-assisted workflows to transform design into production code, collaborating with cross-functional teams to enhance Thumbprint’s design system and tooling. Contribute to a greenfield project th...

United StatesRemote

4 weeks ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Business Services

$160K - $500K+*

Empower innovation by leading subsystem silicon design, from architecture to production. Drive deliverables, collaborate across teams, and ensure excellence in performance, power, and area for groundb...

RemoteRemote

4 weeks ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Enterprise Technology

$100K - $145K *

Join a dynamic team to ensure seamless network connectivity for dock deployments. Collaborate with IT teams, troubleshoot connectivity issues, and enhance customer confidence through effective communi...

United StatesRemote

Today

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Consumer Technology

$170K - $210K *

Shape the future of data engineering by owning our core infrastructure and driving the technical direction of data platforms. Collaborate across teams to ensure best practices in data modeling, pipeli...

United StatesRemote

3 weeks ago

  •   8 - 10 years exp.  •   Healthcare

$118K - $180K *

Join a team that's modernizing nuclear power plants with cutting-edge control technologies. Lead and support diverse projects, ensuring effective execution and client satisfaction while collaborating...

United StatesRemote

1 week ago

  •   8 - 10 years exp.  •   Technical Services

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.