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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Senior Quality Engineer, New Product Introduction
$89K - $148K *
Drive quality excellence in new product introductions, ensuring compliance and efficiency through risk management, validation, and cross-functional collaboration in a regulated environment...
1 week ago
Senior Hardware Compliance Engineer
$120K - $145K *
Unlock potential by leading global EMC and wireless certification efforts, ensuring compliance with safety standards and regulations. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to drive product certifica...
2 weeks ago
$90K - $110K *
Transform manufacturing processes by developing high-quality methods for diverse products, overseeing transitions from engineering to production, and enhancing efficiency through innovative solutions...
2 weeks ago
Senior Design Verification Engineer
$148K - $165K *
Accelerate progress at the forefront of design verification for cutting-edge silicon. Collaborate cross-functionally to deliver essential verification strategies and robust solutions for high-performa...
3 weeks ago
$110K - $130K *
Transform product development through customer engagement, leading cross-functional teams and technical initiatives. Drive innovation and enhance reliability by managing the full lifecycle of complex...
Reposted 2 weeks ago
$95K - $115K *
Drive product development by collaborating with customers and R&D teams, managing full lifecycle activities from requirements to deployment while ensuring technical excellence and customer satisfactio...
Reposted 2 weeks ago
$130K - $147K *
Join a dynamic team as an Engineering Manager, leading innovative projects that enhance product development, streamline processes, and drive efficiency. Leverage your expertise to resolve challenges a...
Reposted 3 weeks ago
$101K - $169K *
Unlock innovative designs as a Principal Electrical Engineer leading technical teams in developing complex electro-mechanical systems, collaborating across disciplines to enhance product performance a...
Reposted 3 weeks ago
$101K - $169K *
Join a team that's redefining innovation in electro-mechanical systems. Utilize your engineering expertise to lead design, testing, and optimization across diverse product lines, driving advancements...
Reposted 3 weeks ago
Senior Hardware Electrical Engineer
$150K - $200K *
Elevate your career by owning the design and development of electrical systems for consumer devices. Collaborate across teams to optimize power efficiency and drive innovations from concept to mass pr...
3 weeks ago
$88K - $105K *
Transform the future of energy by leading physical design projects for Power Substations. Collaborate in a dynamic team to deliver high-quality designs for voltage levels from 34.5kV to 500kV, ensurin...
Yesterday
$95K - $115K *
Shape the future of our manufacturing quality processes by designing and implementing robust systems, ensuring products meet the highest standards while supporting factory startup and production stabi...
3 weeks ago
Principal EO Signal Image Processing Engineer?
$108K - $162K *
Unlock potential by contributing to advanced EO/IR modeling and simulation efforts. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to develop and validate algorithms, ensuring high-fidelity performance asses...
Today
$110K - $130K *
Pioneer innovative autonomous systems for military and commercial sectors. Lead design, development, and integration of robotic platforms while mentoring junior engineers. Enjoy autonomy in research d...
2 weeks ago
$120K - $145K *
Elevate your career by driving modernization efforts for space launch ranges. Collaborate on complex systems integration, testing, and troubleshooting to enhance capabilities and support the future of...
Today
$120K - $145K *
Empower your career by leading hardware engineering efforts to modernize space launch ranges, ensuring mission success through innovative solutions and system integration. Collaborate with teams to en...
Today
$140K - $170K *
Join a dynamic team to develop cutting-edge ISP algorithms for mobile imaging, focusing on scene understanding, auto exposure, and real-time image processing. Play a key role in enhancing image qualit...
Reposted 1 week ago
Senior Manufacturing & Automation Engineer
$100K - $120K *
Lead and develop a dynamic engineering team to enhance manufacturing processes, establish standards, and drive cross-functional collaboration, ensuring alignment with business objectives in high-preci...
1 week ago
Head of Forward Deployed Engineering
$190K - $240K *
Transform AI from concept to production by building and deploying solutions in manufacturing and supply chain. Lead a team to ensure adoption and drive business outcomes through hands-on engineering a...
1 week ago
$170K - $200K *
Unlock potential by developing and deploying AI solutions that drive business value. Collaborate with teams to integrate technology, enhance workflows, and ensure sustained adoption across the enterpr...
1 week ago
Technical Program/Project Manager (Opto-Mechanical focus)
$136K - $199K *
Inspire innovation in Opto-Mechanical development across multiple projects, ensuring effective schedules, material tracking, and supplier management for industry-leading optical inspection systems...
3 weeks ago
$80K - $95K *
Optimize product quality by leading engineering projects, ensuring compliance with ISO and QSR regulations, and working collaboratively across departments to enhance performance and maintain high stan...
3 weeks ago
Manufacturing & Tooling Engineer
$90K - $110K *
Unlock potential by designing and refining production tooling for high-quality assembly. Collaborate closely with teams to ensure repeatability and efficiency in manufacturing processes, while managin...
1 week ago
$110K - $130K *
Shape the future of embedded systems engineering by leading design, integration, and lifecycle management for military and aerospace products. Collaborate across disciplines to deliver innovative solu...
4 weeks ago
Application Engineer - Semiconductor Test
$120K - $145K *
Transform semiconductor testing by architecting and optimizing SoC test programs for AI compute and inference. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure high-performance device validation and...
Reposted yesterday
What does a Senior Optical Engineer do?
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?
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?
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?
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?
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.