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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$135K - $160K *

Join a dynamic team to lead system validation and deployment of advanced hardware in data centers. Collaborate across teams to enhance reliability, diagnose issues, and drive new platform enablement f...

3 weeks ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Enterprise Technology

$206K - $271K *

Drive innovation in wireless systems by collaborating across teams to enhance RF performance. Lead the development of cellular hardware solutions, ensuring compliance and optimizing system integration...

Reposted 3 weeks ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Consumer Technology

$90K - $105K *

Drive development of innovative 3D printing resins for digital dentistry by conducting research, optimizing formulations, and supporting scalability while ensuring high quality and usability in a coll...

Reposted 4 weeks ago

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Healthcare

$114K - $191K *

Lead the charge in product engineering by owning mechanical product families, driving yield improvements, and ensuring quality compliance while collaborating with cross-functional teams to meet projec...

Today

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Information Technology

$110K - $130K *

Join our team to enhance manufacturing processes, improve quality, and lead continuous improvement initiatives across operations in a dynamic environment. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to dr...

Reposted 1 week ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Manufacturing & Automotive

$138K - $165K *

Engineer innovative hardware solutions from concept to production, driving the development of cutting-edge sensing platforms. Collaborate with cross-functional teams while mentoring peers and ensuring...

Today

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Food & Beverages

$145K - $175K *

Lead the charge in optimizing large-scale inference systems, integrating innovative model architectures into deployment pipelines, and managing GPU resources across clusters to enhance reliability and...

Reposted 3 weeks ago

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Information Technology

$100K - $125K *

Elevate manufacturing excellence by leading new product introduction efforts, collaborating with cross-functional teams to ensure robust processes and compliance in a highly regulated environment. Dri...

Today

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Healthcare

$100K - $146K *

Transform semiconductor manufacturing by leading electrical design and compliance initiatives. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to enhance product safety and performance across advanced etch an...

1 week ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Manufacturing & Automotive

$144K - $208K *

Join a team that's dedicated to ensuring top-tier quality in semiconductor and micro-display materials. You'll lead supplier assessments, enforce quality standards, and collaborate with cross-function...

6 days ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Enterprise Technology

$175K - $280K *

Join a dynamic team to develop cutting-edge electro-optical ICs for next-gen satellite communications. Collaborate with experts to enhance connectivity solutions, driving innovation in high-speed opti...

6 days ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Aerospace & Defense

$184K - $356K *

Drive AI solutions from discovery to deployment, collaborating with partners to optimize open models for production. Lead technical engagements, shape strategies, and build scalable architectures to e...

2 days ago

  •   8 - 10 years exp.  •   Manufacturing & Automotive

$125K - $175K *

Join a team that's dedicated to enhancing system safety for advanced weapon systems. Lead safety initiatives, conduct hazard analyses, and collaborate across engineering disciplines to ensure complian...

2 weeks ago

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Manufacturing & Automotive

$155K - $251K *

Elevate software development by leading teams to enhance traffic surveillance systems, ensuring quality and efficiency in safety-critical embedded software projects while managing scope, cost, and cer...

Reposted today

  •   8 - 10 years exp.  •   Aerospace & Defense

$175K - $275K *

Drive supplier quality excellence by leading assessments, audits, and performance evaluations. Ensure compliance with quality standards and foster partnerships to minimize risks throughout the product...

Reposted 3 weeks ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Information Technology

$80K - $95K *

Lead the charge in developing innovative mechanical and electromechanical products, overseeing manufacturing processes and quality control to ensure excellence in production and testing within an aero...

3 weeks ago

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Aerospace & Defense

$220K - $250K *

Develop and maintain embedded Linux platforms ensuring real-time video reliability. Collaborate across teams to shape on-device software architectures and optimize the end-to-end software lifecycle fo...

3 weeks ago

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Consumer Technology

$135K - $160K *

Elevate your career by leading Design-for-Test initiatives from architecture to production for advanced ASIC and FPGA solutions. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure manufacturability and...

1 week ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Telecommunications & Hardware

$62K - $237K *

Lead the charge in developing innovative mechanical solutions for rugged environments, overseeing the full design cycle from concept to delivery. Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to tackle com...

1 week ago

  •   11 - 15 years exp.  •   Aerospace & Defense

$62K - $237K *

Invent innovative mechanical solutions to complex challenges, guiding projects from concept to delivery. Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to design and prototype state-of-the-art systems for a...

Reposted 1 week ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Aerospace & Defense

$111K - $186K *

Shape the future of technology as you lead cross-disciplinary teams to drive innovation in systems engineering, ensuring timely project delivery while meeting quality and cost objectives in a dynamic...

3 weeks ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Manufacturing & Automotive

$111K - $186K *

Lead the charge in developing next-gen technologies, providing technical leadership across diverse engineering domains and managing cross-functional teams to meet ambitious project goals while ensurin...

3 weeks ago

  •   5 - 7 years exp.  •   Manufacturing & Automotive

$135K - $160K *

Shape the future of healthcare by developing innovative full-stack products. Collaborate across teams to transform complex problems into simple solutions, integrating AI for improved efficiency and us...

Reposted 3 weeks ago

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Healthcare

$117K - $172K *

Elevate semiconductor innovation by collaborating on complex inspection systems, driving high-impact solutions, and enhancing product performance through rigorous testing and analysis in a dynamic, fa...

1 week ago

  •   Less than 5 years exp.  •   Manufacturing & Automotive

$210K - $300K *

Unlock diverse engineering challenges by architecting custom manufacturing solutions across various industries. Collaborate with teams to design production-ready hardware, ensuring seamless integratio...

1 week ago

  •   11 - 15 years exp.  •   Enterprise Technology

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.