Senior Optical Engineer

Infleqtion delivers high-value quantum information precisely where it is needed. By operating at the Edge, our software-configured, quantum-enabled products deliver unmatched levels of precision and power, generating streams of high-value information for commercial organizations, the United States, and allied governments. With 16 years of ColdQuanta's pioneering quantum research as our foundation, our hardware products and AI-powered solutions address critical market needs in PNT, global communication security and efficiency, resilient energy distribution, and accelerated quantum computing. We currently have offices in Austin, TX; Boulder, CO; Chicago, IL; Louisville, CO; Madison, WI; Melbourne, AU; and Oxford, UK. Learn how Infleqtion is revolutionizing how we communicate, navigate, and discover at www.infleqtion.com. We are recruiting for a Senior Optical Engineer role.

Location

This position is a full-time, hybrid-based position which will be located in our Louisville, Colorado office.

Position Summary

The newly hired Senior Optical Engineer will support the quantum computing team's optomechanical engineering group and collaborate with a cross-functional team of scientists and engineers whose mission is build the world's most useful quantum computing systems.

Responsibilities

The duties and responsibilities outlined below include essential functions of the role. Depending on business needs, this role may perform a combination of some or all the following duties. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change, or new ones may be assigned at any time with or without notice.

• Collaboration with physicists and optical, electrical, mechanical, and software engineers to gather optomechanical system requirements
• In collaboration with optical engineer resources, lead the design, assembly, test cycle for optomechanical products from the component level up through large sub-systems containing of hundreds of precisely aligned optical elements
• Analyze design performance through 3D CAD (SolidWorks) and finite element analysis (FEA) simulations
• Actively contribute to design review process for optical and mechanical systems across the quantum computing team
• Develop manufacturing processes for the assembly and alignment of the products you create.
• Characterize optomechanical components and systems for performance, reliability, and stability by formulating and executing structured test plans
• Mentor junior optomechanical team members and help the team to standardize design and implement processes
• Collaborate with the team to prototype features to seed and de-risk future detailed optomechanical designs
• Solve complex problems and make sound design recommendations
• Provide technical assistance for troubleshooting and diagnosing design quality problems

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical, optical, or other relevant engineering field and at least 6 years of relevant experience; Master's degree or higher in mechanical, optical, or other relevant engineering field
• Deep expertise in optomechanical design and precision alignment of optical and laser systems
• Expertise with SolidWorks and working experience with SolidWorks PDM
• Experience with optomechanical fixturing in a controlled environment, with focus on ease of alignment and maintenance, and stability and reliability
• Experience using optical test equipment including power meters, optical spectrum analyzers, wave-meters, Fabry-Perot interferometers, polarimeters, wave-front sensors and photodiodes
• Systems engineering skills:
  -design optomechanical systems to achieve desired performance subject to given time and cost constraints
  -gather requirements from technical stakeholders
  -propagate high-level requirements to sub-systems and components using modeling
• Familiarity with structural, thermal, and optical analysis tools and methods
• Demonstrated ability to effectively share and communicate information with technical and non-technical staff
• Demonstrated ability to learn new and complex topics quickly
• Demonstrated ability to work and communicate with all levels of an organization in English; Professional-level communication skills, including verbal, written, and presentation skills
• Demonstrated ability to work comfortably in a highly collaborative, cross-functional, team-oriented, and matrixed environment
• Desire and demonstrated ability to thrive and adapt and produce results in a fluid, dynamic, and fast-paced environment
• Passion for solving complex problems and challenges in a highly techn