Sr. Optical Engineer, R&D

Job description

Who We Are: Aurelius Systems is a VC backed defense tech startup building autonomous, edge deployed directed energy systems for counter-UAS. We build laser weapons to shoot down drones. We're a small team of engineers, former US military operators, and subject matter experts scaling America's directed energy dominance. The first cost effective, reliable and robust laser weapon system. Our namesake isn't an accident. Marcus Aurelius wrote about doing the work in front of you, every day, without excuses. Henry Ford didn't wait for permission to reinvent manufacturing. That's how we operate — small team, unreasonable output, no hiding behind the unachievable. In addition to our San Francisco lab, we’ve opened a Detroit manufacturing hub and we field test weekly on our own 400-acre private range. The Role & Your Impact: You will own optical system design and help drive critical optical investigations for our hardware platform. This role is centered on optical expertise first. We are looking for someone who can bring deep experience in optical theory, optical design, and system-level problem solving. You should be able to evaluate tradeoffs, identify better technical paths, and raise the quality of optical decision-making across the team. Mechanical integration matters, but this role is primarily about strong optical judgment rather than owning every mechanical detail yourself. You will work closely with mechanical and electrical teammates to turn optical designs into robust deployed systems. This is a senior role for someone who can walk into a design review and bring perspectives and strategies the team has not already considered. What You'll Own: - Lead optical design and analysis for core system components - Drive optical investigations, trade studies, and system-level design decisions - Specify and evaluate optical components and subsystem architectures - Partner with mechanical engineers on packaging, housing, and integration decisions - Support tolerance analysis, performance validation, and design iteration - Lead or guide alignment, characterization, and test efforts for integrated optical systems - Work with vendors and fabricators on manufacturability, tolerancing, and component feasibility - Help establish best practices for optical development, validation, and technical documentation What We're Looking For: - Strong background in optical engineering, optical design, or related physics-based system work - Deep understanding of optical theory and the ability to apply it to real hardware problems - Experience designing, analyzing, and debugging optical systems in practice - Ability to lead technical investigations from first principles and prior experience - Enough mechanical fluency to collaborate effectively on packaging and integration, without needing to be a pure mechanical owner - Strong hands-on engineering judgment and comfort working across disciplines - Senior-level experience that allows you to guide technical choices with confidence Not a fit if: Your experience is primarily mechanical, with limited depth in optical theory or optical system design. Your experience is entirely theoretical, with little connection to real hardware development. You are looking for a role focused mainly on people management rather than technical contribution We want to talk if: You have experience with optical modeling and simulation tools. Experience with alignment, characterization, or integrated hardware testing. Experience working on complex deployed hardware systems. Familiarity with designing for real-world environmental constraints. Education: BS or MS in Optical Engineering, Physics, Mechanical Engineering, or related field. What you've built matters more than where you went to school. How You Operate: - Extreme bias for action. You'd rather build a prototype tomorrow than model it for a month - Rigorous testing mindset. You characterize your own systems before the field does - Comfortable with ambiguity and fast, constantly iterating in a startup environment - Your brain only releases dopamine when you're building - You debug from first principles, not Stack Overflow - Clear communicator across mechanical, electrical, optical, and software teams - Self-directed. You identify what needs to happen next and do it without being told Why Join Aurelius Systems? - Build more in 1 month than most engineers build in 1 year. We field test weekly. Your work goes downrange, not into a filing cabinet. - Career velocity is real. Erick Brito went from Founding Robotics Engineer to Lead in 12 months. At ~10 engineers, there are no layers between you and impact… or between you and your next title. - Work on a problem that actually matters. Small, cheap drones are changing warfare. Our laser systems are the asymmetric answer. Think infinite magazine, cost-per-shot near zero, scalable to every base, border, facility, truck and infrastructure. - Join the densest defense startup ecosystem in the country. California is where the next generation of defense companies are being built. You'll be in the room with the people reshaping how America builds weapons. How we work: Core hours are Monday through Friday, 9 to 6. When we're sprinting toward a demo or field test, the team ramps up — nights, weekends, whatever it takes to ship. When the sprint lands, we ramp down. We don't manufacture intensity for show. Benefits: - Competitive salary + equity - United Health Care medical, dental, and vision coverage - Flexible 18 days PTO + 5 sick days - Travel to field test events and range days - Covered daily lunches and office snacks + drinks - E-bike / scooter stipend ( Up to $500) - Direct access to leadership and real ownership over your work Export Control Notice: This role requires access to export-controlled information or items that require "U.S. Person" status. As defined by U.S. law, individuals who are any one of the following are considered to be a "U.S. Person": (1) U.S. citizens, (2) legal permanent residents (a.k.a. green card holders), and (3) certain protected classes of asylees and refugees, as defined in 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3).