Matter Intelligence · 1 day ago
Senior Optical System Engineer
El Segundo, CA
Full-time
Onsite
Senior Level, Lead/Staff
8+ years expMatter Intelligence is building the future of vision AI, developing advanced sensing systems for space and airborne applications. The Senior Optical Systems Engineer will be responsible for the end-to-end optical performance of complex electro-optical payloads, guiding design implementation and supporting calibration and operations.
RoboticsRemote SensingSensor
No H1B
U.S. Citizen Only
Responsibilities
Define and own optical system architectures for spaceborne and airborne remote-sensing payloads
Translate mission objectives into optical requirements (resolution, SNR, spectral performance, stability)
Lead system-level optical trades (e.g., aperture, altitude, FOV, spectral bandpass, detector selection)
Support mission-level performance modeling including radiometric, geometric, and image-quality budgets
Develop and maintain comprehensive optical performance models
Perform and review analyses including:
Radiometry and SNR
MTF and image quality metrics
Spectral response and bandpass performance
Sensitivity to alignment, thermal, and structural effects
Support STOP analysis in collaboration with optomechanical and thermal engineers
Independently verify performance predictions from internal teams or external suppliers
Review and guide optical and opto-mechanical designs to ensure system-level performance requirements are met
Provide technical oversight to internal and external payload development activities
Support optical alignment strategies, tolerances, and verification plans
Partner with AI&T teams during payload integration, alignment, and test
Define optical verification and validation approaches
Support ground testing, calibration, and environmental qualification of payloads
Analyze test data to validate optical performance and close requirements
Support commissioning activities, including on-orbit or airborne data analysis and image quality assessment
Assist in diagnosing and resolving optical performance anomalies during test or operations
Present optical designs and performance results at system, program, and customer reviews
Communicate complex optical concepts clearly to multidisciplinary and non-optical audiences
Mentor junior optical and systems engineers
Contribute optical content to proposals, BOEs, and technical planning efforts
Qualification
Required
Bachelor's degree in Optical Engineering, Physics, Electrical Engineering, or related field
8+ years of experience in optical systems engineering for EO/IR or remote-sensing systems
Strong expertise in optical performance analysis (MTF, SNR, radiometry, spectral response)
Experience with detector technologies (CCD, CMOS, IR focal planes)
Experience supporting optical testing and performance validation
Ability to communicate effectively across disciplines and with customers
Willingness to mentor and provide technical leadership
Preferred
Master's degree or PhD in a relevant technical discipline
Experience with spaceborne or high-altitude airborne imaging systems
Familiarity with optical design and analysis tools (Zemax, Code V, FRED, or equivalent)
Proficiency with data analysis tools (MATLAB, Python, IDL, ENVI)
Experience with optical coatings, tolerancing, and alignment planning
Experience supporting on-orbit calibration and image quality monitoring
Experience contributing to technical proposals (NASA, DoD, SBIR, commercial)
Benefits
100% employer-paid health, dental, and vision coverage.
Early-stage equity package so you share directly in Matter’s growth and success.
Opportunities to expand into leadership, strategic accounts, or cross-functional roles as we scale.
Company
Matter Intelligence
Matter Intelligence is a remote sensing company that makes sensors that use hyperspectral imaging.
11-50 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Early StageTotal Funding
$12MKey Investors
International Research Centre on Artificial IntelligenceLowercarbon Capital
2024-11-13Non Equity Assistance
2024-10-30Seed· $12M
Leadership Team
Vishnu Sridhar
Co-founder and CEO
Company data provided by crunchbase