Northrop Grumman: Principal optical engineer (cleared)

Principal Optical Engineer Adaptive Optics Associates Xinetics (AOX), a wholly-owned Northrop Grumman Space Systems (NGSS) Business Venture, is currently seeking a Principal Optical Engineer in East Hartford, CT.

AOA-Xinetics designs, develops, and manufactures precision, advanced optical products and systems such as deformable mirrors, optical systems, adaptive optics control systems and silicon carbide optical structures for the U.S.

Government, commercial customers, and U.S.

defense prime and second-tier contractors.

Markets for these technologies include civilian astronomy and semiconductor capital equipment as well as defense ISR and Directed Energy.

Several potential direct and adjacent application areas also exist.

The Company has substantial growth opportunities in support of many U.S.

Government and NGSS business initiatives.

AOX delivers industrial photonics systems and R&D services for a variety of customers and applications.

AOX excels in a range of applications from adaptive optical systems, deformable mirrors, wavefront sensors, precision actuators, to photonic systems that acquire and process data in real time for a variety of high availability applications.

AOX’s capabilities include lightweight passive and active hybrid CERAFORM silicon carbide optics and precision structures as well as large and small precision opto-mechanical systems supporting electronics and sophisticated controls software.

The Principal Optical Engineer will perform as a member of an interdisciplinary team of engineers and scientis ts on different project assignments to develop novel and innovative solutions to advanced technical problems.

You will conduct research and development into physical optics, lasers, and advanced optical communications systems.

You will design, develop, build and test systems and products based on optic, photonic and laser technologies.

Additionally, you will develop mathematical models for simulation and analysis of optical and electro-optical systems.

The successful engineer will be responsible for the overall development of optical systems, including: specifying, selecting and qualifying active and passive optical components, developing and benchmarking system performance models, and implementing test procedures.

Responsibilities include: Design and analyze optical components and subsystems Specify optical components for fabrication by Qualified Suppliers Develop test plans and perform testing of fiber optic components and subsystems Contribute to the development of innovative solutions to difficult problems Design micro-optical systems for fiber-optic applications Perform testing on optical assemblies and photonic systems Document designs and test results Present results to customers Lead teams of engineers and technicians in the pursuit of program goals, and complete tasks according to schedule, budget and design objectives Additional responsibilities include support of proposal teams, and working with customers on product definition Qualifications: Basic Qualifications:
• BS in Physics or Optics with 7-9 years experience, or 3 years experience with a MS in Physics or Optics
• Hands-on skills for assembly and testing of designs
• Experience with precision optical, micro-optic and/or fiber optic communication components
• Experience with optical instrumentation, such as optical spectrum analyzers, laser sources and power meters.

• Understanding of fiber optic transmission, communication theory, advanced optical signal coding and modulation formats, and network architecture.

• Knowledge and experience with fiber optic systems and components, such as lasers, modulators, EDFAs, dispersion compensators, fibers, passive components, receivers, and high-speed optical modules and sub-systems.

• Great problem solving and troubleshooting skills
• Good verbal and written communications skills for presentation of technical approaches, work performed, results, and findings
• US Citizenship is a bona fide requirement as Applicants selected will be subject to a government security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information
• Active Top Secret Clearance TS/SCI Required To Start Preferred Qualifications:
• Experience in DoD, or Aerospace product development and manufacturing
• Understanding of fiber optic transmission, communication theory, advanced optical signal coding and modulation formats, and network architecture.

• Experience with commercial optical transport products, including 40G/100G coherent systems.

• Experience with transmission modeling software (such as VPI)
• Knowledge of computer instrumentation control.

• Knowledge of LabVIEW, MATLAB and Python programming languages.

• Knowledge of Zemax optical design software Northrop Grumman is committed to hiring and retaining a diverse workforce.

We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer, making decisions without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected class.

For our complete EEO/AA and Pay Transparency statement, please visit U.S.

Citizenship is required for most positions.