Opto-Mechanical Engineer

About Diffraqtion

Diffraqtion builds a novel Quantum Vision System that pulls more information out of each photon than conventional imaging allows. Our photonics process incoming light before it reaches the sensor, so the computation happens passively in the light itself. We are an early-stage team in Somerville by founders from MIT and Harvard, working under NASA and DARPA contracts and backed by Lockheed Martin and Sumitomo. Our systems are headed for satellites that protect assets in orbit and on the ground, and for telescopes hunting Earth-like planets around other stars.  You would be joining early, with real hardware to build and real missions to put it on.

The Role

We are seeking an Opto-Mechanical Engineer to design, build, and qualify the precision mechanical structures that hold our Quantum Camera together—on the bench, through launch, and in Low Earth Orbit. You will own the mechanical architecture of our optical payloads: lens and mirror mounts, diffractive-element cells, optical benches, housings, and the interfaces to the spacecraft bus. Working hand-in-hand with our optical, electrical, and AI teams, you will translate optical tolerances into robust, manufacturable hardware, then prove it out through thermal and vibration testing. This is a hands-on, design-to-flight role at an early-stage company: you will make the material choices, run the analyses, work directly with machine shops and suppliers, and be in the lab when the hardware comes off the shaker table.

The ideal candidate has designed precision optomechanical hardware that shipped—ideally for space, defense, or other harsh environments—and understands that a design is not finished until it can be built repeatably, assembled cleanly, and survives qualification. You think in terms of thermal strain, preload, and stiffness as naturally as in GD&T and cost, and you are as comfortable in CAD and FEA as you are with a torque wrench and an interferometer.

Note: This position requires U.S. citizenship, lawful permanent resident status, or eligibility for authorization under U.S. export control regulations (ITAR/EAR).

Key Responsibilities

• Design precision optomechanical assemblies—lens barrels and cells, kinematic and flexure mounts, mirror and diffractive-element mounts, optical benches, baffles, and enclosures—that hold sub-micron and arc-second level alignment tolerances.

• Select and apply space-appropriate materials and processes (e.g., titanium, Invar, aluminum alloys, silicon carbide, composites; low-outgassing adhesives, coatings, and fasteners per NASA/ASTM E595), balancing CTE matching, stiffness-to-mass, and manufacturability.

• Drive athermal design: build and own the camera's thermal and vibration models (FEA: steady-state and transient thermal, modal, sine, and random response) and partner with optical engineers on structural-thermal-optical performance (STOP) analysis to predict and protect image quality across the operational environment.

• Apply design for manufacturing and assembly (DFM/DFA) throughout: produce fully toleranced drawings with GD&T, run tolerance stack-ups, and engage early with machine shops and vendors to control cost, lead time, and risk.

• Design for the launch and space environment—quasi-static loads, random and sine vibration, shock, thermal cycling, and thermal vacuum—including margins, preload and bond-line design, fastener locking and staking, venting, and contamination control.

• Plan, build fixtures for, and execute environmental tests (vibration, shock, thermal cycling, and thermal vacuum) at in-house and external facilities; reduce the data, correlate results to models, and drive design updates.

• Develop alignment, bonding, and integration procedures for optical assemblies, and support hands-on build, alignment, and metrology in the lab and cleanroom.

• Define mechanical interfaces and ICDs with the spacecraft bus, electronics, and thermal subsystems, and contribute to design reviews (PDR/CDR/TRR) and qualification documentation.

• Manage the mechanical bill of materials, drawing release, and configuration control; receive and inspect machined parts and resolve nonconformances with suppliers.

Qualifications

Required:

• B.S. or M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Optical Engineering, or a related field.

• 3+ years of industrial (non-academic) experience designing precision optomechanical hardware, including at least one real product taken from concept through build, test, and delivery.

• Demonstrated experience designing for the space environment (or comparable harsh environments such as defense or airborne systems), including material selection, outgassing, and launch-load considerations.

• Proficiency in 3D CAD (SolidWorks, Creo, or NX) and in producing production-ready drawings with GD&T per ASME Y14.5.

• Hands-on experience with FEA (e.g., ANSYS, NASTRAN/Femap, Abaqus) for structural, modal, and thermal analysis.

• Strong grasp of precision-mounting principles: kinematic design, flexures, preload, adhesive bonding, and athermalization.

• Direct experience planning and executing temperature, vibration, and outgas testing (thermal cycling and/or thermal vacuum; random/sine vibration and shock), and correlating test data to models.

• Practical DFM knowledge: machining, finishing, and coating processes; tolerance stack-ups; and working directly with machine shops and suppliers.

• Comfort working hands-on in the lab: assembly, alignment, torqueing, bonding, cleanroom practice, and handling of precision optics.

• Willingness to work on-site in Somerville, MA—this is a hardware role, and the hardware lives here.

• Clear technical communication and disciplined documentation habits; ability to work across a small, cross-functional team.

Preferred:

• Experience at a camera or imaging-systems company (e.g., machine vision, industrial, scientific, automotive, aerospace, or consumer cameras), including lens-to-sensor alignment, focus and back-focal-distance setting, and focal-plane/detector mounting.

• Flight hardware heritage on a CubeSat, SmallSat, or larger space payload, ideally an optical or imaging instrument.

• Familiarity with space testing and design standards such as NASA GSFC-STD-7000 (GEVS), SMC-S-016, or launch-provider environmental requirements.

• Experience with STOP analysis workflows linking FEA results to optical design software (e.g., Zemax OpticStudio, Code V, SigFit).

• Experience mounting diffractive optics, freeform optics, large mirrors, or photonic integrated circuits.

• Background in optical metrology: interferometry, autocollimators, CMMs, and laser trackers.

• Experience with contamination control plans, cleanroom assembly, and material/process (M&P) lists for flight hardware.

• Familiarity with thermal design and analysis tools (e.g., Thermal Desktop) and passive thermal control hardware.

• Practical shop skills: machining, 3D printing, and rapid fixture fabrication.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and stock options.

• Medical, dental and vision on 1st day.

• Company 401K match.

Equal Opportunity Employer:

Diffraqtion is committed to fostering an inclusive and meritocratic workplace. We provide equal employment opportunity to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, age, disability, genetic information, military or veteran status, or any other status protected by federal, state, or local law. Diffraqtion is committed to equal opportunity for protected veterans and individuals with disabilities. Applicants who need a reasonable accommodation during the application or interview process may contact careers@diffraqtion.com.

IT IS UNLAWFUL IN MASSACHUSETTS TO REQUIRE OR ADMINISTER A LIE DETECTOR TEST AS A CONDITION OF EMPLOYMENT OR CONTINUED EMPLOYMENT. AN EMPLOYER WHO VIOLATES THIS LAW SHALL BE SUBJECT TO CRIMINAL PENALTIES AND CIVIL LIABILITY.