Engineering - Senior Optical Engineer

Grote • Madison, IN

1d

About The Position

The Senior Optical Engineer is responsible for the design, development, validation, and support of automotive exterior lighting systems for OEM customers in the heavy-duty market. This role leads optical design activities, supports cross-functional teams, and ensures products meet regulatory, customer, performance, durability, quality, manufacturing, and cost requirements while mentoring less-experienced engineers.

Requirements

• The ideal candidate will have a Bachelor’s degree or higher in Optical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical field and extensive (3-5+ years) optical engineering design experience in automotive exterior lighting (headlamps and/or signal lamps) including familiarity with relevant mechanical and/or electrical engineering design principles, along with experience with the manufacturing processes relevant to automotive lighting and optical components in particular, such as injection molding, plastic part assembly, coatings, etc.
• Good documentation, communication, and teamwork are essential.
• Extensive experience with Lucid Shape and associated optical design modules/software is preferred followed by Zemax, SPEOs, or other optical design software
• Extensive experience designing optical systems using LEDs, molded lenses (including thick lenses), and molded/metallized reflectors for automotive lighting applications is preferred, though other optical design experience may be considered
• Extensive experience testing and validating optical systems/devices using goniometers, integrating spheres, spectroradiometers, etc
• Injection molded plastic part design including a thorough understanding of injection mold tooling and plastic part assembly
• Creo CAD experience is optimal, followed by Catia or NX and then other systems
• Capability in the research, review, interpretation, and application of relevant regulatory requirements and industry standards, specifically in relation to FMVSS 108, UN Regulations (R148-R150), and the SAE Lighting Systems Group
• Advanced GD&T application
• Tolerance stack-up analysis
• Reviewing the listed simulations/analyses correlated with optical design: Vibration/Static/Thermal FEA Thermal CFD Mold flow analysis Part measurement and dimensional analysis

Responsibilities

• Working with project team members to understand/develop requirements and to develop new or improved lamp concepts/designs satisfying regulatory and customer performance, durability and quality requirements along with meeting internal manufacturing process requirements and cost targets.
• Developing the design of optical systems for lamps using LEDs, reflectors, thin plastic lenses with Fresnel/pillow/etc. optics, thick/TIR lenses, light pipes, etc. using LucidShape and other tools.
• Performing and/or coordinating testing of lamps and components using goniometers, integrating spheres, spectroradiometers, and related equipment to ensure the product meets all requirements.
• Developing/improving and documenting design, simulation, and testing standards related to all aspects of lamp optical design.
• Research, interpret, and apply relevant regulatory requirements and industry standards including FMVSS 108, UN Regulations (R148–R150), and SAE Lighting Systems Group standards.
• Working with the Manufacturing and Quality teams to troubleshoot and resolve issues related to manufacturing processes and quality controls.
• Working with the Purchasing team in the sourcing of purchased components and validation of suppliers and ensuring that purchased components are properly designed/spec’d to conform to industry standards, minimize cost, and maximize supply chain flexibility.
• Working with the Sales team in the quoting of new or revised business and customer management including the estimation of part and capital costs.
• Mentoring other engineers and team members in all aspects, and optical aspects in particular, of lamp quoting, design, manufacturing, validation, etc.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior