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Foresite Labs · 1 month ago

Sr Staff Engineer, R&D, Optical Engineer

San Diego

Full-time

Hybrid

Senior Level, Lead/Staff

$170K/yr - $190K/yr

10+ years exp

Foresite Labs is seeking a Sr. Staff Optical Engineer to lead the design, development, and testing of advanced optical systems. This role requires deep expertise in optical engineering and collaboration across various engineering disciplines to ensure the performance and reliability of the flagship product.

BiopharmaBiotechnologyHealth CareMedical

H1B Sponsor Likely

Responsibilities

Develop requirements and specifications for optical subsystems

Perform optical analyses and modeling to guide design decisions

Support the build, integration, and functional testing of optical components and sensors

Lead design and validation of precision opto-mechanical assemblies

Establish system-level performance budgets and tolerance considerations

Ensure optical architectures meet nominal performance and manufacturability goals

Design and execute experiments to evaluate design concepts and mitigate technical risks

Utilize optical test and measurement tools to characterize system performance

Assess optical image quality and other key performance metrics through established test methods

Collaborate with mechanical, electrical, software, and systems engineers throughout development

Work with scientific and application stakeholders to ensure optical designs align with end-use requirements

Lead prototyping efforts and drive iterative improvements based on experimental data

Diagnose and resolve system-level optical issues

Develop and execute verification and validation plans

Analyze performance data to support reliability improvements and product maturation

Qualification

Optical EngineeringZemaxOptical DesignProgramming PythonProgramming C++Analytical SkillsProblem SolvingMentoringCross-Functional Collaboration

Required

B.S. or M.S. in Optical Engineering or related field

10+ years of experience designing precision optical systems for production instruments or automation platforms

Proven ownership of complex optical systems/modules from concept through product launch

Experienced in Zemax or alternative optical design/analysis tools

Strong analytical and modeling skills

Skilled problem solver and proficient with problem solving methodologies

Preferred

Experience in bioinstrumentation, analytical devices, or medical instruments

Experience mentoring other engineers and influencing design culture

Optical design experience including non-sequential analysis, ZPL Macro development and advanced system analysis

Proficient in programming languages such as Python, C++ to enable the development of algorithms for optical systems and liaise with the embedded systems/software group

Benefits

Offer Bonus

Offer Equity

Company

Foresite Labs

Foresite Labs is a biotechnology company. It is a sub-organization of Foresite Capital.

Founded in 2019

San Francisco, California, USA

11-50 employees

https://www.foresitelabs.com/

H1B Sponsorship

Foresite Labs has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)

Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship

Represents job field similar to this job

Trends of Total Sponsorships

2025 (2)

2022 (1)