Staff Optomechanical Design Engineer - FSO

About Neurophos

The demand for new data centers and AI compute is rapidly outpacing the planet's energy capacity. Digital solutions are hitting a power wall as we approach the physical limits of traditional silicon. Conquering this bottleneck means rethinking the fundamental architecture of inference compute. The industry's current path can't meet the need, so we're taking a different approach.

Instead of traditional electronic circuits, we use silicon photonics and an active, programmable metasurface to perform matrix multiplications at the speed of light. Our optical cells are 10,000x smaller than traditional photonic components, enabling unprecedented density. By using photonics instead of electricity, our chips become more efficient as they scale. This architecture will deliver up to 100 times the energy efficiency of existing solutions while significantly improving performance for large-scale AI inference.

We’ve assembled a world-class team of industry veterans and recently raised a $110M Series A led by Gates Frontier. Participants include M12 (Microsoft’s Venture Fund), Carbon Direct Capital, Aramco Ventures, Bosch Ventures, Tectonic Ventures, Space Capital, and others.

Join us and shape the future of computing!

Location: Austin, TX. Full-time onsite position.

Reports To: VP, Optics

FLSA Status : Exempt

Position Overview

The OPU relies on a free-space optical (FSO) engine: thousands of parallel beams are collimated, split, relayed, and imaged onto metasurface and detector arrays with micron-scale pixels, then coupled back into fiber. Holding that path together takes sub-micron and microradian mechanical precision, and assembling it repeatably takes in-house metrology and active alignment.

As Staff Optomechanical Design Engineer, you will design the mechanical hardware of these free-space assemblies — from concept and tolerance analysis through prototype build and transfer to manufacturing. You will also support the development of our metrology and active-alignment capability by designing fixtures, mounts, and station hardware, and by feeding as-built data back into the tolerance model. You will work alongside our Principal Optomechanical Design Engineer, who owns the overall optomechanical architecture, and be hands-on in the lab with optical design, photonics, packaging, electrical and manufacturing engineers, and our assembly partners.

Key Responsibilities

Free-space optomechanical design

- Optomechanical design of the OPU’s free-space optical path: collimators, relay and imaging optics, polarization optics.
- Translate optical prescriptions into mechanical architectures — datums, kinematic and flexure mounts, bonded and monolithic sub-assemblies — that hold across temperature and over life.
- Lead optomechanical tolerance analysis (RSS and Monte Carlo) together with optical design.
- Select materials, adhesives and joining processes for thermal and long-term stability; support thermal and structural FEA and STOP analysis to predict alignment drift.
- Produce CAD models, GD&T drawings and assembly documentation; qualify precision optics and mechanical vendors.

Metrology development support

- Design the mechanical hardware for metrology stations — fixtures, datums, kinematic part holders and reference artifacts — for interferometry, autocollimation, beam profiling, camera-based spot and pitch measurement, wavefront sensing, and fiber-array and MLA position measurement.

Active-alignment development support

- Support development of active-alignment systems and processes.
- Provide mechanical design and integration for multi-axis alignment stations (hexapods, nanopositioners, machine vision) and support their bring-up with alignment and software engineers.
- Build prototypes hands-on in the lab, and provide the fixtures, drawings, and work instructions needed to transfer processes to in-house technicians, assembly partners, and contract manufacturers.
- Drive DFM and DFA so that alignment steps, degrees of freedom, and cycle time are reduced as designs mature from prototype to volume.

Qualification and cross-functional leadership

- Represent FSO optomechanics in design reviews; own those sections of the system requirements and communicate status and risk to engineering and executive audiences.
- Mentor engineers and technicians.

Qualifications

- M.S. or PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Optical Engineering, Physics, or a related field, or a B.S. with equivalent industry experience.
- 8+ years of hands-on optomechanical design of precision free-space optical systems, with at least one system taken from concept through qualification and into production.
- Demonstrated design of mounts and sub-assemblies that hold sub-micron and microradian alignment, including kinematic mounts, flexures, and bonded optics.
- Hands-on experience supporting active alignment.
- Hands-on experience with optical metrology and designing fixtures for it.
- Proficiency in 3D CAD (SolidWorks or Creo) and GD&T; working knowledge of FEA for thermal and structural analysis.
- Ability to read an optical prescription.
- Sound knowledge of materials, adhesives, and thermal behavior for optomechanical stability.
- Clear communicator who can explain tolerance trade-offs and risk to optical, photonics, manufacturing and executive audiences.
- Comfortable using AI tools in your day-to-day engineering work. We are building AI into how we design, align, and test optics.

Preferred Skills

- Experience supporting automated alignment stations (hexapods, piezo nanopositioners, machine vision) and scripting alignment or measurement routines in Python or LabVIEW.
- Experience transferring alignment and assembly processes to contract manufacturers, including writing work instructions and acceptance criteria, and supporting yield ramp.
- Experience in a startup or early-stage hardware team where you build the lab as well as the product.

What We Offer

This is an opportunity to play a pivotal role in an innovative startup redefining the future of AI hardware. Work on game-changing technology at the intersection of photonics and AI as part of a collaborative, brilliant team. You’ll contribute to a platform that redefines computational performance and accelerates the future of artificial intelligence. Come help us bring this transformative technology to the world.
 
## Benefits

Join a team that invests in your future and your well-being. At Neurophos, we offer:

- 100% coverage of base health plan premiums for you and your dependents, plus HSA contributions.
- Unlimited PTO. No rigid vacation banks, just a focus on delivery.
- 401(k) matching and stock option opportunities to ensure our success is your success.
- Full suite of voluntary benefits, including Dental, Vision, Life, Hospital, Critical Illness, and Accident insurance.
- Personalized Benefits. Choose the plans that fit your life and take the cash back for those that don’t.

Compensation

Austin, TX: $180K – $200K • Offers Equity