Chief Engineer (Optics)

Chief Engineer, Optical Communications | LEO Data Relay Constellation

Palo Alto, CA

Lumira Search is partnering with an early-stage NewSpace company building a next-generation data relay constellation in low Earth orbit. Using a hybrid RF-optical inter-satellite link (ISL) architecture, they enable efficient data aggregation and relay to support scalable, resilient space infrastructure across commercial, federal, and defense applications.

The Role

As Chief Engineer (Optical), you’ll be the company’s technical lead for optical communications across the LEO data relay constellation. You’ll own the optical architecture, requirements, link design, and verification, and lead technical decisions with the company’s optical terminal vendor.

The vendor handles terminal manufacturing, but this role stays hands-on with analysis, integration, and testing. It’s a sole-contributor leadership position: you’ll be the optical authority, setting technical direction without managing a team.

What You’ll Do

• Own the optical ISL and feeder-link architecture, including wavelength plan, modulation and coding, aperture and divergence sizing, and the data rate vs. range tradespace.
• Develop and maintain end-to-end optical link budgets covering coherent receiver sensitivity, PAT margin, platform jitter, point-ahead, Doppler, stray light, fade statistics, and BER against realistic FEC.
• Author optical requirements and ICDs, managing flowdown to the vendor and to internal bus, flight software, and ground teams.
• Direct the vendor technically through down-select, diligence, SOW and NRE scoping, and design reviews, holding them accountable for performance and schedule.
• Adjudicate R&D direction with the vendor: what warrants NRE investment, what is technically unviable, and what to buy versus co-develop.
• Potentially lead a ZR-800G-class coherent transceiver NRE with the optical terminal.
• Maintain compliance with applicable standards, including CCSDS O3K and SDA OCT where relevant to federal programs.

What You’ll Bring

• Direct, hands-on experience with LEO-LEO optical inter-satellite links, designing, building, or verifying crosslink terminals between spacecraft in low Earth orbit.
• 6+ years in free-space optical communications, coherent optical transport, or spaceborne photonics.
• MS or PhD in optics, EE, or physics, or equivalent demonstrated depth.
• A track record of directing vendor technical performance and NRE programs.
• The judgment to act as the sole optical authority and be accountable for your technical calls.

Nice to Have

• Direct experience with 400ZR, 800ZR, OpenZR+, or OIF coherent pluggables.
• Flight heritage on an optical comms payload.

What’s On Offer

• $180,000–$220,000 base salary
• Meaningful early-stage equity
• End-to-end ownership of optical communications for an entire constellation
• Medical, dental, vision, 401(k), and relocation assistance

ITAR Requirement

This position requires access to technology subject to U.S. export regulations, including ITAR. Applicants must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

Apply here or message me directly for a confidential conversation.