Optical Engineer

Job Title: Optical Engineer – Automotive Exterior Lighting

Location: Puerto Interior, Parque Industrial Santa Fe IV, Guanajuato, Mexico

Work Model: Onsite

Employment Type: Contract / Full-Time

Pay Rate: $18-21/hr

Experience: 3-5+Years

Job Summary:

Seeking an experienced Optical Engineer with 3–5 years of experience in automotive exterior lighting design, optical simulation, and performance optimization. The ideal candidate will have hands-on experience developing optical systems for headlamps and related lighting products, using tools such as LucidShape, Ansys Speos, or ZEMAX.

Key Responsibilities:

• Design and develop optical components, including reflectors, lenses, light guides, and thick-wall optics for automotive exterior lighting.
• Perform optical simulations, analyze light distribution, and optimize designs to meet photometric and performance requirements.
• Collaborate with mechanical design, tooling, manufacturing, and quality teams to address optical design and production challenges.
• Conduct physical lamp measurements, prototype evaluations, and laboratory validation to verify optical performance.
• Translate customer requirements and automotive lighting regulations into optical design specifications.
• Support concept development, feasibility studies, design release, validation, tooling, and industrialization.
• Prepare technical reports, simulation results, and customer presentations.
• Troubleshoot optical performance issues during product development and production.

Required Skills:

• 3–5 years of experience in automotive lighting optical design, simulation, or validation.
• Hands-on experience with LucidShape, Ansys Speos, ZEMAX, or equivalent optical simulation software.
• Strong knowledge of geometric optics, photometry, illumination principles, and light distribution.
• Experience designing reflectors, lenses, light guides, and thick-wall optical components.
• Working knowledge of 3D CAD tools such as CATIA, Siemens NX, SolidWorks, or Solid Edge.
• Understanding of optical materials, injection molding, tolerances, and manufacturing processes.
• Knowledge of automotive lighting photometric requirements and regulations such as ECE, SAE, FMVSS, or CCC.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, communication, and technical documentation skills.

Education & Experience:

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Optical Engineering, Physics, Photonics, Mechanical Engineering, or a related discipline.
• 3–5 years of relevant experience in automotive exterior lighting optical design, simulation, testing, or product development.
• Experience with prototype development, laboratory testing, and production support is preferred.

Preferred Industry:

• Automotive exterior lighting manufacturers and suppliers, headlamp and tail-lamp manufacturers, and automotive optical design companies.