Optical Systems Engineer

The Giant Magellan Telescope is the most powerful ground-based telescope ever engineered. It was designed to push the boundaries of human knowledge and discover the unknown. With unmatched image quality, seven of the world’s largest mirrors will launch our view into the universe to uncover the cosmic mysteries of dark matter, investigate the origins of chemical elements, and search for signs of life on distant exoplanets for the first time.

The 30-meter class telescope is under construction at Las Campanas Observatory in Chile’s Atacama Desert, one of the best locations on Earth to view the heavens. From this unrivaled vantage into the southern sky, the Giant Magellan Telescope will produce the sharpest and most detailed images ever taken of our universe.

When complete in the early 2030s, the Giant Magellan Telescope will be the largest public-private funded science project in history. The endeavor was founded by an international consortium of 15 research institutions representing Australia, Brazil, Chile, Israel, South Korea, Taiwan, and the United States, and is managed by the GMTO Corporation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Pasadena, California. Our culture is impactful, inclusive, and fearlessly innovative. We solve the most difficult engineering challenges and scientific questions with talented individuals who share a passion for revolutionizing humanity’s knowledge of the universe.

We invite you to join our team and leave your mark on astronomy’s future and beyond.

The Universe Awaits™

Systems Engineering

Project Systems Engineer

The Systems Engineering Group will hire a highly qualified Optical Systems Engineer to develop and maintain Natural Seeing/Ground Layer Adaptive Optics (NS/GLAO) technical budgets and requirements relevant to the optical performance of the Giant Magellan Telescope (GMT).  Under minimal supervision and reporting to the Project Systems Engineer, the Optical Systems Engineer will prepare and maintain observatory level requirements and technical budgets including the allocation of requirements to subsystems and components, and monitor and evaluate the predicted performance of the Observatory during the design and construction phases. S/he will maintain optical performance estimates relative to a subset of requirements known as Key Performance Parameters (KPPs).  Monitoring and updating KPPs will occur in close collaboration with the Wavefront Control and Integrated Modeling teams. The Optical Systems Engineer will also contribute to interface development and participate in the development and execution of verification and validation plans and procedures, in collaboration with the rest of the Systems Engineering team and the engineering teams responsible for delivering subsystems.

The Optical Systems Engineer will work closely with the Chief Scientist, Project Scientist, Instrument Scientist, instrument teams, and wavefront controls group to interpret science requirements and flowing them down into technical specifications.

The Optical Systems Engineer is expected to possess extensive working knowledge of the optical effects in the atmosphere, the performance metrics typically used to characterize a ground-based observatory, and the concepts and algorithms capable of estimating those metrics. The successful candidate will have practical understanding of the physical effects influencing performance, as well as the analytical and numerical models characterizing these effects. While most of the detailed modeling and simulation work will be carried out by dedicated teams, the Optical Systems Engineer must be competent with commercial programming languages and optical design and modeling tools.

This position will require writing reports to summarize work accomplished and to document technical specifications, requirements, and procedures in support of internal and external design reviews. Additional responsibilities will include efficient communication with the systems engineering team, engineers throughout the project, sub-system leaders, and project management.

• Establish and maintain observatory (system) level optical requirements, and technical budgets. These include, but are not necessarily limited to, requirements for NS/GLAO Image Quality/Normalized Point Source Sensitivity (IQ/PSSN), spatial uniformity, PSSN Temporal Stability, Pupil Stability, and Stray light requirements rooted in each of the system level budgets, their ties to science requirements, and their translation to engineering units.
• Management of KPPs including calculating KPP thresholds based on an assessment of technical risk to the project and Monte Carlo simulation, and the assessment of change impacts at the system level including rebalancing of budgets or accessing reserve.
• Establish the process and methods for continuously evaluating observatory optical performance, as part of the evolving System Compliance Matrix; coordinate adding as-designed/as-built models to simulations to ensure that the final design meet performance requirements.
• Contribute to the development of calibration and test plans, as necessary
• Review and coordinate subsystem level optical requirements, technical budgets, interfaces, and V&V plans.
• Monitor, review and confirm the analyses of the observatory subsystems performed by the engineering teams and contractors.
• Prepare reports, technical notes, and publications on observatory performance and related areas.
• Contribute to system and subsystem level design reviews.
• Other duties as assigned.

• Minimum of a M.S. in Physics, Astronomy, Optical Sciences or related engineering degree with a minimum of 6 years of relevant experience.
• Good understanding of optical concepts and test procedures.
• Good understanding of ground or space-based observatory performance, relevant metrics and algorithms evaluating those metrics.
• Ability to work independently and manage diverse work load to meet critical deadlines
• Good working knowledge of Matlab/Simulink, Python, or IDL
• Competent use of Zemax.
• Excellent verbal, presentation and writing skills, demonstrated ability of generating comprehensive reports and publications.
• Previous experience presenting reports and providing documentation for design reviews
• Previous experience working as a member of a project team with engineers, scientists and scientific personnel.
• Demonstrated interpersonal skills: well organized, reliable, and proactive in dealing with others.
• Demonstrated ability to be flexible in an environment of changing priorities and working on multiple areas of the project

• M.S. in Physics, Astronomy, Optical Sciences or related engineering degree with a minimum of 8-10 years of relevant experience.
• Experience with large ground-based observatories, including optical alignment processes for ground or space-based telescopes.
• Experience with astronomical active and/or adaptive optics, optical/IR astronomical instrumentation, systems and subsystems.

Open office environment

No special requirements

No direct reports

• Medical insurance
• Vision insurance
• 401(k)
• Dental insurance
• Disability insurance

$150,000- $195,000

The salary for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to, internal equity, experience, education, and training.

To apply send your resume or CV and a cover letter to careers@gmto.org.

If your skills and experience are a match for the position or if we need additional information, we will contact you. If we do not see a suitable match between your qualifications and the position, we will keep your information on file in the event future positions become available that are more suitable to your qualifications.

We are an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

If you are a qualified individual with a disability or a disabled veteran, you have the right to request an accommodation if you are unable or limited in your ability to use or access our career center as a result of your disability. To request an accommodation, contact a Giant Magellan Telescope Corporation Human Resources Representative.