Optical Instrument Architect (m/f/d)

Responsibilities

• Elaboration and development of optical detection system concepts on the basis of interaction with various stakeholders (the customer, experts from technical disciplines, programmatic stakeholders and others), requirements and budgets (technical and programmatic)
• Technical coordination of the concept generation within a multidiscipline engineering team and driving contribution to:
  • Architecture / Concept Definition and Justification
  • Concept trade‑offs between disciplines such as thermal, structural, mechanical, optical, electrical, etc.
  • Interface concepts and definition
  • Related performance analysis
  • Flow‑down into the relevant technical design, requirement and performance documentation
• Perform requirements analysis and architecture/concepts‑to‑design mapping ensuring customer specifications
• Ensure proper flow‑down and allocation of lower‑level subs‑system requirements and technical budgets to support systems and subsystem specification derivation
• Close collaboration with technical management and other systems engineering disciplines (performance analysis, verification & validation engineering, subsystems)
• Support technical discussion with the customer

Qualifications

• PhD in Physics with a focus on optical systems and engineering – a basic knowledge of optics and optical concepts is mandatory. A significant part of the role is putting the optical detection functions into the greater technical context, creating a system in which other aspects – technical and non‑technical – are also important and sometimes even driving stakeholders.
• Demonstrated work history and experience of at least 3 years (instrumentation in industry or academia) in a systems‑engineering type role with a focus on holistic design responsibility for scientific optical instruments or comparable systems with adequate technology and complexity (e.g., interferometer, spectrometer and/or telescope systems).
• Hands‑on hardware experience (lab work, implementation and set up of optical systems) is considered a strong asset.
• Organised and structured task approach; experience in technical coordination is an asset.
• Strong teamwork, conceptual and analytical skills.
• Strong communication skills – the role often involves bringing together conflicting stakeholder interests (e.g., technical vs. programmatic).
• Fluency in spoken and written English. German skills are very helpful and are requested over the medium term.

Seniority level

• Associate

Employment type

• Full‑time

Job function

• Defense and Space Manufacturing