Senior Optomechanical Systems Engineer

Digantara is a leading Space Surveillance and Intelligence company focused on ensuring orbital safety and sustainability. With expertise in space-based detection, tracking, identification, and monitoring, Digantara provides comprehensive domain awareness across regimes, allowing end users to have actionable intelligence on a single platform. At the core of its infrastructure lies a sophisticated integration of hardware and software capabilities aligned with the key principles of situational awareness: perception (data collection), comprehension (data processing), and prediction (analytics). This holistic approach empowers Digantara to monitor all Resident Space Objects (RSOs) in orbit, fostering comprehensive domain awareness.

We are seeking a highly skilled and motivated Optomechanical Engineer with 8–10 years of experience in the design, analysis, integration, and validation of space-based optical payloads and ground-based optical systems. The candidate will be responsible for the complete optomechanical development lifecycle, from concept through qualification and assembly, ensuring compliance with performance, environmental, and launch requirements.

Why Us?

• Competitive incentives, galvanizing workspace, blazing team, frequent outings—pretty much everything you have heard about a startup + you get to work on space technology.
• Hustle in a well-funded startup allowing you to take charge of your responsibilities and create your moonshot.
  
  

Ideal Candidate

• Has 5+ years of experience in design of precision optomechanical systems for space (or ground).
• Has led the end-to-end optomechanical design, development, qualification, and delivery of spaceflight optical hardware, from concept through integration and environmental testing.
• Can interpret and allocate system-level optomechanical (optical) error budgets and independently perform and guide tolerance, sensitivity, and thermo-elastic stability analyses to ensure mission compliance.
• Is highly proficient in designing precision optical mounts and structures for launch and space environments, including flexure systems, mirror mounts, optical benches, and focal plane assemblies.
• Has successfully delivered multiple full lifecycle optomechanical subsystems, including participation in design reviews (PDR/CDR), environmental qualification, and flight hardware realization.
• Is capable of providing technical leadership, mentoring junior engineers and driving cross-disciplinary design decisions.
  
  

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and development of optomechanical systems for space-based telescopes and high-precision optical payloads, ensuring compliance with optical performance, structural integrity, and thermal stability requirements.
• Own the complete optomechanical design lifecycle, including concept development, trade studies, detailed design, analysis, fabrication support, integration, qualification and flight delivery.
• Collaborate closely with optical, structural, thermal, systems, and AIT teams to translate optical performance requirements into mechanical designs that maintain alignment and stability across various loading conditions.
• Perform and lead sensitivity, tolerance, FE and STOP analyses.
• Develop detailed 3D CAD models, manufacturing drawings and release documentation, ensuring compliance with GD&T standards and precision manufacturing requirements.
• Define and develop alignment procedures, assembly workflows and verification methodologies to ensure optical performance compliance.
• Manage and interface with vendors and fabrication partners, including supplier selection, technical oversight, manufacturing reviews and quality verification.
  
  

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree or Ph. D in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering or related discipline.
• 6+ years of experience in optomechanical design and development of high-precision optical systems, with significant experience in spaceflight hardware or space telescope systems.
• Proven experience delivering flight-quality optomechanical hardware.
• Extensive experience in the development of ground based telescope optomechanical design will be considered.
• Strong expertise in:
  
  

Precision optomechanical design principles

Structural and thermal stability design

Optical alignment and integration

• Strong understanding of:
  
  

Thermo-elastic effects on optical systems

Space environmental requirements

Launch load design considerations

Tolerance and sensitivity analysis

Excellent technical communication, documentation, and design review skills.

Preferred Skills

Strong knowledge of:

• Precision machining and manufacturing methods
• Metrology and optical alignment techniques
• Supplier qualification and technical vendor management
  
  

Demonstrated ability to lead subsystems and take full ownership of hardware delivery.

General Requirements

• Ability to work in a quality-focused, fast paced operational environment.
• Ability to think critically and make independent decisions.
• Interpersonal skills to enable working in a diverse and dynamic team.
• Maintain a regular and predictable work schedule.
• Writing and delivering technical documents and briefings.
• Verbal and written communications skills as well as organizational skills.
• Travel occasionally as necessary.
  
  

Location: Hebbal, Bangalore