Archangel Lightworks is a connectivity company building wireless technology to create the space-enabled networks of the future. We’re passionate about improving humanity’s communications infrastructure and solving some of Earth’s most critical problems from economic inclusion to climate change. Our start-up is a fast-paced and supportive environment, where you can make your mark as part of a growing team and work on the cutting-edge of innovation.
We’re looking for an Optical Engineer with both design and Assembly Integration and Test experience to join our engineering team and deliver transformative laser communications technology. You will be responsible for the development of our optical subsystems, from requirements definition to testing in the field. In this role, you will work closely with our Lead Systems Engineer and optical engineering team.
Your responsibilities will include:
- Design of laser communication terminal optical/photonic sub-systems for extreme environments.
- Requirement definition and trade off analysis for complex optical systems, finding the optimal balance of performance against cost.
- Modelling of optical system performance, optimization and tolerancing.
- Conducting practical breadboard testing to validate modelled data.
- Assembling, integrating and testing subsystems.
- Supporting system level testing and trials.
- Being the subject matter expert for optical and photonic systems.
- Managing suppliers of optical and photonic components.
- Providing technical leadership of subsystem development projects.
- Research and development.
Requirements:
- Experience defining requirements on optical systems, modelling and performing trades studies to inform design selection.
- Optical design/analysis experience using Zemax or similar software for design, optimization and tolerancing. (Sequential, non-sequential desirable).
- Hands-on experience with photonic components and systems, including lasers (CW and pulsed), optical detectors/receivers, modulators, and fibre/ free-space optics, with a solid understanding of underlying physical principles and performance trade-offs.
- Hands-on lab experience designing and carrying out tests for relevant optical systems.
Desirable additional skills:
- Experience with electronics for optoelectronic systems, including analogue front-ends, high-speed data converters, embedded/FPGAs, and power/EMI/thermal considerations.
- Experience with optical or RF communication systems, including modulation schemes, error correction, FPGA/SDR modem implementation, and relevant protocols (e.g. CCSDS, SpaceWire, Ethernet).
- Experience with high power lasers, optical amplifiers, and relevant safety requirements.
- Experience with optical instrument calibration and alignment, and procedure definition.
Location: Hybrid with travel when required. Our office is based in Osney Mead, Oxford.
Compensation & Perks:
- The opportunity to make a difference building cutting edge technology to support a world-changing vision.
- Options for hybrid working and custom arrangements that matter to you.
- 25 days annual leave allowance plus bank holidays.
- Equity options in a growing start-up.
- Investment in you to help you grow, with training resources and budget.
- Supportive team culture with high levels of ownership and responsibility.
- Regular socials and weekly team lunch.
- Variety of additional perks including learning and wellbeing app subscriptions.
Top Skills
What We Do
Archangel Lightworks is a laser communications company building high-volume, secure, wireless technology to create the space-enabled networks of the future. Today, space and terrestrial networks are not well-connected leading to insecure, insufficient, and vulnerable infrastructure. Nearly 3 billion people are unconnected and many more are under-connected. Subsea cables, which form the backbone of global network infrastructure, are at risk from climate disaster and bad actors. Links between satellites, which offer an opportunity for resilient connectivity, and the ground are reliant on radio, which is bandwidth constrained, finite and not secure. Archangel Lightworks was set up to solve the space-ground connectivity problem. Wireless laser communications (lasercom) technology offers new solutions; however, adoption of the technology has been slow due to availability concerns, lack of interoperability standards, difficulties associated with lasercom on the move, and high production costs. Our tech solves these problems. We are driving down the size, weight, power & cost (SWaP-C) of optical ground equipment to make space-ground lasercom available and affordable. Our core product, TERRA-M is a miniature optical ground station which is approximately the size of a mini fridge. Compared to traditional networks such as radio, the TERRA-M allows more licence-free data transferred at low probability of detection (LPD) and low probability of interception (LPI). TERRA-M brings deployable, resilient connectivity to wherever it is needed, solving some of Earth’s most critical problems from economic inclusion to climate change. Archangel Lightworks is based in Oxford, UK and Archangel Lightworks USA is based in Orlando, Florida.
