Job Summary
Cognex Corporation is seeking a highly skilled and experienced Senior Optical Design Engineer to lead the design, development, and optimization of advanced optical systems for our cutting-edge machine vision products. This role involves full lifecycle optical engineering, from conceptualization and simulation to prototyping, testing, and manufacturing support.
Job Responsibilities
* Lead the design and development of complex optical systems for industrial machine vision applications, including lenses, illumination modules, and sensor interfaces.
* Utilize optical design software---Zemax, for system modeling, simulation, analysis, and tolerancing.
* Conduct feasibility studies, trade-off analyses, and detailed performance predictions for new optical architectures.
* Collaborate closely with mechanical, electrical, and software engineering teams to ensure seamless integration of optical designs into overall product architecture.
* Specify, evaluate, and select optical components, materials, and manufacturing processes.
* Develop and execute optical validation and verification test plans, including setting up optical benches and performing critical measurements.
* Troubleshoot and resolve optical performance issues throughout the product development cycle and into production.
Job Qualifications
* Bachelor or above in Optical Engineering, or a related field.
* 5+ years of professional experience in optical design and engineering, preferably in industrial or scientific imaging, machine vision, or a related high-tech industry.
* Expert proficiency with industry-standard optical design software, Zemax is preferred.
* Strong understanding of imaging optics, illumination principles, lens design, stray light analysis, and optical coatings.
* Demonstrated experience with the full product development lifecycle, from concept to mass production.
* Hands-on experience with optical lab equipment, alignment procedures, and metrology tools.
* Familiarity with common optical manufacturing processes and their impact on design and tolerancing.
* Excellent problem-solving skills, with a methodical and analytical approach to complex technical challenges.
* Strong communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to clearly present technical information to diverse audiences.
* Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, collaborative team environment.
Skills Required
- Bachelor or above in Optical Engineering or related field
- 5+ years of professional experience in optical design and engineering
- Expert proficiency with optical design software, Zemax preferred
- Strong understanding of imaging optics and illumination principles
- Hands-on experience with optical lab equipment and metrology tools
Cognex Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Cognex and has not been reviewed or approved by Cognex.
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Healthcare Strength — Health insurance and dental coverage are included, and coverage is described as good compared to alternatives.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — A PTO/Vacation policy is in place and time off is generally considered reasonable; time away is treated as actual downtime without expectations to work.
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Retirement Support — A 401(k) match is offered and is characterized as solid, though not best-in-class.
Cognex Insights
What We Do
Cognex Corporation designs, develops, manufactures and markets a wide range of image-based products, all of which use artificial intelligence (AI) techniques that give them the human-like ability to make decisions on what they see. Cognex products include machine vision systems, machine vision sensors and barcode readers that are used in factories and distribution centers around the world where they eliminate production and shipping errors. Cognex is the world's leader in the machine vision industry, having shipped more than 4 million image-based products, representing over $10 billion in cumulative revenue, since the company's founding in 1981. Headquartered in Natick, Massachusetts, USA, Cognex has offices and distributors located throughout the Americas, Europe and Asia. For details visit Cognex online at www.cognex.com.
