Optical Engineer - Lighting Products

We have an immediate opening for an Optical Engineer – Lighting Products to join our team! The Optical Engineer will design, develop, and optimize optical systems for advanced lighting products. The ideal candidate will work closely with mechanical, electrical, and industrial design teams to create high-performance optical solutions that deliver superior illumination quality, efficiency, and visual comfort. This role requires strong expertise in optical design, simulation, prototyping, and validation of LED-based lighting systems. This position reports to the Sr. Director, Engineering.

Responsibilities:

• Design and develop optical systems for LED lighting products, including lenses, reflectors, light guides, diffusers, and optical films.
• Perform optical modeling and simulation to optimize light distribution, efficiency, and glare control.
• Develop optical concepts that meet photometric, aesthetic, and regulatory requirements.
• Use optical simulation software (e.g., LightTools, Zemax OpticStudio, TracePro, or LucidShape) to model and validate designs.
• Collaborate with mechanical engineering teams to integrate optics into manufacturable luminaire designs.
• Work with suppliers to develop and evaluate optical components such as lenses, reflectors, and diffusers.
• Build and test prototypes, conduct photometric measurements, and validate optical performance using goniophotometers and integrating spheres.
• Analyze test data and iterate designs to improve performance, uniformity, and efficiency.
• Ensure compliance with relevant lighting standards and regulations (IES, UL, energy codes).
• Support new product development from concept through production release.

Key Competencies:

• Optical design and ray tracing
• LED optics and light distribution design
• Photometric testing and analysis
• Cross-functional engineering collaboration
• Product development lifecycle management

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in Optical Engineering, Physics, Electrical Engineering, or related field.
• 3 years of experience in optical design for LED lighting or illumination systems (commercial, architectural, automotive, or consumer lighting).
• Strong understanding of non-imaging optics and illumination design.
• Experience with optical simulation and ray-tracing software.
• Knowledge of LED sources, color mixing, light extraction, and glare control techniques.
• Experience working with injection-molded optics, reflectors, and light guide technologies.
• Familiarity with photometric measurement equipment and lighting standards.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and cross-functional collaboration skills.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience designing optics for architectural or commercial luminaires.
• Familiarity with IESNA lighting standards and photometric files (IES/LDT).
• Experience with tolerance analysis and optical manufacturing constraints.
• Knowledge of human-centric lighting, color quality (CRI/TM-30), and glare metrics (UGR).
• Experience with CAD tools such as SolidWorks or PTC Creo.
• Salary Range: $120,000 - $130,000 starting base plus bonus
• Summary of Benefits: Medical, Dental, Vision, PTO, Disability, Parental Leave, 401K w/ company match

Focal Point is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All candidates will be evaluated on the basis of their qualifications for the job in question. We do not base our employment decision on an employee's or applicant's race, color, religion, age, gender or sex (including pregnancy), national origin, ancestry, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic identity, genetic information, disability, veteran/military status or any other basis prohibited by local, state, or federal law.