What are the responsibilities and job description for the Optical Engineer & Color Scientist - LED Architectural Lighting position at WAC Lighting?
Job Title: Optical Engineer & Color Scientist
Remote with Business Travel
Global Headquarters: Port Washington, New York
WAC Group has disrupted our industry by challenging conventions and building sustainable products with integrity. With multiple thriving brands, our unparalleled, world-class organization includes WAC Lighting, WAC Home, Modern Forms Luminaires Smart Fans, Schonbek, dweLED, WAC Landscape, AiSPiRE, VENTRIX, Colorscaping and WAC Limited brands. WAC Group makes significant investments in breakthrough technologies, electronics research and development, and advanced engineering. Through eco-friendly manufacturing and giving back to our local and global communities, we are overcoming challenges with creativity and innovation!
Position Summary
The Optical Engineer will lead end-to-end optical system design, LED Selection and color science development for advanced LED lighting products across downlighting, projection, track, and linear platforms. This role combines deep expertise in photometric analysis, spectral modeling, LED package characterization, optical simulation, and standards compliance. The ideal candidate will be highly skilled in designing optical architectures for COB and discrete LED engines, optimizing beam performance, color quality, efficacy, and ensuring compliance with emerging Dark Sky, WELL standards and other sustainability standards. This position collaborates closely with product management, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and manufacturing teams to deliver world-class optical and color-rendering performance.
Key Responsibilities
Optical Design & Engineering
Education
We recognize people as our most valuable asset. Our competitive salary and benefits package includes: paid time off; medical & dental coverage (including family coverage), vision, life, 401(k); tuition assistance; and continuous training and development. For immediate consideration, please apply as directed. Given the high volume of responses, only qualified candidates will be contacted.
WAC is an equal opportunity employer and provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, genetics, or any other protected characteristic. In addition to federal law requirements, WAC complies with applicable state and local laws governing non-discrimination in employment in all of its locations. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including, but not limited to, recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.
Please note, all responsibilities outlined in the above job description are subject to change as needed. All efforts will be made to ensure proper notice is given for changes in responsibilities.
Monday through Friday, 8am - 5pm
Monday through Friday, 8am - 5pm
Remote with Business Travel
Global Headquarters: Port Washington, New York
WAC Group has disrupted our industry by challenging conventions and building sustainable products with integrity. With multiple thriving brands, our unparalleled, world-class organization includes WAC Lighting, WAC Home, Modern Forms Luminaires Smart Fans, Schonbek, dweLED, WAC Landscape, AiSPiRE, VENTRIX, Colorscaping and WAC Limited brands. WAC Group makes significant investments in breakthrough technologies, electronics research and development, and advanced engineering. Through eco-friendly manufacturing and giving back to our local and global communities, we are overcoming challenges with creativity and innovation!
Position Summary
The Optical Engineer will lead end-to-end optical system design, LED Selection and color science development for advanced LED lighting products across downlighting, projection, track, and linear platforms. This role combines deep expertise in photometric analysis, spectral modeling, LED package characterization, optical simulation, and standards compliance. The ideal candidate will be highly skilled in designing optical architectures for COB and discrete LED engines, optimizing beam performance, color quality, efficacy, and ensuring compliance with emerging Dark Sky, WELL standards and other sustainability standards. This position collaborates closely with product management, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and manufacturing teams to deliver world-class optical and color-rendering performance.
Key Responsibilities
Optical Design & Engineering
- Lead the design and development of complete optical systems for COB , discrete LED , and multi-source architectures.
- Create optical solutions for downlights , projectors , wall washers , track heads , and linear systems using reflectors, TIR lenses, hybrid optics, mixing chambers, and light guides.
- Perform optical simulations and ray-tracing (e.g., LightTools, TracePro, Zemax, SPEOS ) to optimize beam quality, output, UGR, and efficiency.
- Develop beam distributions including spot, narrow, medium, wide, oval, asymmetric, wall-wash, and custom profiles.
- Evaluate and specify secondary optics from global suppliers; interpret intensity distribution, candela plots, IES files, and lens datasheets.
- Conduct in-depth analysis of LED specification and color science including spectral power distribution (SPD) , wavelength curves , CCT , CRI/TM-30 , Duv , gamut , R9/Rf/Rg , and full binning structures.
- Evaluate and compare LED packages from major suppliers (e.g., Cree, Nichia, Citizen, Lumileds, Samsung, Seoul, Luminus, Bridgelux ).
- Interpret LED manufacturer data including LM-80 , IS , TM-21/TM-28 , TM-30 , thermal derating , voltage/current curves , and optical efficiency .
- Develop color mixing strategies for tunable white and RGB/RGBW systems including chromaticity stability, thermal droop compensation, and spectral optimization.
- Optimize color mixing strategies with optical designs for various products.
- Support calibration, tolerance analysis, and performance modeling for optical and chromatic uniformity.
- Ensure optical and color performance meets or exceeds industry standards including:
- LM-80, LM-79, TM-21, TM-30, TM-20
- Zhaga , ANSI , IES , UL/ETL, cUL, CCC, TISI, etc.
- WELL Building standards, Dark Sky / IDA compliance, Turtle Friendly applications (uplight control, CCT limits, spectral considerations)
- Apply eco-design principles related to efficacy, energy use, material choices , and emerging sustainability requirements.
- Lead photometric validation, lab testing, and prototype evaluation to verify distribution, color consistency, and system efficacy.
- Working with the test team in our China factory, interpret data from goniophotometers, integrating spheres, and spectrometers.
- Support thermal-optical trade-off analysis and long-term lumen maintenance modeling.
- Working closely with multiple development teams, Global R&D (primary function), Functional R&D, Modern Forms R&D, Schonbek R&D, to support incoming projects, support and recommendations, evaluations and feedback etc.
- Work closely with product managers to convert market/architectural needs into optical requirements.
- Partner with mechanical engineers to integrate optics into housings, heatsinks, trims, and glare-control systems.
- Provide technical guidance to NPI, quality, and manufacturing teams for LED selection, optics sourcing, and supplier qualification.
- Create clear, concise documentation including optical specifications, tolerances, and test reports.
- Support a multi-year global product roadmap aligned with commercial growth objectives.
- Support high-quality product specifications, business cases, and PRDs (Product Requirement Documents).
- Support comprehensive competitive analysis, positioning frameworks, and training deliverables.
- Regular performance analysis and competitive comparisons of WAC Products optics & fixture performance vs the market
- Develop new products that meet leading sustainability and material transparency standards, including RED List compliance, DECLARE certification, and WELL Building Standards.
- Support and maintain a robust system to track material composition, supplier data, and documentation required for Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs).
- Integrate eco-design principles into the product development process to reduce environmental impact, improve material efficiency, and support circularity.
- Support product documentation, transparency data, and sustainability attributes are readily available to meet growing specifier and regulatory requirements.
- Drive adoption of sustainability-focused product features that increase market competitiveness and support environmentally driven project specifications.
Education
- Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Industrial Design, Architecture, Business, or related field required.
- Master’s or PHD degree (Optical Engineering, Physics, Color Science, Photonics, or related field) is a plus.
- 5–10 years of optical engineering experience in the LED lighting industry .
- Strong proficiency in optical simulation tools ( Zemax, LightTools, TracePro, OpticStudio , etc.).
- Demonstrated experience designing optics for:
- COB LED systems
- Discrete LED arrays / boards
- Downlights , projectors , linear , wall wash , accent lighting
- Deep knowledge of LED color science, SPD analysis, binning, and photometric evaluation.
- Strong understanding of optical materials , TIR lenses, reflectors, micro-optics, diffusers, and color-mixing chambers.
- Able to read and interpret spectral graphs, candela plots, IES files, LED datasheets , and thermal-electrical curves.
- Familiarity with major LED suppliers and their product ecosystems.
- Comprehensive knowledge of LM-80, LM-79, TM-21, TM-30, TM-20 , ANSI C78.377, WELL, IDA/“Dark Sky,” and related industry protocols.
- Experience with performance modeling of efficacy , CCT/CRI stability , and thermal behavior .
- Experience in tunable white , human-centric lighting , UV/IR LEDs ,or narrow-band LED design.
- Familiarity with goniophotometer software, integrating sphere systems, and hands-on optical prototyping.
- Knowledge of environmental product declarations (EPDs), eco-design standards, and green-building frameworks.
- Strong analytical, experimental, and problem-solving abilities.
- Excellent communication and documentation skills; able to translate complex optical science for cross-functional teams.
- Ability to manage multiple projects, meet deadlines, and support rapid development cycles.
- Comfortable working with global teams and vendors.
- If not located at NY Headquarters, business travel at least 6x per year to HQ for team meetings.
- International travel 30–40% , primarily to our factories in China and Thailand .
- Additional travel to global trade shows (Lightapalooza, LEDucation, Light & Building), industry conferences (IALD), customer sites, and Company Launch Events.
- Ability and willingness for early morning/evening meetings to support international time zones.
We recognize people as our most valuable asset. Our competitive salary and benefits package includes: paid time off; medical & dental coverage (including family coverage), vision, life, 401(k); tuition assistance; and continuous training and development. For immediate consideration, please apply as directed. Given the high volume of responses, only qualified candidates will be contacted.
WAC is an equal opportunity employer and provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, genetics, or any other protected characteristic. In addition to federal law requirements, WAC complies with applicable state and local laws governing non-discrimination in employment in all of its locations. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including, but not limited to, recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.
Please note, all responsibilities outlined in the above job description are subject to change as needed. All efforts will be made to ensure proper notice is given for changes in responsibilities.
Monday through Friday, 8am - 5pm
Monday through Friday, 8am - 5pm
Salary : $130,000 - $150,000