Optics Engineer

Optics Engineer Becoming is building Developmental Intelligence: AI for predicting how organisms change over time. Most experimental systems fail when metabolic demands become too high. We are building systems that don't — by combining engineered metabolic environments, sensing, control, and software into tightly integrated products that operate reliably over long time horizons. Hardware is core to our platform. It must work continuously, predictably, and under real biological constraints. We are hiring an Optics Engineer to architect and own optical subsystems within Becoming's integrated hardware platform. This is a senior builder role. You will design stable, production-grade optical systems that integrate tightly with mechanical structures, electronics, firmware, and data systems — and you will be accountable for their real-world performance. This is not a research imaging role. You will think in terms of alignment stability, signal integrity, manufacturability, and long-duration runtime. You will define specifications, make architecture decisions, and own outcomes. End-to-end ownership of optical subsystems inside complex hardware platforms Optical path architecture: illumination, detection, filtering, and signal optimization Component selection with attention to stability, lifecycle, and manufacturability Mechanical integration and alignment strategy under thermal and environmental constraints Electrical integration of detectors and signal acquisition systems Signal-to-noise optimization and drift mitigation Calibration frameworks and long-term stability validation Prototyping, stress testing, and failure analysis Documentation and standards that enable scaling You are someone who: Operates with high agency — you identify problems, define solutions, and execute Takes end-to-end ownership of what you build Brings high energy to complex, ambiguous engineering challenges Acts with high integrity — you are honest about tradeoffs, risks, and failure modes Communicates directly and clearly, especially when something won't work Is self-aware about your strengths and gaps, and proactively fills them Thinks like a systems integrator, not a narrow specialist Cares deeply about understanding systems at a first-principles level