<div class="content-intro"><p data-renderer-start-pos="41">K2 is building the largest and highest-power satellites ever flown, unlocking performance levels previously out of reach across every orbit. Backed by over $1 billion in total funding from leading investors including Altimeter Capital, ICONIQ, Kleiner Perkins, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Redpoint Ventures, and T. Rowe Price — and with over $1 billion in signed contracts across commercial and US government customers, we're mass-producing the highest-power satellite platforms ever built for missions from LEO to deep space.</p> <p data-renderer-start-pos="570">The rise of heavy-lift launch vehicles is shifting the industry from an era of mass constraint to one of mass abundance, and we believe this new era demands a fundamentally different class of spacecraft. Engineered to survive the harshest radiation environments and to fully capitalize on today's and tomorrow's massive rockets, K2 satellites deliver unmatched capability at constellation scale and across multiple orbits.</p> <p data-renderer-start-pos="994">With multiple launches in 2027 and plans to scale to 100 satellites a year, we're Building Bigger — helping develop the solar system and build toward a Kardashev Type II (K2) civilization. If you are a motivated individual who thrives in a fast-paced environment and you're excited about contributing to the success of a high-growth Series D-funded company, we'd love for you to apply.</p></div><p><strong><span data-contrast="auto">The Role</span></strong><span data-ccp-props="{"335559738":240,"335559739":240}"> </span></p> <p><span data-contrast="auto">K2's plan doesn't stop at the satellite bus. By operating our own vehicles and manifesting regular rides to space, K2 is positioned to design, test, and deploy ambitious optical payloads at scale — built around large aperture (100–300 mm), diffraction-limited, space-qualified telescopes collecting and transmitting optical energy from the UV to the infrared, for missions in MEO, GEO, cis-lunar space, and beyond. The bus is the platform; the payloads are the mission.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"335559738":240,"335559739":240}"> </span></p> <p><span data-contrast="auto">As an Optical Manufacturing Engineer, you will be the bridge between optical design and the production floor. Partnering with the Principal Optomechanical Engineer and the optical payloads team early in the design process, you will ensure manufacturability, build the first prototypes, design the build flow, fixturing, and alignment tooling, and finalize the process for transition to production. You will work hand-in-hand with the optical technicians who build and test the hardware, turning design intent into clear work instructions, in-process checkouts, and end-of-line tests. In your first 6 months you will develop cleaning, bonding, mounting, and alignment methods and tooling for optical subassemblies, define manufacturing flows for optical payload hardware, and provide Design-for-Excellence (DFX) guidance on optics, optomechanical mounts, and integrated electro-optical assemblies. In your first year you will implement these processes on flight hardware and scale them to high-rate production.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"335559738":240,"335559739":240}"> </span></p> <p><strong><span data-contrast="auto">Responsibilities</span></strong><span data-ccp-props="{"335559738":240,"335559739":240}"> </span></p> <ul> <li><span data-contrast="auto">Collaborate with the Principal Optomechanical Engineer and optical design team to provide DFX guidance across optics, optomechanical mounts, bonded assemblies, and integrated electro-optical hardware for initial design, flight hardware, and tooling</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559740":240}"> </span></li> <li><span data-contrast="auto">Develop manufacturing and assembly processes for space-qualified optical subsystems and large aperture telescopes, including precision inspection and cleaning, adhesive bonding and UV/thermal cure, mounting and torque, and alignment of freespace optics and fiber optic assemblies</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559740":240}"> </span></li> <li><span data-contrast="auto">Design alignment fixtures, bonding and handling tooling, and ground support equipment (GSE) that protect sensitive optics while achieving required tolerances and repeatability</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559740":240}"> </span></li> <li><span data-contrast="auto">Support the evaluation and selection of optical fabrication, assembly, and metrology equipment, and help develop the factory and cleanroom layout for in-house optics production</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559740":240}"> </span></li> <li><span data-contrast="auto">Develop in-process inspections, optical metrology, and end-of-line test methods (e.g., interferometry, autocollimation, wavefront and alignment verification), ensuring accuracy and data traceability across all builds</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559740":240}"> </span></li> <li><span data-contrast="auto">Create and maintain work instructions, travelers, and procedures in the Manufacturing Execution System (MES); lead root cause analysis and corrective action for nonconformances on optical builds</span><span data-ccp-props="{"201341983":0,"335559740":240}"> </span></li> <li><span data-contrast="auto">Support integration of optical assemblies with their electromechanical interfaces, includin