<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="none">K2’s plan doesn't stop at satellite buses, however. By operating our own vehicles and manifesting regular rides to space, K2 is uniquely positioned to design, test, and deploy-at-scale ambitious optical payloads in MEO, GEO, cis-lunar, and deep space on unprecedented timelines. The satellite bus is the platform – the payloads are the mission.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"335559738":240,"335559739":240}"> </span></p> <p><span data-contrast="none">There are any number of space-based optical payloads that can generate value here on Earth (ex. forest fire detection, climate and atmospheric monitoring, etc.) and further planetary science in our solar system (ex. hyper-spectral imaging, laser-altimetry) -- all of which require payload-specific optics benches with spectral / spatial filters, beam-shaping optics, image scanning / stabilization mechanisms, electro-optical sensors, fiber-to-free space interfaces, etc. coupled to large aperture, diffraction-limited telescopes for collecting and transmitting optical energy from the UV to the infrared.</span><span data-ccp-props="{"335559738":240,"335559739":240}"> </span></p> <p><span data-contrast="auto">As an Optical Systems Engineer, you will contribute to defining how K2 designs, manufactures, tests, and deploys optics benches across K2’s optical payload suite. You will be involved in every phase of your optical system’s life cycle, from initial feasibility and architectural trade studies through manufacturing, ground testing, and on-orbit commissioning. The development timelines and manufacturing scale that we are targeting require meaningful innovation</span><span data-contrast="none">, but you will have the resources and full support of K2 to make this possible and help raise the bar for the next generation of space technology companies.</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="none">Responsible for delivering the...</span><span data-ccp-props="{"335559738":220,"335559739":220}"> </span></li> </ul> <ol> <li><span data-contrast="none">system architecture, SNR budget, and system-specific modeling (ex. stray light, fiber coupling);</span><span data-ccp-props="{"335559738":220,"335559739":220}"> </span></li> <li><span data-contrast="none">detailed optical design and tolerancing;</span><span data-ccp-props="{"335559738":220,"335559739":220}"> </span></li> <li><span data-contrast="none">development plan (risk reduction timeline, division of labor, test strategy);</span><span data-ccp-props="{"335559738":220,"335559739":220}"> </span></li> <li><span data-contrast="none">environmental qualification and reliability testing;</span><span data-ccp-props="{"335559738":220,"335559739":220}"> </span></li> <li><span data-contrast="none">technical leadership of vendors and external partners, including component qualification, supply-chain development, and transition to volume manufacturing; and</span><span data-ccp-props="{"335559738":220,"335559739":220}"> </span></li> <li><span data-contrast="none">laboratory characterization, system-level validation, mission readiness, and on-orbit commissioning plan</span><span data-ccp-props="{"335559738":220,"335559739":220}"> </span></li> </ol> <p><span data-contrast="none">… of optical benches for a suite of high-volume optical