Engineering - Senior Optical Engineer

Role Overview

The Senior Optical Engineer drives the design, development, validation, and ongoing support of automotive exterior lighting systems for heavy-duty OEM customers. This role leads optical design initiatives, collaborates with cross-functional teams, and ensures products meet regulatory, performance, durability, quality, manufacturing, and cost requirements while mentoring less-experienced engineers.

Role Details

Reports to: Engineering Manager. Leadership scope: Individual Contributor. Location: Madison, IN.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with project teams to interpret requirements and create new or improved lamp concepts that satisfy regulatory, customer, durability, and quality needs while meeting internal manufacturing process and cost targets.
• Design optical systems for exterior lamps using LEDs, reflectors, and various lens technologies such as Fresnel, pillow, and thick/TIR lenses, as well as light pipes, utilizing LucidShape and other tools.
• Plan and coordinate testing of lamps and components with goniometers, integrating spheres, spectroradiometers, and related equipment to verify compliance with requirements.
• Create and refine design, simulation, and test standards for lamp optical design and document these standards.
• Research, interpret, and apply regulatory requirements and industry standards, including FMVSS 108, UN Regulations R148–R150, and SAE Lighting Systems Group standards.
• Work with Manufacturing and Quality teams to troubleshoot and resolve issues related to manufacturing processes and quality controls.
• Partner with Purchasing to source components and validate suppliers, ensuring components are properly designed and specified to meet standards, minimize cost, and maximize supply chain flexibility.
• Collaborate with Sales on quoting new or revised business and managing customer interactions, including estimating part and capital costs.
• Mentor other engineers and team members in lamp quoting, design, manufacturing, validation, and related optical aspects.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in Optical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical field.
• 3–5+ years of optical engineering design experience in automotive exterior lighting (headlamps and/or signal lamps), with familiarity in relevant mechanical and electrical design principles and automotive lighting manufacturing processes such as injection molding, plastic part assembly, and coatings.
• Strong documentation, communication, and teamwork skills.

Technical Skills and Tools

• Extensive experience with LucidShape and related optical design modules; proficiency in Zemax, SPEOS, or other optical design software is preferred.
• Extensive experience designing optical systems using LEDs, molded lenses (including thick lenses), and molded or metallized reflectors for automotive lighting; other optical design experience may be considered.
• Extensive experience testing and validating optical systems using goniometers, integrating spheres, spectroradiometers, and related equipment.
• Injection molded plastic part design, with thorough understanding of injection mold tooling and plastic part assembly.
• Creo CAD experience is optimal, followed by Catia or NX and then other CAD systems.
• Ability to research, interpret, and apply regulatory requirements and industry standards related to FMVSS 108, UN Regulations R148–R150, and SAE Lighting Systems Group.
• Advanced GD&T application and tolerance stack-up analysis.
• Experience reviewing simulations and analyses related to optical design, including Vibration/Static/Thermal FEA, Thermal CFD, Mold Flow Analysis, and Part Measurement/Dimensional Analysis.

About Grote Industries

With a heritage approaching 120 years, Grote Industries is built on trust and a team-driven approach that provides a competitive edge. The company focuses on meeting customer needs through core values and continuous innovation, from durable stop lights to the latest LED lighting technologies. Grote has led advances in vehicle system solutions across North America and beyond, delivering design excellence for millions of customers.