Optical Systems Engineer, Cameras

About the company

Efference provides high-performance perception and compute infrastructure for training and deploying robot models in the cloud. Our vision is to make robotic deployments scalable with shared compute.

We approach the problem by owning the entire path from the image sensor to the datacenter GPU. We shrink the load at the sensor, fix the uplink so robot traffic is fast and reliable, and clock synchronize the system so observations arrive time-aligned, ready for inference.

About the role

You'll develop the optics for Efference cameras, from optical requirements and lens selection through qualification and production. You'll work with sensor, ISP, and compression engineers to preserve the scene information robots need at the resolution and bandwidth the system can support.

What you’ll do

• Translate robot tasks and camera constraints into requirements for field of view, focal length, aperture, working distance, distortion, and image-plane performance.
• Evaluate existing lenses and develop custom designs with suppliers, accounting for sensor format, chief-ray angle, cover glass, filters, size, and cost.
• Model and measure MTF, relative illumination, chromatic aberration, distortion, stray light, flare, and focus across the field and operating temperature.
• Perform tolerance and sensitivity analysis, then define alignment and assembly procedures that maintain optical performance across production variation.
• Compare optical choices in the full camera pipeline, measuring the detail retained after sampling, ISP processing, and compression alongside downstream task results.
• Qualify suppliers and modules, establish inspection limits, and investigate yield or field issues using correlated optical, mechanical, and image data.

What we are looking for

• Experience designing, integrating, or characterizing imaging optics and camera modules.
• Strong grounding in geometrical and physical optics and an understanding of how lens performance interacts with CMOS sensors.
• Working knowledge of Zemax OpticStudio, CODE V, or equivalent optical design and analysis tools.
• Hands-on experience with optical metrology, lens tolerancing, alignment, and meaningful comparison of simulation and measurement.
• Ability to work directly with suppliers and explain optical tradeoffs to electrical, imaging, and manufacturing engineers.

Nice to Have

• Experience taking compact, wide-angle, stereo, or machine-vision cameras into production.
• Knowledge of active alignment, optical coatings, filters, environmental stability, or camera calibration.
• Python or MATLAB skills and experience with design of experiments, measurement repeatability, or production yield analysis.