Optical Manufacturing Engineer

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.

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.

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.

The Role 

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. 

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. 

Responsibilities