Optical Engineer, Test & Metrology
US$145,000 – US$175,000 / yr base salary
Posted 16 Oct 2026
Advertised as “Optical Engineer, Test & Metrology ”
BranchFactor Summary
The original posting with the fluff stripped out
- Expected experience
- 3+ yrs
- Management level
- Individual contributor
- Employment
- On-Site
- Contract
- Full-time
| Base salary | US$145,000 – US$175,000 / yr |
|---|
Field of studyOptics, Photonics (or related)
Study levelMaster's or higher
About Cowboy Space Corp:
Mission
Cowboy Space Corporation is solving the global energy crisis by building the infrastructure for abundant, resilient space-based solar energy. We are tackling one of humanity’s most complex engineering challenges with a world-class team dedicated to delivering a revolutionary power platform. Cowboy Space Corporation is transforming how civilization powers, computes, and connects - from orbit to Earth.
Background
Cowboy Space Corporation is building the infrastructure to power and connect the orbital economy. Our modular, scalable satellites collect sunlight in Low Earth Orbit to enable multiple integrated applications: transmitting energy via infrared lasers (space-to-Earth and space-to-space), powering on-orbit high-performance computing clusters (GPU/TPU), and providing secure, high-bandwidth optical data transport.
Current energy and data systems rely on complex logistics and outdated infrastructure. Cowboy Space Corporation overcomes these challenges by enabling direct, on-demand, secure, and scalable energy distribution and data processing from space. This will revolutionize how we operate in orbit and on Earth, supporting the rapidly expanding space industrial base, ISAM (In-Space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing) operations, remote regions, and military bases.
Baiju Bhatt founded Cowboy Space Corporation in 2024. Inspired by his father’s work with NASA Langley Research Center, Baiju earned his B.S. in Physics and M.S. in Mathematics at Stanford before co-founding Robinhood, now a public company that has helped over 20 million Americans access the financial system. Cowboy Space Corporation has raised ~$365 million from Index Ventures, Interlagos, Construct Ventures, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz, NEA, and others.
This ambitious mission demands extraordinary talent. Cowboy Space Corporation’s team has worked at places like SpaceX, Blue Origin, Stoke Space, Astranis, and NASA, and is based in San Carlos, CA. If you're ready to solve complex technical challenges and help build the most important energy company in the world, we want to hear from you.
About the Role
The Laser Engineering and Optical Communications team is hiring an Optical Engineer, Test & Metrology, to help design and run the tests that verify our laser and optical communications hardware, from individual components through full satellite integration. You will spend most of your time in the lab: building test setups, aligning optics, taking measurements, and turning data into results the design team can act on.
You will work alongside the optical, photonics, and laser engineers who design the hardware, follow that hardware through satellite integration, and take on increasing responsibility for test design and test campaigns.