How many optics and photonics jobs are open right now?

There are 126 open optics and photonics jobs at 20 companies on Hiring Right Now as of Nov 14, 2026. 7 of them were posted in the last seven days. The list is rebuilt every hour from the employers' own careers pages.

Which companies have the most optics and photonics jobs?

Right now the most openings are at SpaceX (47), PsiQuantum (32), Lightmatter (19), IonQ (6) and Rocket Lab (3). The ranking changes as companies open and close roles.

Are there remote optics and photonics jobs?

4 of the 126 open optics and photonics jobs (3%) are listed as remote. Remote roles are often limited to certain countries or time zones, so check the location line of each job.

What do optics and photonics jobs pay?

The median advertised salary is $171K, based on 88 open roles that publish a yearly US-dollar range. The middle half of those roles advertise between $142K and $208K. These are advertised ranges, not verified pay.

How do I apply for optics and photonics jobs?

Open a job and press “Apply on company site”. You go straight to the employer's own careers page and apply there. Hiring Right Now needs no account and charges nothing for applying.

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Optics and photonics jobs

Q: What is an optics and photonics job?

In an optics and photonics job, a person designs lenses, lasers and light sensors for cameras, satellites and chips. 126 such roles are open on Hiring Right Now as of Nov 14, 2026.

Optics and photonics: a person in this job designs lenses, lasers and light sensors for cameras, satellites and chips. SpaceX, PsiQuantum, Lightmatter, IonQ and Rocket Lab have the most open roles with “Optics and photonics” or a close variant in the title right now.

126 open roles · 7 posted in the last 7 days · 3% remote · 20 companies hiring · $171K median advertised salary · checked Nov 14 against employer career pages

What these jobs pay88 of them state a yearly range in US dollars (bands in thousands). The orange column holds the median, $171K.

1225

<7575100125150175200250300+

Period	Count
under $75K	0
$75K to $100K	1
$100K to $125K	8
$125K to $150K	24
$150K to $175K	13
$175K to $200K	16
$200K to $250K	21
$250K to $300K	4
$300K and more	1

Three numbersOut of 126 open jobs in this list.

Can be done from home3%4 of 126 jobs

State the pay75%95 of 126 jobs

Are for beginners6%7 of 126 jobs

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United States All roles

Skills asked for in optics and photonics roles

Python69 · 55%C++29 · 23%MATLAB28 · 22%Linux14 · 11%SQL7 · 6%Machine Learning3 · 2%Verilog3 · 2%

Bars show the share of these 126 roles; one role can count in several rows.

Newest optics and photonics jobs

Showing the newest 100 of 114. The search looks through all of them by title, place and pay.

Who is hiring for optics and photonics roles

Where optics and photonics roles are

A role that lists several places is counted in each of them.

What optics and photonics roles pay, by level

Level in the title	Median advertised salary	Roles counted
No level in the title	$140K	42
Senior	$186K	30
Lead	$222K	16

Medians of the midpoints of advertised yearly US-dollar ranges; a level needs at least 15 such roles. Advertised, not verified pay.

Questions about optics and photonics jobs

What is an optics and photonics job?: In an optics and photonics job, a person designs lenses, lasers and light sensors for cameras, satellites and chips. 126 such roles are open on Hiring Right Now as of Nov 14, 2026.
How many optics and photonics jobs are open right now?: There are 126 open optics and photonics jobs at 20 companies on Hiring Right Now as of Nov 14, 2026. 7 of them were posted in the last seven days. The list is rebuilt every hour from the employers' own careers pages.
Which companies have the most optics and photonics jobs?: Right now the most openings are at SpaceX (47), PsiQuantum (32), Lightmatter (19), IonQ (6) and Rocket Lab (3). The ranking changes as companies open and close roles.
Are there remote optics and photonics jobs?: 4 of the 126 open optics and photonics jobs (3%) are listed as remote. Remote roles are often limited to certain countries or time zones, so check the location line of each job.
What do optics and photonics jobs pay?: The median advertised salary is $171K, based on 88 open roles that publish a yearly US-dollar range. The middle half of those roles advertise between $142K and $208K. These are advertised ranges, not verified pay.
How do I apply for optics and photonics jobs?: Open a job and press “Apply on company site”. You go straight to the employer's own careers page and apply there. Hiring Right Now needs no account and charges nothing for applying.

Kinds of work close to this one

Roles where employers ask for the same skills. The bar shows how much the skill lists overlap; the text names the shared skills and, where 30 postings state pay, the median advertised pay there.

Aerospace engineerPython, C++, Linux, MATLAB · $146K, $25K less Materials and process engineerPython, SQL, MATLAB · $122K, $48K less Electrical engineerPython, C++, MATLAB · $165K, $6K less Test and validation engineerPython, SQL, C++, Linux · $155K, $16K less Hardware engineerPython, C++, Linux, MATLAB · $186K, $15K more

Companies hiring optics and photonics engineers

Optics and photonics salary