Senior Optical Systems Consultant

Senior Optical Systems Consultant

Company: Qualitas Technologies
Location: Bengaluru, Karnataka (Remote specialists may be considered for scheduled laboratory collaboration)
Experience: 5+ years in Optical Engineering, Imaging Optics, or Optical Systems Design

Employment Type: Project-based Consulting / Contract Engagement
Engagement Duration: Initial feasibility phase of 12 weeks, with a potential prototype phase of approximately 46 weeks, depending on project scope.

Job Overview

We are looking for an experienced Senior Optical Systems Consultant with strong expertise in imaging optics, optical system design, illumination engineering, and machine vision.

The consultant will be responsible for developing and validating a compact industrial imaging system capable of capturing consistent, high-detail, multi-angle colour images of objects with varying sizes, materials, surface finishes, and positions.

The role involves optical architecture design, lens and sensor selection, optical simulation, illumination design, glare management, folded optical paths, and experimental validation. You will work closely with machine vision, mechanical, and electronics engineering teams to translate imaging requirements into a practical, cost-effective optical solution.

Candidates should have hands-on experience taking optical designs from simulation through physical prototyping or production validation.

Key Responsibilities

• Define optical system specifications based on field of view, working distance, depth of field, image resolution, cycle time, and mechanical packaging constraints.
• Design, evaluate, and compare direct-view, wide-angle, fisheye, multi-camera, and folded-mirror optical architectures.
• Perform optical modelling and ray-tracing simulations to evaluate image quality, optical distance, clear aperture, distortion, occlusion, pixel allocation, and manufacturing tolerances.
• Select and evaluate industrial cameras, lenses, first-surface mirrors, optical filters, mounts, holders, and associated components.
• Assess camera sensor formats, pixel pitch, modulation transfer function (MTF), spectral response, lens compatibility, and imaging performance.
• Develop illumination strategies for challenging surfaces, including dark, bright, reflective, glossy, and film-wrapped objects.
• Evaluate diffuse lighting, polarisation, exposure settings, strobe illumination, and ambient-light compensation to achieve consistent image quality.
• Investigate stereo vision and Time-of-Flight (ToF) depth-sensing technologies for object localisation, size estimation, capture timing, and focus selection.
• Evaluate depth-sensing limitations with black, shiny, reflective, and transparent objects and support camera-to-depth calibration.
• Conduct laboratory experiments and optical bench trials to validate simulation results against actual captured images.
• Measure image quality at the centre and edges of the field of view, including resolution, distortion, glare, focus, colour consistency, and repeatability.
• Collaborate with mechanical and electronics engineers on optical packaging, mounting interfaces, alignment, integration, and prototype development.
• Coordinate with suppliers to assess component availability, technical suitability, and cost.
• Prepare optical design documentation, test procedures, validation reports, component shortlists, and bill of materials (BOM).

Mandatory Technical Skills

• Strong experience in optical engineering, imaging optics, optical system design, or electro-optical systems.
• Practical experience in sequential and non-sequential ray tracing and optical simulation.
• Experience with Zemax OpticStudio, CODE V, or equivalent optical design software.
• Experience with optical illumination simulation tools such as Speos, FRED, LightTools, or equivalent.
• Hands-on knowledge of lens and sensor selection, resolution analysis, MTF, focus, depth of field, and optical alignment.
• Experience with stray-light analysis, glare reduction, illumination testing, and image-quality validation.
• Understanding of wide-field imaging, optical distortion, aperture constraints, and optical-path design.
• Experience in physical prototype development, laboratory testing, or production validation of imaging systems.
• Ability to interpret simulation results, conduct experiments, document findings, and recommend technically feasible solutions.

Preferred / Additional Skills

• Python, OpenCV, or MATLAB for image analysis and calibration.
• Machine vision and industrial imaging systems.
• Fisheye lens correction and camera calibration.
• Stereo vision, 3D geometry, and depth cameras.
• Tunable lenses or liquid lens technologies.
• Optomechanical CAD interfaces and optical mounting design.
• Industrial camera SDKs, Linux-based image acquisition, and hardware integration.
• Experience in prototype-to-production development and supplier coordination.

Educational Qualifications

A degree in Optical Engineering, Applied Physics, Photonics, Electro-Optics, Electronics, or a closely related engineering discipline is preferred.

A postgraduate qualification is an advantage, but demonstrated experience in optical system development and validation is more important than the degree title.

Project Scope and Deliverables

The engagement is expected to begin with a paid feasibility study, followed by a prototype phase if the proposed design is viable.

Phase 1 Feasibility Study

• Analyse system requirements and technical constraints.
• Develop and compare 23 optical architecture options.
• Prepare optical ray layouts and image-quality/pixel budgets.
• Evaluate component availability and indicative BOM costs.
• Identify major technical risks and recommend a laboratory experiment.

Phase 2 Prototype Development and Validation

• Support component selection, optical assembly, and alignment.
• Conduct imaging and illumination trials using representative objects and surfaces.
• Validate image quality against agreed performance criteria.
• Document test results and recommend design improvements.

Final Deliverables

• Editable optical simulation models and associated inputs/scripts.
• Optical-path drawings and system architecture documentation.
• Component part numbers, alternatives, and indicative BOM.
• Mounting and optical alignment tolerances.
• Calibration procedures, captured test evidence, and a validation report.

The exact scope, timeline, acceptance criteria, and commercial terms will be agreed during technical discussions.

Ideal Candidate Profile

We are looking for a hands-on optical engineering specialist who can independently evaluate complex imaging challenges, compare alternative optical architectures, validate designs experimentally, and deliver practical engineering recommendations.

Candidates must be comfortable working with multidisciplinary engineering teams and translating optical simulations into demonstrable hardware performance.