Senior Optical Engineer

Microsoft
$119,800.00 - $234,700.00 / yr
United States, Washington, Redmond
Feb 24, 2026
Overview Are you passionate about building innovative devices and technologies that make a real impact? Join the Surface Team in Redmond, where we design and build devices that empower every person and every organization to achieve more. Our mission is to create desirable, high-performance products that deliver exceptional user experiences. This work is made possible through close collaboration between hardware and software engineers, designers, and manufacturing experts. We're building the next generation of Surface devices-and we'd love for you to be part of it. As aSenior Optical Engineer on the Surface Hardware team, you'll play a critical role in ensuring our devices meet the highest standards of quality and performance. You'll work across disciplines to validate and integrate the optical performance of Surface products. Your work will directly impact the customer experience and help shape the future of Surface products. Microsoft's mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others, and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond. Responsibilities Design Validation: Collaborate with the hardware and software quality teams to validate full-featured, high-performance, and robust hardware designs. New Technology Development: Collaborate with the hardware and software development teams to develop and validate new display technologies. Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with software engineers, electrical engineers, mechanical engineers, architects, and program managers to deliver innovative solutions. Debugging and Optimization: Identify and resolve integration issues to ensure seamless functionality between hardware and software components. Supplier Collaboration: Work directly with external suppliers to align technical requirements, validation plans, and issue resolution to support global development and manufacturing efforts. Automation and Test Development: Create or update automation scripts and test fixtures (mechanical, electrical, and software) to reproduce and stress low-frequency bugs. Customer Impact Analysis: Translate technical bug details into clear explanations of how they affect customer experience. Qualifications Required Qualifications: Bachelor's Degree in Optical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field AND 5+ years of technical engineering experience OR Master's Degree in Optical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field AND 4+ years of technical engineering experience OR Doctorate Degree in Optical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field OR equivalent experience. Preferred Qualifications: 2+ years experience with flat-panel display metrology. 2+ years experience with optical verification for mass-produced devices. 2+ years experience with optical metrology equipment and related verification methodologies. Experience with Display Technologies: Familiarity with developing or validating flat panel displays. Debugging and Problem-Solving Skills: Ability to troubleshoot modern consumer electronic device systems, write and debug code, and use hardware-level debuggers and diagnostic tools. Effective Communication: Strong verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to clearly explain technical concepts and collaborate across diverse teams. Test Automation: Experience designing and implementing test automation scripts using C#, Python, or other object-oriented programming languages. #W+DJOBS Optical Engineering IC4 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $119,800 - $234,700 per year. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $158,400 - $258,000 per year. Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here: https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-corporate-pay This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled. Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance with religious accommodations and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations.