R&D Optical Engineer

Baker Hughes is a global energy technology company serving the oil and gas sector across more than 120 countries. The Commercial & Sales organization drives growth by building strong customer partnerships, commercializing hydrocarbons, and delivering integrated equipment and service solutions. With a focus on digital transformation and energy transition, the team leverages data-driven insights to optimize sales performance and maximize customer value.

As an R&D Optical Engineer, you will lead the design, development, and validation of optical and electro‑optical systems. You will work closely with cross‑functional partners, suppliers, and manufacturing teams to ensure optical performance, manufacturability, and quality throughout the product lifecycle. This role supports innovation through technology research, patent development, and continuous improvement of optical solutions.

As an R&D Optical Engineer, you will be responsible for:

• Executing optical system designs from ideation through implementation, including design, prototyping, refinement, and validation.
• Adhering to business standards, engineering best practices, and product/program requirements throughout the development process.
• Collaborating with interdisciplinary teams to ensure optical parts and assemblies are manufacturable and achieve consistent quality.
• Partnering with suppliers to refine designs for optimal cost, performance, and manufacturing consistency.
• Contributing to innovation by researching emerging technologies and supporting the review and submission of patents.

• Have a Bachelor’s degree in Optics, Physics, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field.
• Have 5+ years of experience in the design and development of optical products.
• Have significant experience with optical modeling of electro‑optical systems, including alignment techniques, lens selection, MTF, and FOV analysis.
• Have hands‑on experience using optical design software such as Code V and/or Zemax.
• Have experience working with CCD and CMOS imaging systems.
• Have experience in illumination system design and micro‑optics.
• Be able to work onsite regularly at the Skaneateles, NY facility.

We recognize that everyone is different and that the way in which people want to work and deliver at their best is different for everyone too. In this role, we can offer the following flexible working patterns:

Working flexible hours - flexing the times when you work in the day to help you fit everything in and work when you are the most productive.

Our people are at the heart of what we do at Baker Hughes. We know we are better when all of our people are developed, engaged and able to bring their whole authentic selves to work. We invest in the health and well-being of our workforce, train and reward talent and develop leaders at all levels to bring out the best in each other.

Our inventions have revolutionized energy for over a century. But to keep going forward tomorrow, we know we have to push the boundaries today. We prioritize rewarding those who embrace change with a package that reflects how much we value their input. Join us, and you can expect:

•             Contemporary work-life balance policies and wellbeing activities

•             Comprehensive private medical care options

•             Safety net of life insurance and disability programs

•             Tailored financial programs

•             Additional elected or voluntary benefits

This position requires current work authorization in the country of employment. The employer is unable to provide or continue work authorization sponsorship for this role.

Candidates for this role (office-based/ hybrid/ remote) must be located in or near the locations displayed above. The pay range/scale displayed above represents Baker Hughes’ good faith estimate of the minimum and maximum for this position at the time of this posting and applies to the possible locations for this position. Baker Hughes will issue a non-bias competitive offer; the salary range posted for this position reflects the projected hiring range for new hires, full-time salaries in some U.S. locations, not including equity or benefits. Where an applicant will ultimately fall within the pay range/scale depends on a variety of factors, including, for example, geographic work location, skillset, qualifications, internal pay alignment, level of experience, and demonstrated performance over time. Please keep in mind that the range stated above is the full base salary range for the role and does not include other forms of compensation. Your recruiter can share more about the pay range for this position during the hiring process.

You will be eligible to participate in Company-sponsored benefit programs, including health & welfare programs and the Thrift Plan (401k). You will have a choice of coverage options that best suit your needs. Coverage options and contribution amounts are related to your benefit elections, base salary level, and specific requirements of each of these plans.

This position is eligible for our comprehensive and competitive benefits package, which can be found here, and is further eligible for additional forms of compensation such as bonuses subject to the terms of the applicable benefit plans or policies.