Lead Laser Engineer

Lead Laser Engineer

Celestia Energy | Prague area, Czech Republic | Full-time | On-site

Build the optical systems behind laser power beaming

Celestia Energy is developing laser-based wireless power transmission for drones and remote assets. Our first system, Terra, combines a ground-based laser transmitter, precision tracking, safety systems and a photovoltaic receiver to deliver power without a physical connection.

We are looking for a Lead Laser Engineer to take technical ownership of our laser and optical systems and help turn a working prototype into a reliable, field-deployable product. This is a hands-on engineering leadership role, not a management-only position. You will make design decisions, build and align hardware, test it in the lab and in the field, and use the results to improve the system.

International applicants are welcome. Czech language skills are not required. You should be comfortable working in English and willing to be based in the Prague area for regular laboratory work and field testing.

What you will own

• Lead the design, integration and validation of the laser and optical subsystems, from laser-source selection and beam delivery to transmitter optics and receiver illumination.
• Develop and optimise beam shaping, collimation and propagation, balancing delivered power, beam divergence, pointing tolerance, thermal behaviour and practical operating constraints.
• Build a measured understanding of system performance through optical power budgets, beam profiling, alignment procedures, loss analysis and repeatable experiments.
• Work with mechanical, electronics and software engineers to integrate optics with beam steering, tracking, cooling and control systems.
• Define and verify optical safety requirements, interlocks and shutdown behaviour in collaboration with the engineers developing BeamGuard and Photon Handshake.
• Drive technical decisions, supplier evaluation and design reviews. Document the reasoning, test evidence and procedures needed to make the system reproducible.

What we are looking for

• Substantial hands-on experience developing and integrating high-power laser or optical systems, with responsibility for technical decisions and measured results.
• Strong understanding of laser physics, free-space optics, beam propagation, optical alignment and the practical limits of real hardware.
• Confidence working with laser sources, optical components and diagnostic equipment, including safe operation of high-power systems.
• Experience using optical design or numerical modelling tools, and the ability to validate models against experimental data.
• An understanding of thermal effects, optomechanical stability and system-level integration.
• The ability to turn an open-ended engineering problem into a clear design, test plan and decision.
• A degree in optics, photonics, physics or a related discipline, or equivalent practical experience. A PhD is welcome.

You do not need previous experience in laser power beaming. Relevant experience in industrial lasers, free-space optical communications, precision optical instrumentation or other demanding optical systems can be a strong fit.

Particularly useful experience

• High-power continuous-wave lasers and beam-delivery systems.
• Beam steering, pointing and tracking of moving targets.
• Outdoor optical propagation and performance under vibration, temperature changes or atmospheric disturbances.
• Laser safety engineering, fault analysis and verification of protective functions.
• Photovoltaic laser receivers, optical power conversion or thermal management.
• Taking optical hardware beyond a laboratory demonstration into repeatable field operation.

Why join Celestia Energy

• Technical ownership of a core part of the product, with direct influence on architecture and development priorities.
• Close collaboration with the founder and a multidisciplinary engineering team.
• Work that spans modelling, hardware, experiments and field deployment rather than a narrow isolated task.
• The opportunity to help establish the engineering practices and grow the optical capability of an early-stage company.
• Equity stake in the company along with an above-market salary
• Relocation and visa assistance

Our immediate focus is practical power delivery on Earth. Our longer-term ambition extends to space applications, built on the capabilities we develop and validate today.