How to hire an optical scientist

How to hire an optical scientist, step by step

Here's a step-by-step optical scientist hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an optical scientist job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new optical scientist
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your optical scientist job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find an optical scientist for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them an optical scientist to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire an optical scientist that fits the bill.

   Here's a comparison of optical scientist salaries for various roles:

   Type of Optical Scientist	Description	Hourly rate
   Optical Scientist	Physicists and astronomers study the ways in which various forms of matter and energy interact. Theoretical physicists and astronomers may study the nature of time or the origin of the universe... Show more	$25-63
   Research Physicist	A research physicist's job is to conduct research into physical phenomena, develop theories based on observation and experiments, and devise methods to apply physical laws and theories. Their duties and responsibilities include describing observations, developing simulations, and advising authorities on procedures to be followed.	$24-51
   Health Physicist	A health physicist investigates research principles by which radiation interacts with living systems and matter. Health physicists study environmental radioactivity levels... Show more	$19-64

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • System Design
   • Zemax
   • Optical Design
   • Prototyping
   • Asap
   • Optical Components
   • Modulators
   • Interferometers
   • IR
   • Military Applications
   • Electro-Optical Systems
   • R
   • Raman
   • Aperture

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage sample inventory via in-house laboratory information management system (LIMS) and implement additional systems for sample and chemical organization.
   • Key activities include process chemistry development, synthesis of intermediates, compound purification and structure identification, and comprehensive scientific documentation.
   • Perform engineering research and development for numerous government fund projects, with problems focuse on adaptive optics and direct energy systems.

   More optical scientist duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your optical scientist job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. An optical scientist salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, optical scientists' average salary in south dakota is 59% less than in connecticut.
   • Seniority. Entry-level optical scientists earn 61% less than senior-level optical scientists.
   • Certifications. An optical scientist with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in an optical scientist's salary.

   Average optical scientist salary

   $83,856yearly

   $40.32 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level optical scientist salary

   $52,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 19, 2025

   Average optical scientist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Massachusetts	$89,351	$43
   2	California	$87,315	$42
   3	District of Columbia	$83,709	$40
   4	Washington	$81,724	$39
   5	Alabama	$76,203	$37
   6	Tennessee	$74,048	$36
   7	Arizona	$64,564	$31
   8	Hawaii	$50,335	$24

   Average optical scientist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Meta	$143,385	$68.94	603
   2	Apple	$139,648	$67.14	66
   3	Corning Incorporated	$107,673	$51.77	20
   4	Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory	$101,415	$48.76	7
   5	Cymer	$100,133	$48.14
   6	Los Alamos National Laboratory	$100,046	$48.10	9
   7	Oak Ridge National Laboratory	$99,096	$47.64	9
   8	M.I.T. International, Inc.	$93,878	$45.13	4
   9	Gst	$91,404	$43.94
   10	EMD Millipore	$91,272	$43.88
   11	Physical Sciences	$91,145	$43.82
   12	W. M. Keck Observatory	$88,140	$42.38	1
   13	CFD Research	$87,671	$42.15	1
   14	Cedars-Sinai	$87,499	$42.07	114
   15	Giant Magellan Telescope	$87,367	$42.00
   16	DCS	$84,898	$40.82
   17	HRL Laboratories	$84,780	$40.76	7
   18	Alcon	$79,849	$38.39	11
   19	The Research Corporation of the University of Hawai'i	$75,758	$36.42
   20	ManTech	$74,525	$35.83	28

4. Writing an optical scientist job description

   An optical scientist job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of an optical scientist job description:

   Optical scientist job description example

   Minimum qualifications:
   
   + Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering, Physics, Computer Engineering, or equivalent practical experience.
   
   + 5 years of experience working with camera optics hardware.
   
   Preferred qualifications:
   
   + Experience in Fourier Optics, Geometrical Optics, and Nano-optics.
   
   + Experience with improving optics design with AI algorithms.
   
   + Experience with Meta lens fabrication technologies.
   
   + Experience in lens design with CODEV / Zemax.
   
   + Experience in lens design with RCWA (Rigorous Coupled-Wave Analysis) and FDTD (Finite-difference time-domain).
   
   Our computational challenges are so big, complex and unique we can't just purchase off-the-shelf hardware, we've got to make it ourselves. Your team designs and builds the hardware, software and networking technologies that power all of Google's services. As a Hardware Engineer, you design and build the systems that are the heart of the world's largest and most powerful computing infrastructure. You develop from the lowest levels of circuit design to large system design and see those systems all the way through to high volume manufacturing. Your work has the potential to shape the machinery that goes into our cutting-edge data centers affecting millions of Google users.
   
   Google's mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful. Our Devices & Services team combines the best of Google AI, Software, and Hardware to create radically helpful experiences for users. We research, design, and develop new technologies and hardware to make our user's interaction with computing faster, seamless, and more powerful. Whether finding new ways to capture and sense the world around us, advancing form factors, or improving interaction methods, the Devices & Services team is making people's lives better through technology.
   
   + Explore image optics system design, modeling, simulation to advance the next-gen 2D and 3D imaging systems, and technology.
   
   + Explore the new lens design technologies such as freeform optics, meta lens, diffractive optical elements, evaluation of technology risk, and manufacturability.
   
   + Drive end-to-end optimization to bridge the gap between camera hardware and algorithms, collaborate with Software teams to define and deliver computational imaging optics solutions.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find optical scientists for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any optical scientists they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level optical scientists with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your optical scientist job on Zippia to find and recruit optical scientist candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with optical scientist candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new optical scientist

   Once you have selected a candidate for the optical scientist position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new optical scientist first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire an optical scientist?