---
title: 'Director, Optical Engineering at Eikon Therapeutics'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/director-optical-engineering-eikon-therapeutics-millbrae-zervqzv9zc4h'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-10-25'
---

# Director, Optical Engineering at Eikon Therapeutics

- **Company:** Eikon Therapeutics
- **Location:** Millbrae, CA
- **Posted:** 2026-10-23
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-25
- **Apply:** https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/eikontherapeutics/jobs/5261861007

## Job description

Eikon Therapeutics is a new biopharmaceutical company employing revolutionary technology at the intersection of chemistry, engineering, computation, and biology to discover novel treatments for life-threatening diseases. Eikon’s discovery platform is built on groundbreaking innovations from its founders (Nobel Prize, 2014), culminating in the creation of microscopes which enable real time, molecular-resolution measurements of protein movement in living cells, thereby unlocking otherwise intractable classes of proteins as drug targets.

Position

We are seeking a visionary and accomplished Director, Optical Engineering, to lead our dynamic team in the design, development, and optimization of advanced optical systems at the intersection of biology and technology. In this pivotal role, you will lead a team to drive innovation and shape the direction of optical engineering projects, contributing to groundbreaking advancements in biotechnology.

## About You

You have extensive experience designing and optimizing complex optical systems, with a specialization in imaging techniques and spectroscopy for biological applications. Proficiency with optical modeling and simulation software (e.g., Zemax or Code V) is a must for optimizing sophisticated optical designs. You bring demonstrated leadership in overseeing the assembly, calibration, and validation of advanced optical systems, along with strong analytical capabilities for interpreting intricate optical data and extracting meaningful insights. In-depth knowledge of optical components, detectors, imaging devices, and lasers is highly valued. You have a proven ability, and creativity, to solve challenging problems, troubleshoot optical systems, maintain their functionality, and drive innovation. Excellent communication and leadership skills are essential for building strong teams, fostering collaboration, and achieving results across diverse groups. Awareness of emerging optical technologies, trends, and industry developments is also important, as is a dedication to upholding ethical standards, safety practices, and regulatory mandates within optical engineering activities.

## What You’ll Do

- Lead a team of skilled optical engineers in conceptualizing, designing, and refining cutting-edge optical systems that play a pivotal role in our biotech research and applications.
- Utilize your extensive expertise in optical engineering and profound understanding of biological and technological domains to drive innovation and develop novel solutions for intricate imaging, data acquisition, and analysis challenges.
- Oversee end-to-end optical engineering projects, from initial ideation and design to prototyping, testing, and validation.
- Foster seamless collaboration across cross-functional teams, including software, data analysis, biology, chemistry, and other disciplines, to integrate optical systems into comprehensive solutions.
- Provide mentorship, guidance, and opportunities for professional growth to team members, fostering a positive culture of continuous learning and innovation.
- Stay abreast of emerging optical technologies, tools, and industry trends, contributing to the advancement of optical engineering methodologies.
- Conduct comprehensive optical characterization and analysis, deriving valuable insights from complex optical data.
- Cultivate strategic partnerships with external vendors, suppliers, and collaborators to remain at the forefront of optical advancements and components.
- Maintain meticulous documentation of optical designs, methodologies, and experimental outcomes.
- Uphold the highest standards of safety, ethics, and regulatory compliance in all optical engineering pursuits.

## Qualifications

- Post Graduate degree with 10+ years of relevant experience or a in Optical Engineering, Physics, or a related field.
- 4+ years of management experience leading a successful optics team to deliver innovative solutions for scientific problems.
- Extensive experience in designing and optimizing intricate optical systems, with specialization in imaging techniques and spectral analysis.
- Proficiency in using optical modeling and simulation software (e.g., Zemax, Code V) to optimize complex optical designs.
- Experience successfully delivering optical projects applied to biology and able to demonstrate some understanding of fundamental molecular cell biology.
- Demonstrated leadership acumen in overseeing the assembly, calibration, and validation of advanced optical systems.
- Strong analytical capabilities for interpreting complex optical data and extracting meaningful insights.
- In-depth knowledge of optical components, detectors, imaging devices, microscopy systems, and lasers.
- Experienced in developing optical solutions across all product maturity levels — from proof-of-concept and prototyping through pilot and production.
- Proven ability to solve complex problems, troubleshoot optical systems, and maintain their functionality.
- Outstanding communication and leadership skills, facilitating collaboration across diverse teams and effectively navigating inter-team dynamics.
- Awareness of emerging optical technologies, trends, and industry developments.
- Competency with large data set collection, analysis, and management.
- Dedication to upholding ethical standards, optical safety practices, and regulatory mandates within day-to-day activities in a lab and workshop environment.

At Eikon, employee compensation also includes bonus and equity compensation, in addition to several generous benefit programs, including:​

- 401k plan with company matching​
- Medical (premiums covered by Eikon at 95%), dental and vision insurance (premiums covered by Eikon at 100%)​
- Mental health and wellness benefits​
- Weeklong summer and winter holiday shutdowns​
- Generous paid time off and holiday policies​
- Life/AD&D Insurance (premiums covered by Eikon at 100%) and optional supplemental employee-paid life/AD&D policies ​
- Enhanced parental leave benefit​
- Daily subsidized lunch program when on-site​

The expected salary range for this role is $242,000 to $291,900 depending on skills, competency, and the market demand for your expertise. Eikon is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and will consider all qualified applicants for employment.

We are currently not accepting any new third-party agencies or firms at this time. Please do not forward unsolicited agency resumes to our website, employees or Human Resources. Eikon Therapeutics will not pay fees to any third-party agency or firm associated with unsolicited resumes.

## About Eikon Therapeutics

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Eikon Therapeutics is a late-stage clinical biopharmaceutical company that integrates single-molecule imaging, machine learning, and engineering to discover and develop novel therapies for oncology, immunology, and neuroscience.
- **Entity Type**: Public (NASDAQ: EIKN) – originally privately held, went public via a post-IPO equity round in 2026.
- **Headquarters**: Millbrae, California, United States
- **Founded**: 2019
- **Founders**: Not publicly named in the search results; the company was seeded by The Column Group.

## Core Business
- **Primary industry**: Biotechnology research and drug development (therapeutics)
- **Target customers**: Patients with unmet medical needs; the company partners with clinical research organizations, healthcare providers, and regulators.
- **Mission or purpose statement**: “Better insights will lead to better medicines” – the company aims to introduce new therapies that improve and extend life by deeply understanding human disease biology.

## Products & Services
- **EIK10 (TLR7/8 agonist)**: Phase 2 clinical program for solid tumors, leveraging immune response modulation.
- **VCP inhibitor (undisclosed target)**: Phase 1 program in oncology.
- **AR-v7 degrader**: Preclinical/early clinical program targeting androgen receptor splice variant in cancer.
- **PARP1 inhibitor**: Early-stage oncology program; also a CNS-penetrant PARP1 candidate for neuroscience.
- **AR degrader**: Preclinical androgen receptor degrader.
- **Discovery-stage programs**: Multiple undisclosed targets in oncology, immunology, and neuroscience, supported by the company’s single-molecule imaging platform.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not disclosed in search results; total funding of ~$1.5B as of mid-2026.
- **Key Metrics**:
  - Annual Revenue: $5.6M (reflective of early-stage, pre-commercial biotech).
  - Total Funding: $1.5B (seed, Series A $148M in 2021, Series B $518M in 2022, Series C $106M in 2023, and post-IPO equity of $381.2M in 2026).
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: The Column Group (lead seed/Series A), 18 investors in Series B, and multiple institutional partners across rounds; board includes industry veterans (e.g., Roger Perlmutter, former Merck CEO).
- **Growth Signals**:
  - Headcount grew ~2.7% YoY to 314 employees (2025–2026).
  - Active job postings increased 270% year-over-year (as of mid-2026).
  - Expanding pipeline into immunology and neuroscience beyond oncology.
  - Recent $351M financing event (reported by multiple outlets) to fund late-stage trials.

## Competitive Advantages
- **Proprietary single-molecule imaging platform** that enables real-time observation of protein dynamics at the single-molecule level, providing insights into disease mechanisms that traditional methods miss.
- **Machine learning integration** to analyze massive imaging datasets, accelerating target identification and drug design.
- **Deep bench of scientific talent**: Executives include Roger Perlmutter (CEO, ex-Merck), Roy Baynes (CMO, ex-Merck), and a team drawing from Genentech, Bristol Myers Squibb, Pfizer, and top academic institutions.
- **Cross-disciplinary approach** merging biology, engineering, and computation under one roof, reducing the “translation gap” between discovery and clinic.

## Strategic Focus
- **Advancing late-stage oncology pipeline**: Lead program (TLR7/8 agonist) in Phase 2, with plans to move into pivotal trials.
- **Expanding into new therapeutic areas**: Significant preclinical investment in immunology and neuroscience, with CNS-penetrant PARP1 and AR programs.
- **Continued platform development**: Scaling imaging and machine learning capabilities to enable faster, more precise drug discovery across multiple indications.
- **Building commercial infrastructure**: Post-IPO financing supports preparation for potential product launches and expanded clinical operations.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: Values-driven environment prioritizing execution, collaboration, innovation, transparency, respect, and caring for patients and colleagues.
- **Engineering & science fusion**: Opportunity to work at the intersection of advanced imaging, machine learning, and drug development – unique in biotech.
- **Growth trajectory**: Young company with strong funding, public listing, and rapidly expanding pipeline; employees can have significant impact.
- **Compensation**: Competitive base salaries (e.g., Software Engineer ~$140k, Senior Software Engineer ~$167k) plus equity incentives.
- **Work model**: Likely office-based at the Millbrae HQ or satellite labs in Hayward, CA; clinical roles may require travel; no explicit remote/hybrid policy in search results.
- **Perks**: Not detailed, but typical biotech benefits (health, 401k, PTO) are assumed; the company emphasizes a “transparent and inclusive culture” per its values.
- **Employee sentiment**: Overall rating 3.0/5 on LinkedIn (66 reviews); work-life balance 3.2, compensation 3.4, culture 3.0, career opportunities 2.9 – indicating room for improvement in career development.

## Sources
1. [eikontx.com](https://www.eikontx.com/)
2. [eikontx.com/about-us](https://www.eikontx.com/about-us/)
3. [eikontx.com/join-us](https://www.eikontx.com/join-us/)
4. [eikontx.com/pipeline](https://www.eikontx.com/pipeline/)
5. [linkedin.com/company/eikon-therapeutics-inc](https://www.linkedin.com/company/eikon-therapeutics-inc)

## Other roles at Eikon Therapeutics

- [Senior Scientist II, Computational Biology](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-scientist-ii-computational-biology-eikon-therapeutics-millbrae-ygmkgzq2eh2x) — Millbrae, CA
- [Executive Director, Automation Operations](https://feeny.ai/job/executive-director-automation-operations-eikon-therapeutics-millbrae-egq04879xm15) — Millbrae, CA
- [Lab Operations Supervisor](https://feeny.ai/job/lab-operations-supervisor-eikon-therapeutics-millbrae-x3vbjdmv2xtb) — Millbrae, CA
- [Senior Scientist I, Cheminformatics](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-scientist-i-cheminformatics-eikon-therapeutics-millbrae-2m0m09mnsw8c) — Millbrae, CA
- [Senior Manager, Pharmacovigilance](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-manager-pharmacovigilance-eikon-therapeutics-jersey-city-85a1kxt3zerr) — Jersey City, NJ
- [Clinical Quality Operations Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/clinical-quality-operations-manager-eikon-therapeutics-millbrae-0mczwgq31knh) — Millbrae, CA / Jersey City, NJ
- [Senior Director, Translational Medicine](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-director-translational-medicine-eikon-therapeutics-jersey-city-1697yzqsxsjb) — Jersey City, NJ / Millbrae, CA
- [Associate Director, Clinical Data Management](https://feeny.ai/job/associate-director-clinical-data-management-eikon-therapeutics-jersey-city-6rkwk4ya8pa0) — Jersey City, NJ / Millbrae, CA
- [Scientist, Computational Biology](https://feeny.ai/job/scientist-computational-biology-eikon-therapeutics-millbrae-feqcsff97ncf) — Millbrae, CA
- [Clinical Trial Associate, APAC](https://feeny.ai/job/clinical-trial-associate-apac-eikon-therapeutics-jersey-city-sx9zkksc0crg) — Jersey City, NJ / Millbrae, CA