Senior Optical Design Engineer - Quantum Sensing

Summary A fast-growing deep-tech company is looking for a Senior Optical Design Engineer to take ownership of advanced imaging and illumination systems. You’ll design optical systems from first principles and take them through simulation, tolerancing, prototyping, validation and production. This is a hands-on role with significant technical ownership, working across optics, hardware, mechanical engineering and product development.

Responsibilities

• Own the design and development of complex imaging and illumination systems from concept through production.
• Design and optimise optical systems using Zemax OpticStudio, including sequential and non-sequential modelling.
• Develop custom optical solutions balancing performance, manufacturability and cost.
• Perform optical tolerancing, error budgets, radiometry, etendue, beam shaping and power budgeting.
• Analyse imaging performance, illumination uniformity, stray light and optical artefacts.
• Build, align and characterise optical prototypes and develop test methods.
• Work with suppliers and manufacturing partners through prototype and production transfer.
• Use Python or similar tools to analyse measurement data.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary engineering teams and help shape scalable optical design processes.

Requirements

• 5+ years' experience designing real optical systems professionally.
• Strong background in optics, photonics, physics or a related field.
• Strong Zemax OpticStudio experience, ideally across sequential and non-sequential design.
• Solid understanding of radiometry, etendue, aberrations, MTF and tolerancing.
• Hands-on experience with optical alignment, metrology and laboratory characterisation.
• Experience using Python or similar for modelling or data analysis.
• Strong problem-solving, communication and technical documentation skills.
• Fluent English.

Desirable: Experience with high-power illumination/laser safety, advanced sensing, semiconductor inspection, optical metrology or failure analysis. Experience with Quantum Sensing and NV centres would also be valuable. 

Benefits

• High-impact work on advanced deep-tech products with real-world applications.
• Significant technical ownership and opportunities for career growth.
• 30 days' holiday plus public holidays.
• Wellpass membership for fitness and wellness facilities across Germany.
• Annual learning and development budget.
• Equity participation.
• Collaborative international team with regular team events and off-sites