Principal Optical Engineer

Overview

In this role you will own the optical architecture for a next-generation holographic data storage platform, guiding designs from prototype to scalable production. You will work closely with mechanical and mechatronics engineers to ensure robust, manufacturable solutions that meet performance budgets. The role emphasizes design-for-manufacture and quantitative optical validation, using simulation-led methods to reduce prototyping. This is an onsite position in London with cross-functional impact on product roadmap and delivery.

Pay / Benefits

• 25 days annual leave
• employer pension
• competitive salary

Responsibilities

• Own the optical architecture and design strategy for the current product and future roadmap
• Define optical design intent from concept through to production
• Lead optical development across Engineering Verification, Design Validation and Production Validation
• Review, approve and sign off Zemax optical designs prior to manufacture
• Develop simulation-led optical designs to replace iterative prototyping with robust design methods
• Define optical performance budgets, tolerancing, error budgets, calibration strategies and constraints
• Optimize precision optical systems for encoding performance and system reliability
• Balance optical performance with manufacturability, packaging, cost and scalability
• Collaborate with mechanical and mechatronics engineers on system integration, alignment and precision motion
• Define clear optical requirements and communicate them across multidisciplinary teams
• Drive products from prototype to scalable, manufacturable production

Key requirements

• Significant industry experience in optical design or optical engineering
• Strong Zemax experience including design, optimisation and tolerancing
• Experience owning major optical architecture or optical design decisions within hardware products
• Experience taking optical systems from prototype into verification, validation or production-intent design
• Experience defining optical performance budgets and calibration assumptions
• Hands-on experience building, aligning, testing and validating optical systems
• Understanding of design-for-manufacture and design-for-assembly principles for optical hardware
• Experience working with optical suppliers on feasibility, tolerances and component selection
• Strong communication skills and ability to influence multidisciplinary engineering teams
• Experience leading through technical expertise rather than formal people management

• Strong communication skills
• Ability to influence multidisciplinary teams
• Hands-on, practical problem solving
• Zemax design, optimisation and tolerancing
• Optical architecture and design verification
• Calibration and metrology planning

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