Optical Designer (f/m/d)

QuantumDiamonds; München; On-site; EUR 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity program

Learning & development

Well-being & balance

Health & fitness

Team & culture

Job summary

QuantumDiamonds GmbH, headquartered in Munich, Germany, is seeking an experienced optical designer to develop imaging optics and illumination systems for NV-diamond sensors. You will design from scratch, model with Zemax, and validate prototypes, collaborating with engineers and vendors to push quantum sensing instruments toward production.

You will own subsystems end to end, write tolerance budgets, and script analyses in Python, contributing to high-performance measurement technologies used

Qualifications

• 5+ years of real optical system design experience.
• Fluency in ZEMAX, both sequential and non-sequential.
• Strong fundamentals in radiometry, etendue, aberrations, MTF, and tolerancing.
• Experience with Python for analysis.
• Hands-on lab skills: alignment, metrology.
• Working language is English.

Responsibilities

• Build illumination and imaging optics for NV-diamond sensors.
• Design custom imaging optics from scratch (high-NA, wide-field, long-working-distance).
• Own subsystems end to end: concept through production.
• Model and optimize in ZEMAX for imaging performance, uniformity, stray light.
• Define optical architecture: objectives, relays, afocal systems, filters.
• Write error budgets and tolerance studies.
• Validate models on the bench: build, align, characterize prototypes.
• Source and qualify optical components such as lenses, filters, objectives.
• Script analyses in Python and hand off specs to production.

Skills

Optical design

ZEMAX proficiency

Python scripting

Lab metrology

English writing

Tools

ZEMAX (sequential/non-sequential)

Job description

We are seeking a skilled and passionate optical designer to support the development of our quantum sensing measurement systems. In this role, you will design and optimize high-performance imaging optics and illumination systems that enable high-resolution, wide-field imaging and reproducible measurements. You will collaborate with engineering partners and vendors to continuously improve our current measurement instruments and bring new products to market, with a strong focus on imaging performance, illumination uniformity, and stray-light control.

Description

We are seeking a skilled and passionate optical designer to support the development of our quantum sensing measurement systems. In this role, you will design and optimize high-performance imaging optics and illumination systems that enable high-resolution, wide-field imaging and reproducible measurements. You will collaborate with engineering partners and vendors to continuously improve our current measurement instruments and bring new products to market, with a strong focus on imaging performance, illumination uniformity, and stray-light control.

Who we are

Founded in 2022 as a spin-off of TU Munich, QD leverages quantum sensors to rapidly capture three-dimensional current maps within multi-layer chips. Our strong, international team of over 70, including physicists, engineers, data scientists, and other experts, works side by side with major semiconductor manufacturers, supporting chip debugging and accelerating yield analysis. Backed by top-tier deep tech investors, semiconductor experts, and strategic public programs, we have ensured long-term stability, shifting from breakthrough to scale - and shaping the next chapter in chip testing.

Why join us?

Picture this:

• Quantum sensors that see inside the most advanced chips on Earth, right where two frontier fields collide.
• Nobel-Prize physics aimed at real customers with real problems, in production now, not someday.
• Physicists, data scientists, and engineers building side by side, turning deep science into tools the industry actually runs on.
• An international team that runs at hard problems for fun, where knowledge moves fast and so do you.

Still unsure about why joining us?

• You’ll get to build a company together with a brilliant and welcoming team on a product that has never been done before.
• From Day 1, you’ll own your own topics end to end and see the direct impact of your work on how the world sees QuantumDiamonds.
• Our technology is the cutting edge of tomorrow, starting today and not in 10 years.
• You’ll be part of a high-growth company backed by top-tier investors.

Let’s make the invisible visible!

What will you do

• Build the illumination and imaging optics at the heart of our NV-diamond sensors: excitation in, fluorescence out.
• Design custom imaging optics from scratch where no catalog solution exists, for example high-NA, wide-field, long-working-distance objectives, balancing competing constraints on resolution, field, and mechanical envelope.
• Own subsystems end to end: concept, design, tolerancing, prototype, production.
• Model and optimize in ZEMAX, sequential and non-sequential: imaging performance, illumination uniformity, stray light, and artifact mitigation.
• Choose and budget the illumination source from radiometry and etendue, and design the beam homogenization and shaping.
• Define the optical architecture: objectives, relays, telescopic (afocal) systems, pupils, telecentricity, and the excitation/emission filter and dichroic scheme.
• Write error budgets and tolerance studies that stay manufacturable and testable.
• Validate your models on the bench: build, align, and characterize prototypes, own the optical testing, and reconcile measurement with simulation.
• Source and qualify optical components such as lenses, filters, objectives, and sources.
• Script your own analysis in Python and hand off clean prescriptions, specs, and reports to production.

What is expected of you

• Strong optical-design ability. We hire for demonstrated skill rather than a specific degree; a background in optics, photonics, or physics is typical.
• 5+ years designing real optical systems, not just coursework.
• Fluency in ZEMAX, sequential and non-sequential.
• Solid fundamentals: radiometry, etendue and brightness, aberrations, MTF, tolerancing.
• You model in Python (or similar) and trust the bench over any single tool.
• Hands-on lab skills: alignment, metrology (interferometer, collimator, test bench), characterization.
• Clear, concise technical writing. Working language is English.

Bonus points

• High-power illumination sources and laser safety.
• Quantum sensing, NV centers, or ODMR.
• Semiconductor inspection, metrology, or failure analysis.

Our benefits

• Mission: At QD, we’re driven by more than just building great products - we aim to make a lasting difference. Joining us means contributing to meaningful work that goes beyond business as usual.
• Impact & growth: This is an exciting stage of our journey, and your voice matters. You’ll have the chance to shape our culture, influence key decisions, and grow alongside a company that’s scaling fast.
• Well-being & balance: We value rest and recovery. That’s why you’ll enjoy 30 vacation days plus public holidays to recharge and return inspired.
• Health & fitness: With a company-sponsored Wellpass membership, you’ll have access to countless gyms, classes, and wellness offers across Germany to stay healthy and active.
• Learning & development: Your growth is our priority. We provide an annual budget dedicated to courses, conferences, or any resources that help you expand your skills.
• Ownership & participation: As part of our equity program, you’ll directly share in our success and the value we create together.
• Team & culture: We believe the best ideas come when we connect outside the office. From regular off-sites to team events, you’ll be part of a collaborative and supportive environment.

About us

QuantumDiamonds GmbH, headquartered in Munich, Germany, develops and manufactures semiconductor inspection systems based on quantum sensing. Spun out of the Technical University of Munich in 2022, the company uses nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond to map electrical current with micrometer precision inside advanced 2.5D and 3D chip architectures. Nine of the world's ten largest semiconductor manufacturers are engaged with QuantumDiamonds, with systems deployed across Europe, the United States, and Asia. The company is investing €152 million to build the world's first production facility for quantum sensing-based semiconductor inspection tools, supported under the European Chips Act.