Optical Systems Engineer

Insight Technology Search; Aachen; On-site; EUR 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

Insight Technology Search in the Aachen region is seeking an Optical Systems Engineer who has recently completed a PhD or is transitioning to industry. You will join a small, multidisciplinary R&D team and work to understand how optics, electronics, thermal and mechanical disciplines interact within complete systems.

You will develop and test optical/lighting concepts, build prototypes, perform measurements, and use simulations to explain system behavior. On-site presence in Aachen is required.

Qualifications

• PhD in physics, photonics, optoelectronics or related discipline.
• Strong understanding of light and optical systems for lab and theory.
• Experience designing and analysing optical experiments in lab settings.

Responsibilities

• Support development and investigation of new optical / lighting systems and concepts.
• Build, test and characterise prototypes and experimental setups.
• Carry out optical measurements and analyse results.
• Use simulation and theoretical analysis to understand system behaviour.
• Investigate why systems don’t perform as expected and identify solutions.
• Collaborate with specialists from different engineering disciplines.
• Benchmark existing technologies and explore new approaches.
• Take increasing ownership of system-level technical problems.
• Develop toward a Systems Engineering / System Architecture role.

Skills

Optical systems understanding

Lab testing

Experiment design

Simulation

Cross-disciplinary teamwork

Education

PhD in Physics / Photonics / Optoelectronics

Tools

Optical measurement equipment

Optical simulation software

Job description

What if your first role after a PhD wasn't focused on one very narrow area of research, but gave you the opportunity to understand how an entire technology works?

We are supporting an international technology business with the continued growth of an R&D team in the Aachen region and are looking for an Optical Systems Engineer.

This could be particularly interesting for someone completing a PhD in Physics, Photonics, Optoelectronics or a related discipline who is considering their first move into industry.

We're looking for someone with a strong understanding of light and optical systems, who enjoys both the theoretical and practical sides of engineering.

Someone who is as comfortable in the lab testing an idea as they are understanding the physics behind it.

You’ll join a small, highly technical and multidisciplinary R&D environment, working alongside experienced engineers and System Architects.

The longer-term goal is to develop your ability to look beyond an individual component or technology and understand the complete system, how optics, electronics, thermal, mechanical and other technical disciplines interact.

Your work will include:

• Supporting the development and investigation of new optical / lighting systems and concepts
• Building, testing and characterising prototypes and experimental setups
• Carrying out optical measurements and analysing results
• Using simulation and theoretical analysis to understand system behaviour
• Investigating why systems don't perform as expected and helping identify solutions
• Working alongside specialists from different engineering disciplines
• Benchmarking existing technologies and investigating new approaches
• Gradually taking greater ownership of system-level technical problems
• Developing towards a broader Systems Engineering / System Architecture position

There will be plenty to learn. That's part of the point.

You could be finishing your PhD, currently working as a postdoctoral researcher, or already have some early industry experience.

We’re particularly interested in people with experience in areas such as:

• Physics / Applied Physics
• Optics and optical systems
• Lasers and light sources
• LEDs and semiconductor devices
• Optical measurement and characterisation
• Imaging or spectroscopy
• Optical simulation
• Experimental physics involving complex optical setups

If your PhD involved designing experiments, building optical setups, integrating different technologies, measuring performance, troubleshooting problems and figuring out why something wasn't behaving the way the theory said it should, this might be for you.

The position is based in the Aachen region of Germany.

This is a collaborative R&D and laboratory based position, so regular onsite presence is important.

If you're reaching the end of your PhD and wondering whether academia is still the right path, or you're already in a postdoc and would like to understand how your experience could translate into industry, I'd be very happy to have an initial conversation.