Photonics Engineer (Quantum Sensing) (f/m/d)

QuantumDiamonds; München; On-site; EUR 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Wellpass membership

30 vacation days

Equity program

Learning budget

Team off-sites

Job summary

QuantumDiamonds GmbH, headquartered in Munich, Germany, seeks a full-time Photonics Engineer (Quantum Sensing) to own the illumination and imaging systems of the widefield Quantum Diamond Microscope. You will join our Hardware Pre-Development Team, maturing concepts into lab-validated prototypes ready for product development.

You will apply hands-on photonics expertise to test optical setups, collaborate with optical designers, and use simulations to de-risk concepts while enabling fast

Qualifications

• Degree in Photonics, Optical Engineering, Physics or related field.
• Strong hands-on lab experience building, aligning and characterizing optical setups.
• Experience in optical system design and simulation (e.g., Zemax OpticStudio).

Responsibilities

• Tackle fundamental optical limitations across the full quantum-sensing system, from illumination to imaging, by developing and proving out ideas in the lab.
• Evaluate concepts through simulation prior to hardware, deriving requirements and feasibility.
• Stay updated on optical components, coatings and micro-optics to push performance.
• Drive fast, iterative development to de-risk new technologies.
• Ensure smooth handover of mature technologies to optical designers and document methodologies.

Skills

Hands-on optics

Systems thinking

Optical design

Zemax OpticStudio

Education

Degree in Photonics/Optical Engineering/Physics

Tools

Zemax OpticStudio

Job description

Description

QuantumDiamonds is building the world's first commercial quantum sensing tools for semiconductor inspection and failure analysis. As a full-time Photonics Engineer (Quantum Sensing), you will join our multidisciplinary Hardware Pre-Development Team, taking hands-on technical ownership of maturing the illumination and imaging systems of our widefield Quantum Diamond Microscope (QDM) from early concepts to lab-validated prototypes, ready for handover into product development.

Description

QuantumDiamonds is building the world's first commercial quantum sensing tools for semiconductor inspection and failure analysis. As a full-time Photonics Engineer (Quantum Sensing), you will join our multidisciplinary Hardware Pre-Development Team, taking hands-on technical ownership of maturing the illumination and imaging systems of our widefield Quantum Diamond Microscope (QDM) from early concepts to lab-validated prototypes, ready for handover into product development.
We are looking for someone with strong hands-on experience in photonics and optical technologies, who enjoys challenging technical limitations, thinks in systems, and can troubleshoot performance end to end. Your focus is on the earliest, most exploratory phase of our optical systems: proving out innovative concepts and assessing their feasibility, from early ideas to lab-validated prototypes. Throughout this process, you will work closely with the optical designers in our Product Development Team, culminating in a smooth handover of mature, validated technologies into serial-ready design.
Typical projects range from optimizing illumination schemes to increase photon collection efficiency and thereby magnetic field sensitivity, to advancing our imaging optics toward higher spatial resolution.
In this role, you will have the rare opportunity to significantly shape the illumination and imaging advancements on our technological roadmap and directly contribute to QuantumDiamonds' ambitious goals.

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

• Tackle fundamental, unsolved technical limitations across the full quantum-sensing system, from illumination and the diamond sensor to imaging, by developing new ideas and proving them out experimentally in the lab, systematically removing optical bottlenecks to improve key system parameters such as sensitivity and spatial resolution.
• Evaluate and de-risk optical concepts through simulation (e.g., ray tracing, beam propagation) before committing to hardware, deriving target requirements and predicting feasibility and limitations at an early stage.
• Stay on top of novel optical components, coatings, micro-optics, and modern fabrication possibilities, drawing on this knowledge to develop new ideas and approaches, and turning designs into physical prototypes.
• Drive fast, iterative development cycles that de-risk new technologies and generate quick feedback through a fail-fast, fail-cheap culture.
• Ensure a smooth handover of mature, validated technologies to the optical designers in our Product Development Team, documenting your methodology and findings along the way and building on close collaboration throughout.

What Is Expected Of You

• A degree in Photonics, Optical Engineering, Physics, or a related field, along with a few years of relevant hands-on industry or research experience.
• Strong, hands-on lab experience building, aligning, and characterizing optical setups, combined with the systems-level thinking to understand how illumination, optics, and the underlying physical sensor principle work together, troubleshoot real-world setups, trace issues to their root cause, and characterize their impact on overall sensitivity and spatial resolution.
• Experience in optical system design and simulation (e.g., using Zemax OpticStudio) to support your hands-on work.
• A curious, exploratory mindset: you enjoy testing new ideas hands-on and aren't afraid to challenge conventional approaches or think unconventionally when navigating the solution space.
• Strong communication and documentation skills, comfortable working in a fast-paced, iterative environment as part of a multidisciplinary team.
• Nice to have: broad, up-to-date knowledge of optical manufacturing technologies and emerging trends in the field.
• Nice to have: experience with widefield NV magnetometry or comparable microscopy technologies (e.g., fluorescence or confocal microscopy).

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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

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.