FDTD Simulation Engineer (Visible Optics)

Cnuic Technologies; City of Edinburgh; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Life insurance

West Edinburgh office

Job summary

Cnuic Technologies, based in Edinburgh, seeks a principal optical engineer to design and simulate metasurface-enabled systems. You will work at the interface of electromagnetic theory, nanophotonic simulation, and macro-scale optical design, owning the end-to-end workflow from unit cells to system performance.

You will define tolerances, validate against experimental data, and help set technical direction for the optics team in a startup environment where priorities adapt to results.

Qualifications

• Strong theoretical and hands-on photonics background required.
• Ability to design, simulate and validate metasurface optical systems.
• Experience leading technical directions in optics projects.

Responsibilities

• Design and simulate metasurfaces and metamaterials using FDTD/RCWA.
• Own end-to-end optical and nanophotonic workflow across simulations to system-level
• Define tolerances, validate with data, and iterate designs for fabrication compatibility.
• Lead optics team direction and collaborate with simulation, hardware and systems teams.

Skills

Independent problem solving

Effective communication

Leadership

Tools

Lumerical FDTD

RCWA

Zemax OpticStudio

Code V

Job description

About the Company

Cnuic Technologies is a deep-tech company based in Edinburgh. We are building next-generation optical systems aimed at pushing the limits of precision manufacturing and nanoscale engineering. We are backed by substantial venture capital and have received grant support from several UK innovation agencies.

We are a small, focused team working on genuinely difficult hardware problems. The work is fast-paced and collaborative, and we give engineers the space and resources to do serious technical work. If you want to build something from the ground up and care deeply about getting the physics right, this is a good place to be.

About the Role

This is a principal-level engineering role focused on the design and development of metasurface
enabled optical systems. You will be working at the intersection of electromagnetic theory, nanophotonic simulation, and macro-scale optical design, taking ideas from first-principles.

At the core of this role is a deep understanding of how light interacts with matter at sub-wavelength scales. You will design and simulate metasurfaces and metamaterials using rigorous electromagnetic methods, manage the coupling of light from macro-scale optical systems into metastructures, and ensure that designs are both physically sound and fabrication-compatible.

You will own the end-to-end optical and nanophotonic simulation workflow. This means using Lumerical FDTD and RCWA for unit cell and structure-level electromagnetic analysis, carrying out dispersion analysis and effective medium theory (EMT) modelling, and then bridging to macro-scale system behaviour using Zemax or equivalent ray tracing tools. You will define tolerances, validate against experimental data, and iterate.

This is a lead role, so you will also help set technical direction for the optics team and work closely with colleagues across simulation, hardware, and systems engineering.

About You

• You are comfortable working independently and taking ownership of an open-ended technical problem without a detailed brief.
• You can communicate complex photonics concepts clearly to engineers from other disciplines and to leadership.
• You are happy to defend technical decisions in design reviews and take critical feedback constructively.
• You are comfortable in a startup environment where priorities evolve as experimental results come in.

Technical Requirements

Electromagnetic Simulation and Nanophotonics

• Strong, hands-on experience with Lumerical FDTD for sub-wavelength structure simulation, including metasurface unit cell design, near-field analysis, transmission/reflection spectra, and phase response characterisation.
• Solid grounding in electromagnetic theory relevant to nanophotonic design: effective medium theory, dispersion analysis, Mie resonances, and coupled-mode theory as they apply to dielectric and hybrid metal-dielectric metastructures.
• Experience designing and optimising metasurfaces for functional optical properties, such as spectral filtering, phase control, or polarisation manipulation.
• Familiarity with RCWA (rigorous coupled-wave analysis) as a complementary simulation method to FDTD for periodic structures.

Optical System Design

• Working knowledge of Zemax
  OpticStudio (or equivalent ray tracing tools such as Code V) for macro-scale optical system design, including modelling of light coupling from bulk optical components into metasurface or nanophotonic structures.
• Understanding of how to represent metasurface phase and amplitude response within a ray tracing environment, and how to iterate between the nano-scale and system-level simulations to optimise integrated performance.
• Experience with tolerance analysis, aberration management, and the practical constraints of manufacturing and alignment.

Benefits & Compensation

We offer a competitive salary appropriate to a principal-level role. In addition:

• Equity: A meaningful allocation from our option pool, reflecting the foundational nature of this hire.
• Life insurance: Standard comprehensive coverage.
• Office: A well-equipped, modern workspace in West Edinburgh, designed for both focused individual work and team collaboration, with dedicated areas to step away and recharge.