Nanophotonics Engineer, Optical Materials & Substrates

Snap; Abingdon (VA); On-site; GBP 85,000 - 115,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid parental leave

Medical coverage

Mental health support

Equity benefits

Job summary

Snap Inc. is seeking a Nanophotonics Engineer to develop and qualify optical materials, waveguide processes, and measurement methodologies for next-gen AR devices.

You will work across the full development lifecycle, from requirements to manufacturing decisions, collaborating with suppliers and internal teams. The role requires PhD or 7+ years in optics/R&D, strong data analysis, and hands-on experience with optical testing and materials.

Qualifications

• PhD or 7+ years in optics/R&D with nanophotonics exposure.
• Hands-on optical experimentation and materials characterization.
• Ability to design experiments, analyze data, and deliver technical recommendations.

Responsibilities

• Lead or support material and substrate qualification across polymers, glass, lithium niobate, silicon carbide, and other advanced optical materials.
• Define sample requirements, test plans, acceptance criteria, and data packages for internal and external technical initiatives.
• Perform optical measurements, including transmission, reflectance, refractive index, absorption, haze, scattering, efficiency, and FOV.
• Establish measurement methods and evaluate metrology capability for surface roughness, flatness, and wafer‑level optical characterization.
• Plan and execute experiments comparing optical simulations with measured performance and close the loop through design or process revisions.
• Develop fabrication processes, including wafer cleaning, nanoimprinting, thin‑film coating, laser cutting, and waveguide stacking.
• Develop reliability and mechanical test strategies covering flexural strength, impact and drop resistance, thermal exposure, UV weathering, humidity, and adhesion.
• Translate optical and process requirements into supplier‑ready drawings, wafer layouts, mask data, cutting instructions, and technical specifications.
• Collaborate with material, coating, wafer, and equipment suppliers to qualify capabilities, review data, manage samples, and resolve process challenges.
• Coordinate cross‑functional builds and trials with teams across materials, process, design, manufacturing, reliability, and optical‑test engineering.
• Analyze data, maintain documentation, and communicate insights to stakeholders and leadership.

Skills

Optics fundamentals

Nanophotonics

Waveguide physics

Optical materials

Data analysis

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

PhD in Physics, Photonics, Optical Engineering, Materials Science, or Electrical Engineering

7+ years of relevant industry experience

Tools

Python

MATLAB

FEA tools

Job description

Snap Inc. is seeking a Nanophotonics Engineer to develop and qualify optical materials, waveguide processes, and measurement methodologies for next-gen AR devices.

You will work across the full development lifecycle, from requirements to manufacturing decisions, collaborating with suppliers and internal teams. The role requires PhD or 7+ years in optics/R&D, strong data analysis, and hands-on experience with optical testing and materials.