Optical Design Engineer - CONTRACT -Up to £500 per day DOE ID49504

Humand Talent; England; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

Humand Talent Ltd. is seeking an Optical Design Engineer to own optical design work for high-performance systems. You will model, optimise and de-risk designs using Zemax OpticStudio, solving stray light, aberrations and tolerancing challenges.

Join a multidisciplinary team and help move prototypes toward scalable, serviceable products, with strong emphasis on documentation and clear technical communication.

Qualifications

• Experience in geometric and physical optics.
• Strong understanding of optical tolerancing and sensitivity analysis.
• Proven ability to move designs from build to test or manufacture.

Responsibilities

• Own optical design work for high-performance systems.
• Model, optimise and de-risk designs using Zemax or similar tools.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary engineers and scientists to deliver robust products.
• Document designs and communicate technical concepts clearly.

Skills

Optical design

Zemax OpticStudio

Geometric optics

Optical tolerancing

Python

Tools

Zemax OpticStudio

Job description

Want to design optical systems that actually make it out of the lab?

Enjoy solving complex problems across performance, reliability and manufacturability?

Ready to take real ownership in a growing specialist engineering team?

Our client is looking for an Optical Design Engineer to help develop advanced optical systems for demanding real-world environments. You’ll work across concept, modelling, build, test and productisation, helping turn sophisticated prototypes into robust, repeatable products.

This Role is Great

You’ll get to:

• Own optical design work for high-performance systems
• Use Zemax OpticStudio or similar tools to model, optimise and de-risk designs
• Tackle stray light, ghosting, aberrations, tolerancing and sensitivity analysis
• Work closely with scientists, mechanical and systems engineers
• Balance performance, reliability, cost and manufacturability
• Help shape design standards, documentation and supplier input
• Support the move from prototype to scalable, serviceable product

This is a hands‑on role with real influence, senior technical exposure and plenty of complex design challenges to get stuck into.

About You

Our client would love to hear from candidates with experience in:

• Geometric and physical optics
• Optical tolerancing, optimisation and sensitivity analysis
• Moving complex designs through build, test or manufacture
• Working in multidisciplinary engineering teams
• Clear technical communication and documentation

Experience with optical materials, free‑space propagation, coatings, Python, MATLAB, optical testing or safety standards would be a bonus — but you don’t need to tick every box.

Diversity and Inclusion

Humand Talent and our client welcome applications from all backgrounds. We are committed to an inclusive recruitment process and do not discriminate based on gender, race, religion or belief, disability, age, pregnancy or maternity, marriage or civil partnership, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, or any other protected characteristic.