Cabling Development Engineer

Optics11 Life; Amsterdam; On-site; EUR 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Optics11 is seeking a Subsea Cabling Development Engineer to lead the OptiBarrier cabling infrastructure from concept to deployment, ensuring robust optical and mechanical designs for long-term subsea operation.

You will collaborate with Product System Engineering, Verification, and suppliers, develop prototypes, perform testing, analyze performance, and support offshore deployment with documentation and risk management throughout the lifecycle.

Qualifications

• BSc or MSc in Mechanical/Optical/Marine engineering or related discipline.
• Minimum 5 years of experience developing complex fiber-optic, electro-mechanical, marine, or subsea systems.
• Experience with fiber-optic cabling, optical connectors, optical communication systems, or subsea cable infrastructure.
• Experience designing cable routing, strain relief systems, mechanical protection, or offshore cable solutions.
• Proficiency with SolidWorks or equivalent CAD systems to develop and review mechanical designs and drawings.
• Understanding of optical attenuation, optical power budgets, connector technologies, and optical link performance.
• Experience in multidisciplinary product development teams.
• Experience working with external suppliers and leading technical discussions with vendors.
• Strong analytical and structured engineering problem-solving skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.
• Eligible to obtain EU/NATO security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Own the development of the OptiBarrier cabling infrastructure throughout the product lifecycle, from concept to deployment.
• Design robust subsea fiber-optic cable solutions, including routing, connectors, splices, junction box interfaces, strain relief systems, and mechanical interfaces.
• Translate product requirements into reliable subsystem designs that meet optical, mechanical, environmental, installation, and lifecycle requirements.
• Develop prototypes, perform testing, and analyze optical and mechanical performance to improve reliability, manufacturability, and serviceability.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to resolve interface challenges and support verification, validation, and industrialization activities.
• Support offshore deployments and contribute to cable handling, storage, and deployment solutions for long-haul subsea applications.
• Perform engineering trade-off studies, identify technical risks, investigate root causes, and implement design improvements to increase robustness.
• Collaborate with external suppliers and technical partners on subsea cabling, optical connectors, and related components.
• Create and maintain technical documentation, specifications, interface definitions, and engineering reports.
• Contribute to a collaborative engineering culture by sharing knowledge and improving processes.

Skills

Subsea cabling

Fiber-optic systems

Offshore installation

Analytical problem-solving

English communication

Security clearance eligible

Vendor discussions

Project lifecycle

Education

BSc or MSc in Mechanical Engineering

BSc or MSc in Optical/Photonics Engineering

Marine Engineering

Tools

SolidWorks

Job description

As a (Subsea) Cabling Development Engineer at Optics11, you are responsible for the development and engineering realization of the OptiBarrier cabling infrastructure subsystem. Your primary objective is to develop robust engineering solutions that ensure the integrity, performance, and long-term reliability of the complete fiber‑optic link connecting the underwater sensing system to the dry‑end processing unit.

The cabling infrastructure subsystem comprises the complete optical path from the hydrophone interfaces and subsea junction box through the long‑haul subsea cable to the dry‑end interface, including optical connectors, splices, strain relief systems, cable protection, and mechanical interfaces. You translate allocated product and subsystem requirements into technical solutions that support reliable optical performance, manufacturability, offshore installation, and long‑term subsea operation.

You work closely with Product System Engineering, Product Integration, Verification & Validation, Lifecycle Engineering, manufacturing partners, and specialized suppliers to ensure the subsystem is successfully developed and realized as part of the overall product.

What you'll do:

• Own the development of the OptiBarrier fiber‑optic cabling infrastructure throughout the product lifecycle, from concept to deployment.

• Design robust subsea fiber‑optic cable solutions, including cable routing, connectors, splices, junction box interfaces, strain relief systems, and mechanical interfaces.

• Translate product requirements into reliable subsystem designs that meet optical, mechanical, environmental, installation, and lifecycle requirements.

• Develop prototypes, perform testing, and analyze optical and mechanical performance to continuously improve reliability, manufacturability, and serviceability.

• Work closely with multidisciplinary engineering teams to resolve interface challenges and support system integration, verification, validation, and industrialization activities.

• Support offshore deployments and contribute to the design of cable handling, storage, and deployment solutions for long‑haul subsea applications.

• Perform engineering trade‑off studies, identify technical risks, investigate root causes, and implement design improvements to increase product robustness.

• Collaborate with external suppliers and technical partners on subsea cabling, optical connectors, and related components.

• Create and maintain technical documentation, specifications, interface definitions, and engineering reports.

• Contribute to a collaborative engineering culture by sharing knowledge, supporting technical decision‑making, and continuously improving engineering processes.

Why Join Us?

• Join one of Europe’s most promising deep‑tech scale‑ups.

• Shape the future of a rapidly growing multidisciplinary R&D organization.

• Competitive salary and benefits package.

• Enjoy regular team activities and company events.

• Fresh team lunches provided 5 times/ week.

Qualifications:

• BSc or MSc in Mechanical Engineering, Optical Engineering, Photonics, Marine Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.

• Minimum 5 years of experience developing complex fiber‑optic, electro‑mechanical, marine, or subsea systems.

• Experience with fiber‑optic cabling, optical connectors, optical communication systems, or subsea cable infrastructure.

• Experience designing cable routing, strain relief systems, mechanical protection, or offshore cable solutions.

• Proficiency in working with SolidWorks or equivalent CAD systems to develop and review mechanical designs, assemblies, engineering drawings, and technical documentation.

• Understanding of optical attenuation, optical power budgets, connector technologies, and optical link performance.

• Experience working within multidisciplinary product development teams.

• Experience working with external suppliers and leading technical discussions with vendors.

• Strong analytical and structured engineering problem‑solving skills.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English.

• Eligible to obtain EU/NATO security clearance.

Nice to have:

• Experience with offshore, naval, or subsea engineering projects.

• Knowledge of subsea cable installation, deployment, cable burial, and long‑term offshore operation.

• Experience acting as a Subsystem Lead or technical lead within multidisciplinary engineering projects.

• Hands‑on experience with SolidWorks for mechanical design, assembly modelling, and detailed production drawings.

• Familiarity with systems engineering, product lifecycle management, verification, and configuration management.

• Experience with reliability engineering or offshore qualification standards.

Security & Compliance:

You’ll be working with clients in the defense and security sectors, obtaining a Certificate of No Objection issued by the AIVD (Dutch General Intelligence and Security Service) is mandatory. This means you will need to undergo a security screening. For more information, please refer to details on security screening.