Lead Optical Sensing Development Engineer

Optics11 Life; Amsterdam; On-site; EUR 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

30 days holiday per year

Fresh team lunches five times a week

International organisation with 20+国籍

Competitive salary and benefits

Job summary

Optics11 in Amsterdam seeks a Lead Optical Sensing Development Engineer to own development of fiber-optic sensing solutions for demanding underwater environments. You will lead cross-functional teams from concept to industrialization, shaping sensor architectures, calibration methods and packaging concepts.

Join a fast-growing, international deep-tech scale-up with impact on product quality, manufacturability and reliability, collaborating with System Engineering, Verification & Validation,

Qualifications

• Master's degree or PhD in Optical Engineering or a related field.
• 10+ years of industrial experience in fiber-optic sensing or photonics.
• 4+ years leading multi-discipline design teams.
• Collaborative mindset with ability to mentor and influence technical decisions while staying hands-on.
• Experience with industrialization, manufacturing processes or design for manufacturability.
• Solid understanding of optical physics, sensor design and calibration principles.
• Experience developing and testing sensors from concept through product realization.
• Hands-on testing, characterization, data analysis and structured problem solving.
• Experience addressing environmental influences, drift, repeatability and reliability.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and engineering realization of optical sensor subsystems through the product lifecycle.
• Translate product and subsystem requirements into robust optical sensing solutions.
• Develop sensing principles, sensor architectures, optical assemblies and packaging concepts.
• Develop sensing solutions for temperature, pressure, heading and future capabilities.
• Design and evaluate concepts, prototypes and models through testing and analysis.
• Develop calibration methods and characterize sensor accuracy, repeatability and environmental performance.
• Analyze test results, identify failure modes and drive technical improvements.
• Lead technical investigations and root cause analyses related to sensor performance.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to resolve integration challenges.
• Support verification, validation and industrialization to improve manufacturability and repeatability.

Skills

Leadership

Hands-on engineering

Mentoring engineers

Cross-disciplinary collaboration

Technical decision making

Structured problem solving

Clear communication

Education

Master's or PhD in Optical Engineering or related field

Job description

Optics11 is a fast-growing high-tech company based in Amsterdam, developing advanced fiber optic sensing systems for the most demanding environments. Our technology detects the earliest signs of failure in critical assets – from high-voltage energy infrastructure to subsea and defense applications – and gives our customers precise, real-time data they can act on.

Within our Underwater Security business we develop sensing technologies that help detect and monitor underwater threats. Our solutions include OptiBarrier, designed for immediate, over-the-horizon threat detection, and OptiArray, our low-power optical thin-line towed array for unmanned underwater vehicles and submarines.

The Role

We are looking for a Lead Optical Sensing Development Engineer to take technical ownership of the development and realization of our optical sensing solutions.

In this role, you will develop robust fiber-optic sensing solutions used to measure parameters such as temperature, pressure and heading in demanding underwater environments. You will work across the full product development lifecycle, from early concepts and prototypes through testing, calibration, integration and industrialization.

As a senior technical contributor, you will combine hands-on engineering with technical leadership, working closely with System Engineering, Product Integration, Verification & Validation, Lifecycle Engineering and manufacturing partners to turn complex sensing concepts into reliable and scalable products.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and engineering realization of optical sensor subsystems throughout the product lifecycle.

• Translate product and subsystem requirements into robust optical sensing solutions.

• Develop fiber-optic sensing principles, sensor architectures, optical assemblies, packaging concepts, calibration methods and subsystem interfaces.

• Develop sensing solutions for temperature, pressure, heading and future sensing capabilities.

• Design and evaluate concepts, prototypes and engineering models through testing, characterization and analysis.

• Develop calibration methods and characterize sensor accuracy, repeatability, drift and environmental performance.

• Analyze test and verification results, identify failure modes and performance limitations, and drive technical improvements.

• Lead technical investigations, root cause analyses and engineering trade-offs related to sensor performance, stability and reliability.

• Work closely with multidisciplinary engineering teams to resolve integration and interface challenges.

• Support Verification & Validation and industrialization, improving manufacturability, calibration efficiency and production repeatability.

• Make and drive subsystem-level technical decisions while balancing performance, reliability, manufacturability, cost and risk.

• Identify technical risks and dependencies early and help teams find practical solutions.

• Contribute to design reviews and multidisciplinary technical discussions, creating alignment around technical direction.

• Mentor and support engineers within the optical sensing domain while remaining an active hands-on engineering contributor.

• Contribute to the continuous improvement and long-term development of optical sensing technologies and engineering practices at Optics11.

What we offer

• Join one of Europe's fastest-growing deep-tech scale-ups.

• Real impact: your work directly shapes our growth and success.

• A great team in an international organisation with colleagues from more than twenty nationalities.

• A competitive salary and benefits package.

• 30 days of holiday per year.

• Fresh team lunches five times a week, plus regular team activities and company events.

Requirements

• A Master's degree or PhD in Optical Engineering, Applied Physics, Photonics, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or a related technical field.

• Minimum 10 years of industrial experience in fiber-optic sensing, optical sensor development, photonics or precision optical systems.

• Minimum 4 years of experience leading multi discipline design teams.

• A collaborative mindset and the ability to mentor engineers and influence technical decisions without losing your hands-on engineering focus.

• Experience with industrialization, manufacturing processes or design for manufacturability.

• Solid understanding of optical physics, sensor design, optical assemblies and calibration principles.

• Experience developing and testing sensors or complex technical systems from concept through product realization.

• Hands-on experience with engineering testing, characterization, data analysis and structured problem solving.

• Experience working with environmental influences, measurement accuracy, drift, repeatability and reliability.

• Strong engineering judgement and the ability to make structured technical trade-offs.

• Experience working across disciplines and communicating complex technical topics clearly.

• The ability to take technical ownership, create clarity and drive engineering work forward in a dynamic development environment.

Nice to have

• Experience with Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) sensing technologies.

• Experience developing sensors for subsea, offshore or other harsh environments.

• Knowledge of precision mechanics, sensor packaging, materials and opto-mechanical design.

Screening

You will work with clients in the defense and security sectors. Obtaining a Certificate of No Objection issued by the AIVD, the Dutch General Intelligence and Security Service, is mandatory. This means you will need to undergo a security screening. We will explain the process and guide you through the applicable requirements.