Optimization Engineer Atom Mask · Barcelona Office

We’re on a mission to do something really, really small. You’ll craft the masks that bring our patterns to life.

Lace Lithography is seeking a motivated and talented Optimization Engineer to join our Mask Design team. In this high-impact role, you will help develop and deploy advanced nonlinear optimization solutions that are central to the performance of our lithography systems.

You will contribute to the formulation, implementation, and scaling of numerical optimization methods to solve complex, high-dimensional engineering problems. Collaborating closely with a multidisciplinary team of physicists, software developers, and hardware engineers, you’ll deliver robust, high-performance solutions to real-world manufacturing challenges.

This role is based in Barcelona, and will involve regular travel between our two locations throughout the year.

What you’ll do

• Optimization Algorithm Development: Design, implement, and refine large-scale nonlinear optimization algorithms for complex engineering systems.
• Mathematical Modeling: Translate physical phenomena and engineering challenges into mathematical optimization problems with clearly defined objectives and constraints.
• Solver Integration: Interface with solver libraries such as IPOPT or in-house tools using appropriate modeling languages or APIs. Contribute to the evolution and potential open-sourcing of internal NLP solver infrastructure.
• Code Implementation: Write clean, maintainable, and efficient scientific code in Julia, Python, or C++.
• GPU-Accelerated Optimization: Explore and apply GPU-based or parallel computing techniques to accelerate computationally intensive optimization routines.
• Performance Tuning: Debug and profile optimization routines for speed, numerical accuracy, and stability in practical deployment conditions.
• Testing and Validation: Design comprehensive test cases and perform validation to ensure the accuracy and robustness of optimization workflows.
• Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration: Work closely with physics and hardware teams to ensure strong alignment between mathematical models and real-world systems.
• Optimization Leadership and Collaboration: Serve as a company-wide resource on numerical optimization by supporting cross-functional teams, mentoring new team members, and fostering knowledge sharing.

Who you are

Required:

• PhD or Master’s degree in Applied Mathematics, Computer Science, Engineering, Physics, or a related technical field.
• Strong understanding of nonlinear optimization, numerical methods, and constraint handling.
• Hands-on experience with large-scale optimization problems in real-world or simulated systems.
• Familiarity with least-squares optimization methods and their practical implementation.
• Proficiency in at least one scientific programming language (e.g., Julia, Python, C++).
• Solid mathematical foundation in linear algebra, calculus, and numerical analysis.
• Proven experience in formulating and solving nonlinear optimization problems in research, academic, or industrial settings.
• Ability to debug numerical issues and interpret optimization results effectively.
• Eagerness to engage with engineering systems of high complexity and dimensionality.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to collaborate in a fast-paced, multidisciplinary environment.
• Familiarity with version control systems such as Git.

Preferred:

• Experience with optimization solver libraries (e.g., IPOPT, KNITRO, SNOPT)
• Exposure to GPU programming, high-performance computing, or parallel algorithms
• Experience contributing to scientific software projects or open-source tools

Our team here at Lace

…consists of amazing people who’ve joined us from all over the world, driven by intense curiosity, the urge for exploration, and a desire to push the limits of physics. We promise to offer you a place among highly motivated Lacers, present you with extremely difficult problems - and have a lot of fun solving them.

Workplace & culture

Lace operates out of two beautiful, vibrant, and strong-willed cities. Although we are cities apart, we strive to make the team feel as one.

We don’t define values - but we have one universal expectation:
Be the best team player you can be.

Perks and Benefits

Part of the team, part of the company

Competitive salary + equity through our incentive plan.

️ Wellness & Team Culture
€600 annual wellness allowance, weekly team lunches, monthly social events, and an annual off-site with the whole team.

Personal Development
Quarterly development goals with your manager and your own budget to learn and grow.

Smooth onboarding, wherever you're coming from
We support relocation and immigration to make joining Lace as smooth and welcoming as possible.

️ Travel between Lace locations
We encourage cross-site collaboration and support travel between our York, Barcelona, and Bergen locations to stay connected and aligned.