Senior Optical Engineer

Company Profile

Location: Waterbeach, UK

Department: Engineering

Reports to: Mechanical Engineering Manager

Type: Full-time, Permanent

Company Profile

Thermoteknix Systems Ltd, founded in 1982 and based in Cambridge, is a world leader in thermal imaging, night vision, and augmented reality systems. Our award-winning technologies are trusted by defence, security, and industrial customers in over 70 countries. With in-house R&D, cutting-edge innovation, and a global reputation for quality, we design and manufacture solutions that perform in the toughest environments.

About You

The Senior Optical Engineer will be responsible for the design, development and optimisation of optical and opto-mechanical systems for the company's next generation of thermal imaging, night vision, augmented reality and electro-optical products.

The role will span the full product development lifecycle, from initial concept and optical architecture through modelling, prototyping, testing, design verification and transfer into manufacture. You will work closely with mechanical, electronic, firmware and software engineers to develop compact, high-performance optical systems capable of operating in demanding environments. This is a hands-on technical role with significant responsibility and the opportunity to influence both new product development and the evolution of existing product platforms.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and develop optical systems for thermal imaging, night vision, visible imaging and augmented reality applications.
• Develop optical architectures for compact imaging systems, including objective lenses, eyepieces, relay optics, fusion optics, display optics and sensor interfaces.
• Perform optical modelling, simulation and optimisation using industry-standard optical design software such as Zemax OpticStudio or equivalent.
• Conduct tolerance analysis and establish appropriate manufacturing and alignment tolerances.
• Analyse optical performance including MTF, distortion, aberrations, stray light, illumination, image quality and system resolution.
• Select appropriate optical materials, coatings, filters and components across visible, near-infrared and infrared wavelengths.
• Work closely with mechanical engineers on opto-mechanical design, packaging, alignment and environmental stability.
• Define optical requirements, specifications, interfaces and acceptance criteria.
• Support the NPI team to design and develop optical test methods, fixtures and measurement systems.
• Support the NPI team to build, align and characterise prototype optical assemblies.
• Support environmental qualification including temperature, shock, vibration and other demanding operational conditions.
• Work with suppliers on custom lenses, optical assemblies, coatings and specialist components.
• Review supplier designs, drawings, tolerances and optical performance data.
• Support design for manufacture and the transition of optical assemblies from prototype into volume production.
• Keep abreast of developments in optical technologies, sensors, materials and manufacturing techniques relevant to Thermoteknix products.

Required Skills & Experience

• Degree or higher qualification in Optical Engineering, Physics, Photonics or a closely related discipline.
• Significant professional experience in optical system design and development.
• Strong practical experience using optical design and simulation software such as Zemax OpticStudio, Code V or equivalent.
• Proven experience designing imaging optics.
• Strong understanding of geometrical and physical optics.
• Experience with optical tolerancing, optimisation and performance analysis.
• Good understanding of MTF, resolution, distortion, aberrations, radiometry and image quality.
• Experience taking optical designs from concept through prototype and into manufacture.
• Good understanding of opto-mechanical design principles and the interaction between optical and mechanical tolerances.
• Experience specifying optical components, materials and coatings.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work effectively as part of a multidisciplinary engineering team.
• Ability to communicate complex technical concepts clearly to both specialist and non-specialist audiences.
• A practical, hands-on approach to engineering and product development.

Desirable Skills & Experience

Experience in one or more of the following would be particularly advantageous:

• Thermal imaging systems and infrared optics.
• LWIR, MWIR or SWIR optical design.
• Germanium, chalcogenide and other infrared optical materials.
• Uncooled microbolometer-based imaging systems.
• Night vision goggles or image intensifier systems.
• Eyepiece and ocular design.
• Head-mounted displays, HUDs or augmented reality optics.
• Waveguide, combiner or see-through display technologies.
• Low-light and visible imaging systems.
• Stray light analysis.
• Optical coatings and spectral filter design.
• Optical metrology and MTF measurement.
• Precision optical alignment and active alignment techniques.
• Environmental qualification of optical systems.
• Ruggedised optical products for defence or aerospace applications.
• Design for manufacture of optical assemblies at production volumes.
• Working with international optical component and lens manufacturers.

Personal Attributes

We are looking for someone who:

• Has a strong technical curiosity and enjoys solving difficult engineering problems.
• Is comfortable moving between theoretical optical design and practical laboratory work.
• Takes ownership of technical challenges from initial investigation through to resolution.
• Has high standards for engineering quality and attention to detail.
• Is commercially aware and understands the importance of developing solutions that are technically excellent while remaining manufacturable and cost-effective.
• Enjoys working in a fast-moving engineering environment where products are developed from concept through to manufacture within the same organisation.
• Is comfortable working independently while collaborating closely with engineers from other disciplines.

Applicants must have the right to work in the UK at the time of application. Unfortunately, we are unable to provide visa sponsorship for our roles.

Why us?

Thermoteknix provides the opportunity to work on genuinely innovative optical and electro-optical technologies within an established, independent British engineering company. The successful candidate will work directly on advanced products used by customers worldwide and will have significant involvement throughout the complete engineering lifecycle, from early-stage concepts and experimental prototypes through to fully manufactured products.

The position offers considerable technical variety, responsibility and the opportunity to contribute directly to the development of the next generation of Thermoteknix imaging and augmented reality technologies.