Materials Engineer, Optical Substrate (Nanophotonics)

Location: Abingdon, United Kingdom; expected to work in the office 4+ days per week

Company

hirify.global develops hirify.globalchat, Specs augmented-reality eyewear, hirify.global OS, Lens Studio, Bitmoji, and other digital services focused on making computing and communication more human.

What you will do

• Qualify optical materials and substrates including polymers, glass, lithium niobate, silicon carbide, and related materials.
• Define sample requirements, test plans, acceptance criteria, measurement methods, and technical data packages.
• Perform optical measurements covering transmission, reflectance, refractive index, absorption, haze, scattering, efficiency, uniformity, luminance, MTF, and FOV.
• Develop fabrication and waveguide processes such as wafer cleaning, nanoimprinting, thin-film coating, laser cutting, blackening, and stacking.
• Plan optical, mechanical, environmental, and reliability experiments; compare simulations with measured results and identify root causes.
• Collaborate with suppliers and cross-functional materials, process, design, manufacturing, reliability, and optical-test teams to resolve technical challenges.

Requirements

• PhD in physics, photonics, optical engineering, materials science, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, or a related discipline, or 7+ years of relevant industry experience.
• Hands-on experience with optical experimentation, materials characterization, photonic device development, or a related laboratory discipline.
• Strong fundamentals in optics, nanophotonics, mechanics, waveguide physics, or optical materials.
• Experience designing experiments, analyzing complex data, creating structured test plans, and maintaining traceable technical records.
• Practical experience with optical measurement systems, calibration, laboratory equipment, and technical test samples.
• Ability to correlate optical performance with material properties, process parameters, structural geometry, and measurement uncertainty.

Nice to have

• Experience with waveguide optics, diffractive optics, AR/VR displays, grating couplers, or nanophotonic devices.
• Experience with RCWA, ray tracing, optical modeling, nanoimprint lithography, thin-film deposition, wafer processing, or optical assembly.
• Experience with optical metrology, spectrometers, interferometry, profilometry, or custom measurement systems.
• Experience developing mechanical, environmental, or reliability tests and FEA models for optical components.
• Proficiency in Python, MATLAB, CAD, DXF, wafer-layout, or supplier-manufacturing data workflows.

Culture & Benefits

• Default-together working model with office attendance expected 4+ days per week.
• Paid parental leave and comprehensive medical coverage.
• Emotional and mental health support programs.
• Compensation packages that support participation in hirify.global's long-term success.
• Inclusive employment environment with equal-opportunity commitments.