Materials Engineer, Optical Substrate

Snap Inc is a technology company. We believe the camera presents the greatest opportunity to improve the way people live and communicate. Snap contributes to human progress by empowering people to express themselves, live in the moment, learn about the world, and have fun together.

The Company operates Snapchat , a visual messaging app that enhances your relationships with friends, family, and the world, and Specs Inc. , a wholly-owned subsidiary dedicated to making computing more human, in addition to Bitmoji , Saturn, and other digital services.

Specs Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Snap Inc. dedicated to making computing more human. The company develops Specs, advanced eyewear that seamlessly integrates digital experiences into the physical world.

Specs feature see-through lenses that place digital objects directly into three-dimensional space, powered by Snap OS, a proprietary, context-aware operating system designed for natural interaction with your hands and voice.

Specs Inc. also provides Lens Studio, a full suite of advanced developer tools that powers immersive augmented reality experiences across Specs, Snapchat, and other services.

We are looking for a Nanophotonics Engineer to develop, qualify, and scale optical materials, waveguide processes, and measurement methodologies for next-generation augmented reality devices.

This role combines materials qualification with optical simulation, hands-on fabrication, metrology, mechanical and reliability testing, and technical engagement with suppliers. You will work across the complete development lifecycle: defining requirements, planning experiments, fabricating and measuring samples, benchmarking results against simulations, identifying root causes, and translating findings into robust product and manufacturing decisions.

What you’ll do:

Lead or support material and substrate qualification across polymers, glass, lithium niobate, silicon carbide, and other advanced optical materials;

Define sample requirements, test plans, acceptance criteria, and data packages for internal and external technical initiatives;

Perform and interpret optical measurements, including transmission, reflectance, refractive index, absorption, haze, scattering, efficiency, uniformity, luminance, MTF, and FOV;

Establish measurement methods and evaluate metrology capability for surface roughness, flatness, scattering, visual inspection, and wafer-level optical characterization;

Plan and execute experiments comparing optical simulations with measured performance, identifying discrepancies and closing the loop through design or process revisions;

Develop and refine fabrication processes, including wafer cleaning, nanoimprinting, thin-film coating, laser cutting, blackening, and waveguide stacking;

Develop reliability and mechanical test strategies covering flexural strength, impact and drop resistance, thermal exposure, UV weathering, humidity, dynamic fatigue, adhesion, and geometric stability;

Translate optical and process requirements into supplier-ready drawings, wafer layouts, mask data, cutting instructions, and technical specifications;

Collaborate directly with material, coating, wafer, and equipment suppliers to qualify capabilities, review technical data, manage samples, and resolve process challenges;

Coordinate cross-functional builds and trials alongside materials, process, design, manufacturing, reliability, and optical-test engineering teams;

Analyze experimental data, maintain rigorous technical documentation, and communicate key insights and recommendations to stakeholders and leadership.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities Strong core fundamentals in optics, nanophotonics, mechanics, waveguide physics, or optical materials;

Proven track record of designing…