Senior; Optics Systems Engineer

Overview

Are you the next Senior (Optics) Systems Engineer to help build and shape the architecture behind our next-generation laser processing platform? Opsydia would love to hear from you as we expand into new markets and unlock new technical opportunities.

Spun out from the University of Oxford in 2017, Opsydia is a specialist laser technology company harnessing decades of academic excellence and deep expertise in adaptive optics to enable the writing of features in transparent materials. Our writing technology has gone on to provide functionalities across scientific and industrial domains.

Our platform enables the creation of functional devices in optical glass, diamond, and other transparent media, powering disruptive applications in datacoms, quantum technologies, and advanced sensing.

As a Senior (Optics) Systems Engineer, you will take full system-level ownership of Opsydia’s next-generation laser-photonics products. This is a technical leadership role spanning architecture, integration, verification, and productization, ensuring that complex opto-electro-mechanical subsystems come together into robust, high-performance solutions.

You will lead the definition, design, and delivery of complete systems, balancing photonics, precision mechanics, automation, software, reliability engineering, and manufacturability. Working across early-stage R&D, customer engagements, and product development, you will play a key role in shaping Opsydia’s technical roadmap and maturing prototypes into deliverable, field-ready products.

• Lead system architecture from concept through requirements, detailed design, prototyping, verification, and release.
• Develop system-level specifications, performance budgets, and risk models across optical, mechanical, electrical, and software domains.
• Define and drive processes for system integration, validation, and troubleshooting.

• Integrate and optimise femtosecond laser sources for high-precision laser-matter interaction applications.
• Collaborate with laser manufacturers to define specifications, validate performance, and ensure long-term stability and repeatability.
• Manage system-level trade-offs involving beam delivery, adaptive optics, power stability, thermal management, and alignment tolerances.

• Architect and integrate high-precision motion systems (piezo, air-bearing, linear motor) with sub-micron or nanometre-level stability.
• Oversee opto-mechanical design for robustness in industrial environments, ensuring vibration control, thermal stability, and reliability.
• Work closely with the Software Team to achieve coordinated laser–stage performance.

• Combine lasers, adaptive optics, motion control, electronics, and machine vision into fully functional, production-ready systems.
• Use optical modelling and simulation tools to optimise performance and minimise error sources.
• Develop verification plans, test procedures, and system-level fault analysis frameworks.

• Define system-level control methodologies and sequencing alongside the Software Team.
• Ensure full compliance with international laser safety standards and implement appropriate interlocks, monitoring, and diagnostic features.
• Contribute to automation and workflow design that enhances stability, repeatability, and throughput.

You will have a deep technical background with extensive experience in photonics, laser systems, or precision instrumentation, ideally holding an advanced degree (Ph.D. or Master’s) in Physics, Optical Engineering, or a related field. You take full accountability for delivering complex projects from concept to deployment, ensuring technical excellence and timely execution within a collaborative team environment.

You will be able to demonstrate the following:

• Expertise in ultrafast laser applications, including femtosecond systems and adaptive optics.
• Proven experience developing and integrating precision motion-controlled stages for high-accuracy processes.
• Strong background in photonics-based applications,…