Senior Photonics Engineer

Senior Photonics Engineer – Bristol area, onsite role – Permanent opportunity – Competitive salary and generous benefits package.

Our client is a UK sovereign defence engineering company delivering a novel counter‑UAS capability for MOD, NATO, and allied customers. The programme is founder‑led, moves at startup pace, and is genuinely differentiated from prime‑tier defence engineering — smaller teams, faster decisions, and real ownership for senior engineers. Our client combines internal engineering delivery with partnerships across the UK’s photonics and defence research community, and the role advertised here sits at the intersection of those two worlds.

Our client is hiring a Senior Photonics Engineer to represent the company as a long‑term embedded member of a leading UK photonics research group in the M4 corridor / South West England area. The successful candidate joins our client as a permanent employee but is based five days a week with the research partner, working on advanced photonics research relevant to our client’s defence programme.

Regular visits to the main research laboratory are required to maintain integration with the wider engineering team. The horizon is genuinely long‑term, becoming our client’s in‑house authority in this technology area as internal capability builds.

Mid‑career industry engineer, 5‑15 years post‑graduation, with genuine hands‑on photonics and laser heritage.

Essentials
:

• Excellent interpersonal communication skills
• Prior experience working with lasers and setting up free‑space optical systems
• Strong understanding of light guidance principles including optical modes

Desirable
:

• Prior experience with high‑power lasers
• Experience in optical fibre fabrication
• Prior R&D industry experience

Industry‑shaped rather than pure academic — comfortable operating in a research environment on advanced technologies while remaining industry‑employed. Long‑term commitment mindset. Genuinely engaged with UK sovereign defence engineering as a mission.

Package competitive at mid‑career photonics engineering level, nationwide search with relocation allowance available for the right candidate. Start before Christmas 2026 is the target.