Optical Design Engineer — Ophthalmic Systems

From Prescription to Product   Location :
Rotterdam, NL  Commitment :
Full time  Experience : 5+ years
You speak optics and ophthalmic fluently — and you know how to turn that into something real. At Add Optics, we develop next-generation ophthalmic and vision solutions. We're a small, driven tech team where every person owns their domain end to end.
We're looking for an Ophthalmic Optical Designer who combines strong optical design skills with deep knowledge of the vision industry — someone who can move from an Rx specification to a manufacturable lens design, and who can advise our engineering team with the confidence of someone who's done it before.
This is a product role. The designs you create will ship.
What You’ll Be Working On     Taking an ophthalmic brief — from Rx specification to product requirement — and turning it into a complete, manufacturable optical design

Being the bridge between the ophthalmic world and the engineering team: translating prescription parameters into physical lens properties, and explaining trade-offs in terms engineers can act on

Making optical design decisions across the full product lifecycle — from initial feasibility through to production-ready specs

Advising engineers on customer projects with timely, practical guidance on what's optically achievable and what isn't

Working with suppliers and manufacturing partners to ensure designs are producible within tolerance and at cost

Setting up optical metrology and quality control processes from the ground up — defining how performance is measured and accepted at each production stage, making the in/out-of-spec calls, and building the optical knowledge of the engineering team over time

Continuously improving how optical design is documented, specified, and handed off within the team

What We’re Looking For     5+ years of experience in optical design, with a meaningful portion in the ophthalmic industry

Fluency in ophthalmic lens language — sphere, cylinder, axis, prism, add power — and what these mean in physical terms

Hands-on experience designing multi-element optical systems, lens stacks, and ophthalmic products

Proficiency in Optic Studio (Zemax), CODE V, or equivalent optical design software

A practical DFM mindset — you design with the factory in mind from day one

Strong communication skills — you can advise engineers who don't share your background without losing accuracy

A degree in Optical Engineering, Applied Physics, or a related field

The Kind of Person Who Thrives Here   You've spent enough time in the ophthalmic world to know how prescription becomes product. You enjoy working across disciplines — talking to engineers, understanding manufacturing constraints, and making design calls that balance optical performance with real-world practicality.
What You’ll Get     A  high-ownership, high-impact role  in a growing deep tech company

The opportunity to  be the go-to optical voice  in a growing company

Close  collaboration with a sharp, cross-functional team  that respects domain expertise

We take the work seriously, and  we take the time to celebrate what we achieve together

Competitive salary and benefits

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