Senior Optics Manager

Abingdon, Oxfordshire (Hybrid) £65,000 - £83,000 + EMI Share Options + Private Healthcare + 3x Death in Service

Are you an experienced Optics Manager, Optical Engineering Manager or Senior Optical Engineer looking to lead the development of cutting-edge optical systems used in next-generation semiconductor metrology?

We're looking for a technically strong people leader to take ownership of our optics capability, leading a growing team whilst remaining close to the engineering challenges that make our products unique. This is an opportunity to influence optical strategy, develop high-performance teams, and help deliver world-leading metrology systems for one of the fastest-growing sectors in advanced technology.

Based in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, we're a highly skilled team of 100+ people developing breakthrough technology that enables the semiconductor industry to see and measure features at an entirely new level. Backed by leading investors including Applied Ventures, we're scaling rapidly and investing heavily in our engineering capabilit

About the role

This is a genuine player-manager role.

You'll lead a specialist optics team whilst remaining actively involved in optical system design, analysis, integration and problem-solving. You'll shape the future of our optics capability, influence product direction and help build the team as we continue to grow.

Working closely with engineering leaders, architects and project teams, you'll ensure our optical designs are robust, manufacturable and scalable whilst maintaining the technical excellence that underpins our products.

What You'll Be Doing

• Leading and growing a team of optical engineers through mentoring, coaching, recruitment and career development
• Providing hands-on technical leadership across optical design, analysis and system integration activities
• Defining and driving the company's optics strategy and engineering roadmap
• Supporting the development of complex optical systems for advanced metrology applications
• Collaborating across optics, mechanical, electronics, software and systems engineering teams
• Driving continuous improvement in engineering processes, tools and best practices
• Supporting design reviews, technical decision making and product delivery activities
• Managing specialist suppliers, contractors and external technical partners where required
• Balancing project delivery with long-term capability development

About You

You bring a combination of optical engineering expertise and leadership experience in a fast evolving, product-focused environment.

Essential Experience

• Experience leading, mentoring or managing engineering teams
• Strong background in optical system design and development
• Experience using optical modelling tools such as Zemax, Code V or equivalent
• Knowledge of optical analysis and modelling using tools such as MATLAB, Python or similar
• Experience integrating optics with precision mechanical systems
• Experience developing optical systems for real-world products, including manufacturability, alignment, tolerance analysis and long-term stability considerations
• Strong understanding of engineering product development lifecycles, including design reviews, requirements management and verification activities
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills

Desirable Experience

• Semiconductor equipment, metrology systems or scientific instrumentation
• Photonics, microscopy or precision optical systems
• Interferometer design and optimisation
• Optical microscope design
• Laser Safety Officer (LSO) certification or experience
• Matrix team leadership and project leadership experience
• Experience working with external optical suppliers and specialist manufacturing partners
• JIRA or similar engineering workflow tools