Optical Metrology Engineer

We're looking for a highly skilled and experienced Optical Metrology Engineer to play a pivotal role in developing next-generation physical instrumentation. This role requires a strong technical background in photonics, physics, and engineering, with a focus on high-precision instrument design. The successful candidate will be a key contributor throughout the R&D process, from technology research to product development and manufacturing launch.

Responsibilities

Technology Research:

• Develop optical techniques for physical sensing, including measurement of microscopic displacement, velocity, and rotation

• Contribute your expertise to optical component selection, custom design and characterization, and instrument system design and testing

• Simulate performance of new designs, conduct experiments to discover and understand discrepancies between simulated and actual performance, and optimize design parameters

• Contribute to algorithm development for simulation, data analysis, and operation of software-defined sensor instruments

• Document all work and share relevant results.  Prepare reports for internal use, external publication, or patents as appropriate

• Continuously learn and apply knowledge from other areas of science and engineering (electronics, mechanics, physics, signal processing, etc.) to help develop complete instruments as part of a multidisciplinary team

Product Design:

• Develop robust, cost-effective, and manufacturable optical instrument products based on results of technology research

• Work with external suppliers to select components or design custom optics as needed

• Plan and conduct product verification testing, debugging, and optimization to ensure quality

• Provide manufacturing documentation for optical subsystems, and work with manufacturing engineers to launch and support new optical instrument products  

Key Competencies 

You are:

• both theoretical and practical, with initiative to make new ideas work

• an excellent problem-solver who has overcome complex technical challenges

• a clear communicator and diligent documentor of your work

• highly collaborative, able to work effectively across multidisciplinary teams

• adaptable and comfortable working in a dynamic R&D environment with evolving requirements

• Master's or Ph.D. in Optics, Physics, Electrical Engineering, or a related field with a strong emphasis on optics and photonics. Bachelor's degree with significant relevant experience may be considered

• 5+ years of experience in optical metrology, photonic engineering, or a related field, preferably in an instrument design role

• Strong theoretical and practical understanding of 

• Optics and wave propagation 

• Photonic components and related electronic circuitry

• Error sources such as optical aberrations and device noise

• Proficiency in data analysis and mathematical programming languages such as Matlab or Python.

• Proven practical experience with 

• Optical lab equipment, 

• Photonics components and suppliers,

• Metrology techniques such as interferometry 

• Experiment design, prototyping, debugging and product verification

Assets

• Knowledge of electrical engineering or electronic hardware product development

• Knowledge of experimental physics or geophysics