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Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md). --- # Optical and Applications Engineer - **Company:** Singular Photonics - **Location:** Edinburgh, UK (Remote available) - **Experience:** Experienced - **Salary:** £44,949.0 - **Contract:** Permanent contract - **Skills:** Application Notes, Application Services, C++ (Programming Language), Software Documentation, Firmware, Python (Programming Language), LabVIEW, MATLAB, Software Engineering, Zemax, Data Processing, Application Specific Integrated Circuits, Modeling and Simulation, Lidar - **Published:** November 3, 2026 - **Apply:** https://www.adzuna.co.uk/jobs/details/5951144755 ## About the Role * Hands-on experience in optical system assembly, alignment, testing and troubleshooting. * Experience of optical system design and simulation, using Zemax or an equivalent tool. * Proficiency in at least one of Python, MATLAB, C/C++ or LabVIEW for instrument control and data processing. * Working knowledge of photon counting or time-resolved techniques such as TCSPC. * Able to explain technical work clearly to colleagues, customers and non-specialists. * Comfortable in a small company where priorities shift and everyone pitches in. Desirable: * Experience in quantum optics: photon correlation and g2 measurements, coincidence counting, entangled photon pair sources, quantum imaging or quantum key distribution. * Direct experience with SPAD cameras, image sensors or single-photon detection systems. * Application knowledge in LiDAR, FLIM, Raman spectroscopy, microscopy or other imaging modalities. * Optomechanical integration and system prototyping. * Contributions to scientific publications or patent filings. * Experience of working within an ISO 9001 quality management system. Degree in Optical Engineering, Physics, Photonics, Quantum Optics or a related field and 3-6 years' industrial experience in a relevant role. * Scientific Rigour: Designs and runs experiments carefully, and is clear about what a measurement does and does not show. * Hands-On Experimentalist: Happy on the optical bench, and systematic when a setup is not behaving as the simulation said it would. * Commercial Curiosity: Keen to learn the commercial side of the work, and to understand why one result matters to a customer and another does not. * Communication: Explains technical work clearly to engineers, customers and non-specialists alike. * Collaboration: Works easily across R&D, business development and external partners, and asks for input when a problem needs it. * Initiative & Ownership: Picks up a piece of work and sees it through, in a fast-moving environment where priorities shift. ## Description This is a hands-on role with plenty of room to grow. The Lead Optical and Applications Engineer owns our optical design and application strategy and will support you on system design, experimental approach and customer-facing work. You will also work alongside our hardware, ASIC, firmware and software engineers. * Applications Development: Design, build and test applications using Singular Photonics SPAD cameras, taking them from agreed concept through to a working demonstrator. * Optical Design & Simulation: Support optical system design and simulation for new camera platforms using Zemax or equivalent tools, and validate designs against measured performance. * Applications Engineering: Contribute to the application notes, technical material and demonstrations that help customers get results from our sensors. * Experimental Work: Build, align and troubleshoot optical and optomechanical setups in the lab, including time-resolved and photon-counting measurements. * Instrument Control & Analysis: Write the scripts that control instruments, acquire data and process results, in Python, MATLAB, C/C++ or LabVIEW. * Quantum Applications: Contribute to the development and demonstration of quantum applications of our sensors, such as photon correlation and coincidence measurements and quantum-enhanced sensing. * Collaborative R&D: Contribute technical work and results to collaborative R&D projects and grant-funded consortia, including input to project reporting. * Research & IP: Contribute to scientific publications and to patent filings arising from the applications you develop. * Customer & Commercial Support: Support business development with technical input, and take part in customer meetings and application discussions. * Demonstrators: Build demonstration prototypes for trade shows, conferences and customer visits, and present them clearly to specialist and non-specialist audiences. * Documentation: Create and maintain clear system documentation so that applications are reproducible by others, to the standard our ISO 9001 design control process requires., * Applications designed, built and demonstrated on SPAD cameras, reaching working demonstrator stage on the agreed timescale. * Optical designs and simulations delivered to support new camera platforms, with measured performance validated against specification. * Technical contributions to collaborative R&D projects delivered on time and to the standard the funder and partners require. * Clear, reproducible documentation and data that colleagues can build on, and contributions to publications and patent filings. * Demonstrators and technical input that support business development, with growing confidence in front of customers.