Manufacturing Engineer (Optics)

Ready to make massive impact with microscopic magic?

Are you an Optics Manufacturing Engineer who thrives when translating high-performance designs into robust, repeatable manufacturing processes? Can you maintain the precision, stability, and reliability required for AFM systems?

The successful candidate will work at the intersection of mechanical engineering, optical alignment, and precision assembly.

If this sounds like you, read on….

Reward and Benefits

£45,000 to £58,000 (depending on experience)

25 days annual leave, death in service and private health care benefits, personal pension contributions of 4% with salary sacrifice and a generous EMI Share scheme

Based in Abingdon, Oxford, UK, we are a high calibre team of 100 plus people and we are growing fast. We are backed by global financial and industry investors including Applied Ventures, the strategic venture arm of the industry leading equipment company.

About the role

You’ll be collaborating closely with design engineering, supply chain, and quality teams to develop scalable build processes for high-precision opto-mechanical systems.

A typical day for an Optics Manufacturing Engineer could look like this

Manufacturing Process Development

Developing and implementing robust manufacturing processes for complex optomechanical assemblies used in AFM systems
Translating prototype builds into scalable, reliable production workflows while protecting precision and repeatability
Designing assembly procedures, tooling, fixtures and clear work instructions that support the team
Establishing process capability and building manufacturing readiness for new product introductions
OptoMechanical Assembly & Alignment
Leading the development of precise assembly and alignment processes for optical and mechanical subsystems
Defining supportive best practices for handling and integrating sensitive optical components, sensors and precision stages
Creating intuitive procedures for optical alignment, calibration and verification within production environments

New Product Introduction (NPI)

• Partnering closely with Engineering to guide smooth design transfer into production
• Providing thoughtful, practical Design for Manufacturing feedback throughout development
• Supporting pilot builds, validation builds and early production ramps with a calm, collaborative approach
• Identifying and resolving manufacturing challenges early and constructively

Production Scaling

• Collaborating with Quality to lift throughput, yield and overall consistency
• Spotting opportunities for gentle automation, modularisation and better assembly flow
• Supporting productionramp planning as manufacturing capacity grows
• Tooling, Fixtures & Test Systems
• Designing and implementing precision tooling and fixtures that enable repeatable, confident optomechanical assembly
• Developing supportive test and calibration setups to validate system performance during production

CrossFunctional Collaboration

• Working closely with Engineering, NPI, Quality, Supply Chain and Customer Support to keep everyone aligned
• Supporting supplier development for precision components and optical assemblies
• Contributing to rootcause investigations for manufacturing or fieldperformance issues
• Offering technical support and encouragement to production technicians and wider manufacturing teams

Who we are looking for

To succeed as an Optics Manufacturing Engineer, we do need you to have skills or experience of

• Working in low volume, highly complex opto-mechanical equipment manufacturing scale up environments
• Expert knowledge of optics & optical systems; including lasers & optical fibres
• Familiarity with systems involving vibration isolation and precision motion control
• Working in a fast-paced environment where good judgement needs to be exercised
• Familiarity with manufacturing techniques for tight tolerance systems
• NPI – transferring new designs to production
• Extensive knowledge of DFM, operational excellence and process capability methods
• Ownership mindset – promotes accountability for outcomes
• Leadership mindset – solves for business need, not just departmental
• Hands-on problem solver who thrives in highly technical environments

Nice to have

• Experience in semiconductor equipment and/or laser manufacturing
• Proficiency with CAD tools and engineering documentation

Education / Qualifications

Either a degree in Physics or Engineering or similar, or a clear equivalent path through relevant apprenticeship or accumulated experience.

Over 5 years’ experience in a relevant industry

We look for these attributes for our team

Self-management: Able to work independently, setting priorities for own work based upon the company goals and targets.

Teamwork: Engages with other members of the company to bring the best solutions to the problem. Recognise the value that fellow company members bring to enhance own abilities. Supports colleagues with their tasks when critical to the company goals.

Impact and Influence: Establishes themselves as the knowledge centre in their own field.

Ownership & Initiative: React and address both short- and medium-term issues and proactively takes action to solve them.

Results Orientation: Focus on the company goal, avoid distraction, making timely decisions to achieve the target.

A bit about us

Infinitesima is a privately owned company founded in 2001, as a spin-out of the University of Bristol, by CTO Professor Andrew Humphris. Our dynamic team of scientists and engineers is focussed on enabling the next generation of semiconductor devices through delivery of innovative products to customers around the world.

Our strength lies in the varied perspectives that come from different cultures, experiences, and identities. We believe that true innovation is fuelled by collaboration, locally and globally. We strive to foster an environment where everyone can contribute meaningfully and thrive. If you require adjustments to take part in the recruitment process, please let us know, we’ll do our best to support you.

Note to recruitment agencies: Infinitesima Ltd only works with approved agencies and does not accept unsolicited agency CVs. Please do not submit candidate details in response to this advert, or to any Infinitesima Ltd employees. Infinitesima Ltd is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited CVs.

A note on how we run interviews

We use AI only to transcribe our interviews so we can focus fully on you instead of scribbling notes. The AI does not take part in any decision making at any stage. All hiring decisions are made by real humans based on the conversation we have with you.