Optical Design Engineer

Through bold discovery and cutting-edge innovation, we lead an industry that is vital for the future of our planet: lighting. Through our leadership in connected lighting and the Internet of Things, we're breaking new ground in data analytics, AI, and smart solutions for homes, offices, cities, and beyond.

At Signify, you can shape tomorrow by building on our incredible 125+ year legacy while working toward even bolder sustainability goals. Our culture of continuous learning, creativity, and commitment to diversity and inclusion empowers you to grow your skills and career.

Join us, and together, we’ll transform our industry, making a lasting difference for brighter lives and a better world.

More About The Role

We are looking for a talented Optical Design Engineer to join our R&D team and play a key role in developing cutting-edge illumination solutions. In this position, you will design, optimize, and validate optical systems that deliver exceptional performance while collaborating with multidisciplinary teams across optics, mechanics, electronics, and product architecture.

What You’ll Do

• Design and develop advanced illumination optical systems from concept through product launch.
• Translate product requirements into optical specifications and select the most suitable optical architecture.
• Create, test, validate, and document optical components, subsystems, and complete system solutions.
• Collaborate closely with mechanical, thermal, electronics, and product architecture teams to ensure seamless product integration.
• Apply the latest technologies, research findings, and industry best practices to develop innovative optical solutions.
• Analyze customer, market, and competitive requirements to create high-value products.
• Partner with global experts, research teams, and communities of practice to stay at the forefront of optical innovation.
• Contribute to intellectual property creation and protection through patents, trade secrets, and other innovations.
• Prepare and maintain development documentation, technical reports, and project deliverables.
• Support technology roadmaps and, depending on experience level, provide mentoring and coaching to team members.

• Master’s degree in Optical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, Mechatronics, or a related field.
• Strong 3D CAD and surface-design skills, with hands-on experience creating complex optical and mechanical geometries.
• Practical experience with SolidWorks and Rhino; ability to create and modify freeform/NURBS surfaces and production-ready optical geometry.
• Experience with illumination optical simulation software such as LightTools, LucidShape, Ansys Speos, Zemax OpticStudio, ASAP, TracePro, or comparable non-sequential ray-tracing tools.
• Experience designing optical components such as lenses, reflectors, TIR optics, light guides, diffusers, mixing optics, or similar illumination components. Solid understanding of photometry and colorimetry, including luminous intensity distributions, illuminance/luminance, CCT, CRI/color metrics, and basic photometric calculations.
• Hands-on experience with optical laboratory equipment such as goniophotometers, spectroradiometers, integrating spheres, luminance/illuminance meters, and imaging photometers is highly desirable.
• Ability to work effectively in cross-functional and international teams.
• Passion for innovation and solving challenging engineering problems.

• Experience with advanced optical design tools and simulations.
• Knowledge of lighting technologies and product development processes.
• Experience contributing to patents, publications, or technical innovations.
• Experience in lighting design.

• Work on innovative products that impact millions of people worldwide.
• Collaborate with global experts and cutting-edge research teams.
• Grow your career in an environment that encourages learning, innovation, and professional development.
• Be part of a team passionate about shaping the future of lighting technology.

You can grow a lasting career here. We’ll encourage you, support you, and challenge you. We’ll help you learn and progress in a way that’s right for you, with coaching and mentoring along the way. We’ll listen to you too, because we see and value every one of our 27,000+ people. We believe that a diverse and inclusive workplace fosters creativity, innovation, and a full spectrum of bright ideas. With a global workforce present in 70+ countries, we are dedicated to creating an inclusive environment where every voice is heard and valued, helping us all achieve more together.

Come join us, and together we can light up the future.