Who we are and what we do:

Zemax empowers thousands of optical engineers to bring new technologies to life. As the global leader in optical and illumination design software, Zemax touches nearly every optical and illumination space, from virtual reality systems to moon exploration to extreme-sport videos to self-driving cars to digital retina mapping. There is a reason that 50% of all optical engineering jobs require Zemax software experience!

Since 1991, Zemax has been driven by people passionate about the optical design space, and that legacy continues to this day. In the last four years, Zemax has seen dramatic growth, both in sales and headcount. The recent strategic investment by EQT Partners positions the company to triple our sales in the next 3-5 years. Headquartered in Kirkland, WA, Zemax has expanded sales and customer success support globally with operations in London, Shanghai, Taipei, and Japan.

OpticStudio is Zemax's core product, the industry standard for design and simulation software for optical and illumination designers, engineers, and researchers worldwide. In early 2016 we launched LensMechanix for SolidWorks, an add-in to enable mechanical engineers to seamlessly package optical systems in the environment they know best. A version of LensMechanix for Creo Parametric was subsequently launched in 2018 as we looked to increase our support for the mechanical engineering ecosystem. As always, we're focused on decreasing time to market, enabling faster turn-around from concept to product development.

Zemax is a company where every individual makes an impact, and employees are our greatest assets. At Zemax, you have the opportunity to work with a diverse group of energetic co-workers on projects that impact a variety of industries.

Who will love this role:

Zemaxers flourish in a team-centric environment and are visionary when it comes to what is possible through process improvements, automation and product management. You look at the challenging-but-achievable projects and don't feel daunted, but inspired. You see change and experimentation as something positive, and enjoy being part of a team with diverse backgrounds.

We're looking for people who reflect our core values by being: Driven, Constantly Improving, Problem-Solvers, Super Smart and all around Fun.

Be sure to check Zemax's Glassdoor page for more about what it is like to work at Zemax!

Development Department Overview:

The Research and Development (R&D) department is responsible for writing all of the code that goes into the software provided by Zemax LLC. This effort requires skills in both computational physics and computer science. Team members are responsible for developing the physics algorithms for OpticStudio and LensMechanix and providing physical modeling of all features added to these products. They are also charged with building code architecture and user interfaces that makes each product easy, fast and robust to use. The R&D team works closely with the rest of the business contributing our own ideas as well as collaborating with other technical and non-technical personnel to ensure value in everything that we add to our software products.

 Role Overview:

Zemax is looking for a Software Development Engineer to work on OpticStudio Research and Development team. This individual should have a strong foundation in programming and coding architecture, ideally with some experience working on engineering or research-based applications. The successful candidate must be able to work both independently and with multiple technical staff (scientific and programming), collaborating as needed to achieve team and company objectives. Tasks include developing and improving the architecture used by OpticStudio and adding new functionality to the user interface and data visualization tools used by that application. This individual will contribute to the evolution of OpticStudio through the implementation of new ideas and technologies.

 A high commitment to both technical and software quality is mandatory. The candidate must possess strong communication skills, and enjoy analyzing and solving problems while working with the company’s senior technical staff.

 Role Key Activities 

• Fixing bugs, removing code debt, and improving the architecture used in the existing OpticStudio code base, specifically in the areas of the user interface and application programming interface
• Developing new features for upcoming releases of OpticStudio
• Working with technical staff in the Product Management team on specifications and prototypes for new features to be added to OpticStudio
• Conducting research on new methods or technologies that could be implemented in OpticStudio to improve performance, reliability and/or ease-of-use

 Top Three Key Outcomes in Year One:

• Attain comfort and proficiency with the existing OpticStudio code base, with the goal of completing all assigned bug fixes and development projects on time
• Contribute ideas to OpticStudio product roadmap teams aimed at improving overall code robustness and performance.
• Generate 2-3 ideas for improvements or new capabilities that can be added to OpticStudio through changes to the code architecture and/or the addition of new technologies

 Qualifications 

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or similar.
• Proven team member with prior development experience.
• 4-8 years of work experience with strong coding skills in C++ and C#.
• Experience using WPF, MVVM, and XAML.
• Strong analytical skills.
• Good written & oral communication skills.
• Passion for the customer and product quality.

 Location: Kirkland, WA

Zemax, LLC is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.