Optical Designer – Automotive Holographic Display Systems (f/m/x)

Step out of your comfort zone, excel and redefine the limits of what is possible. That's just what our employees are doing every single day – in order to set the pace through our innovations and enable outstanding achievements. After all, behind every successful company are many great fascinating people.

In a spacious modern setting full of opportunities for further development, ZEISS employees work in a place where expert knowledge and team spirit reign supreme. All of this is supported by a special ownership structure and the long-term goal of the Carl Zeiss Foundation: to bring science and society into the future together.

Join us today. Inspire people tomorrow.

Diversity is a part of ZEISS. We look forward to receiving your application regardless of gender, nationality, ethnic and social origin, religion, philosophy of life, disability, age, sexual orientation or identity.

Apply now! It takes less than 10 minutes.

Step out of your comfort zone, excel and redefine the limits of what is possible. That's just what our employees are doing every single day – in order to set the pace through our innovations and enable outstanding achievements. After all, behind every successful company are many great fascinating people.

ZEISS Microoptics is a unit within the strategic business area Photonics & Optics and specializes in the development, optimization, mastering, replication, and integration of optical applications based on micro-optical and holographic optical elements. We develop and manufacture holographic and micro-optical solutions for established industries as well as for complex research and space projects, while simultaneously driving scale-up in the automotive and aerospace sectors. Shape the next generation of holographic display solutions – from optical system concepts to fully functional customer prototypes.
Your Role

• Develop and optimize optical system designs for automotive applications, with a focus on holographic display architectures
• Translate system requirements into robust optical concepts and evaluate their performance, including tolerancing and straylight analysis
• Ensure the optical system design is well aligned with Picture Generation Units (PGUs), considering interfaces, constraints, and system-level performance
• Apply your experience in series development and production of automotive display systems to ensure designs meet industrialization, robustness, and cost requirements
• Collaborate closely with interdisciplinary teams, including mechanical, electronics, and software engineering, to ensure system performance and feasibility
• Support project leaders in technical discussions with internal and external stakeholders, including customers and suppliers
• Investigate and resolve practical challenges during development and integration phases
• Support validation activities, including simulation, testing, and performance verification of optical systems
• Contribute to the development and improvement of internal tools, simulation methods, and modeling approaches

• Degree in physics, photonics, optical engineering, mathematics, or a comparable field
• Proven experience in optical design within an industrial environment combined with knowledge of automotive standards and development processes
• Solid experience in series development and production of automotive display systems (e.g., Head-Up Displays or comparable technologies)
• Strong expertise in the design and development of display systems, including understanding of system architecture and performance drivers
• Experience working with ray tracing and optical simulation tools such as Zemax, LightTools, FRED, or CODE V, Programming skills in Python, MATLAB, C++, or C# are an advantage
• Solid background in optical simulation, including tolerancing, straylight analysis, and system optimization
• Strong understanding of Picture Generation Units (PGUs) and display technologies, including their impact on optical system performance and integration
• Fluent in German and English (minimum B1 level) and strong communication skills, intercultural competence, and a collaborative mindset

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