Camera Optical Illumination Engineer

Apple is where individual imaginations gather together, committing to the values that lead to great work. Every new product we build, service we create, or Apple Store experience we deliver is the result of us making each other’s ideas stronger. That happens because every one of us shares a belief that we can make something wonderful and share it with the world, changing lives for the better.

It’s the diversity of our people and their thinking that inspires the innovation that runs through everything we do. When we bring everybody in, we can do the best work of our lives. Here, you’ll do more than join something — you’ll add something.

The Camera Hardware Engineering group is responsible for all research, design, development, test and qualification of camera hardware for Apple products. The team is looking for an Optical Engineer to work on the development and system-level integration of new illumination components such as the camera flash.

Bachelor’s degree in Optics, Physics, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or relevant field of study. Experience in LightTools, SPEOS, Zemax non-sequential, RSoft, or Lumerical.

Master’s or PhD degree in Optics, Physics, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or relevant field of study with 3 years of relevant industry experience Experience in optical design applied to illumination systems such as general lighting, automotive lighting, displays, cameras, or optical metrology. Ability to write scripts to automate optical simulations and data analysis (Python, Matlab, C#, C++, VB).

Experience using AI coding agents (Claude Code, MCP servers, agent skills) along optical software (LightTools, CODE V, Zemax) to automate simulation and analysis work. Ability to verify AI-generated scripts and results against optics first-principles. Build and validate tools and workflows for use across the larger team.

Experience with optical characterization equipment such as spectrophotometers and scatterometers. Understanding of LEDs and solid-state lighting. Familiarity with CAD software such as NX or SolidWorks.

Ability to interface with cross-functional teams to support integration of illumination components into systems and assess feasibility of new optical concepts.