Optical Engineer, Inkjet Printing

Snap Inc is a technology company. We believe the camera presents the greatest opportunity to improve the way people live and communicate. Snap contributes to human progress by empowering people to express themselves, live in the moment, learn about the world, and have fun together. The Company’s three core products are Snapchat, a visual messaging app that enhances your relationships with friends, family, and the world;
Lens Studio, an augmented reality platform that powers AR across Snapchat and other services; and its AR glasses, Spectacles.

The Spectacles team is pushing the boundaries of technology to bring people closer together in the real world. Our fifth-generation Spectacles, powered by Snap OS, showcase how standalone, see-through AR glasses make playing, learning, and working better together.

Snap’s camera supports real friendships through visual communication, self expression and storytelling. Moving forward, our camera will play a transformative role in how people experience the world around them, combining what they see in the real world, with all that’s available to them in the digital world.

We’re looking for an Optical Engineer to join our team at Snap Inc!

We are engineering the next generation of augmented reality hardware, designing high-performance AR glasses that seamlessly blend cutting‑edge technology with the real world. Our team integrates expertise in optics, materials science, and advanced manufacturing to create breakthrough products. We are seeking a hands‑on process engineer to help us scale precision dispensing technologies, which are critical to our AR display and component architecture.

In addition, you will:

• Develop and optimize advanced dispensing and coating processes, with a strong emphasis on inkjet printing, while also leveraging methods such as jet dispensing, spray coating, dip coating, aerosol jet printing, micro‑dispensing and slot‑die as appropriate
• Own end‑to‑end process development, including tool setup and calibration, print/dispense recipe definition, printhead/dispenser maintenance, dispensing waveform tuning, substrate preparation, curing and rigorous process control
• Evaluate and compare multiple dispensing approaches for functional layers used in AR components, such as optical clear adhesives, polymer layers, and micro‑structured materials
• Understand the rheology, surface tension, wetting and adhesion of ink/dispense materials, and how these characteristics drive method selection and process performance
• Design and implement metrology and characterization capabilities to measure film thickness/uniformity, feature geometry, surface morphology, alignment, optical performance and defect modes
• Analyze process data using statistical methods (DOE, SPC, regression, yield modeling) to drive significant improvements in uniformity, throughput, repeatability and yield
• Collaborate cross‑functionally with optical engineering, mechanical design, materials science, reliability and assembly teams to integrate new dispensing processes in AR module manufacturing
• Work with internal and external partners to develop tools for scaling up processes for mass production
• Support long‑term process roadmap development, identify technology gaps and lead evaluations of new dispensing tools or methods for next‑generation AR hardware

• Expertise in inkjet printing, including waveform tuning, drop formation dynamics, material compatibility and print quality control
• Practical experience with industrial printheads (e.g., Xaar, Fuji, Konica Minolta) and familiarity with control software (e.g., GIS, Meteor) and drop watching systems
• Broad understanding of additional precision dispensing / coating methods such as jet dispensing, micro‑dispense, aerosol jet printing, spray coating, dip coating, blade/slot‑die coating or similar techniques
• Strong foundational grasp of fluid mechanics, surface science and wetting, and how material properties profoundly influence deposition outcomes
• Good understanding of thin film characterization and metrology, including profilometry, interferometry, reflectometry, optical microscopy, defect inspection and thickness…