Engineering Manager, Hardware | Photonics, Optics, Healthtech | Deep Tech Startup

Hello! 👋🏽

We're looking for an exceptional Engineering Manager, Hardware | Photonics, Optics, Healthtech | Deep Tech Startup to join our research team on our journey to revolutionize personalized medicine 📈.

This role is responsible for assisting in setting the technical vision, building and mentoring a high-performing engineering team, and ensuring the successful translation of prototypes into scalable, market-ready solutions that meet regulatory and commercial requirements. If you're that person, we want to hear from you!

About your Role 📰   /    What will you be doing? 👀

• Strategic Leadership

  • Define and execute the product engineering strategy aligned with the company vision and business goals.

  • Own the product development lifecycle from concept through design, prototyping, validation, regulatory clearance, and commercial launch.

  • Drive integration of photonics hardware and AI-driven software into robust biomedical platforms.

• Team Building & Management

  • Recruit, mentor, and lead a multidisciplinary engineering team (hardware, software, optics, data science).

  • Foster a culture of innovation, accountability, and high performance.

• Cross-functional Collaboration

  • Work closely with product and clinical teams to define requirements and ensure engineering solutions address user and market needs.

  • Collaborate with regulatory, quality, and manufacturing partners to ensure compliance and scalability.

• Technical Execution

  • Oversee system architecture, hardware-software integration, and rigorous product validation.

  • Guide rapid prototyping, design for manufacturability, and iteration based on user feedback and testing.

  • Ensure products meet relevant biomedical and quality standards 

• Innovation & Market Awareness

  • Stay abreast of emerging technologies in photonics, AI, and biomedical engineering; drive adoption of best practices and new modalities.

  • Monitor competitor activity and scientific advancements to inform product strategy.

Qualifications:

• Advanced degree (MS/PhD preferred) in engineering, physics, biomedical engineering, or a related field.

• 5+ years’ industry  experience in hardware engineering or development. Bonus: Medical devices, diagnostics, or life sciences.

• Proven track record leading multidisciplinary teams and delivering complex products from prototype to market.

• Deep expertise in photonics/optics. Bonus: AI/ML integration, and system-level engineering.

• Excellent project management, communication, and leadership skills.

• Entrepreneurial mindset and ability to thrive in a fast-paced, resource-constrained startup environment.

iLoF in a nutshell 💡

As personalized medicine becomes the norm, scientists, patients, and healthcare systems worldwide face massive barriers in providing the right treatment to the right patient. 

Recognized by CB Insights and Financial Times as one of the most promising Digital Health companies in the world, iLoF is building an AI-powered breakthrough platform capable of transforming precision medicine. 

Our goal is to become the platform that democratizes access to personalized medicine for millions of people living with complex diseases around the globe. 

Thanks to our proprietary optical fingerprint library of disease biomarkers and biological profiles we can offer personalized patient screening and stratification in a faster and more affordable way, saving up to 40% of the cost and 70% of the time while enabling a more human patient experience. 

Supported by leading institutions like Microsoft Ventures, Mayfield, or the Oxford University, iLoF is currently focusing on a validated platform technology in one of the biggest epidemics of our times: Alzheimer's, while maintaining ongoing verticals on Digestive Cancer, Stroke, and Infectious diseases.

Our Team🧑🏻‍💻

We are a mix of scientists, entrepreneurs, and inventors based in Oxford and Porto, with a passion for healthcare! 

Recognized by CB Insights as one of the most promising Digital Health companies in the world and by the Financial Times as a Transformational Business in Healthcare, iLoF has been regularly featured in leading outlets like Tech Crunch, Wired, and Sifted and listed as a rising star in AI-Driven Drug Discovery, Health Screening & Data Analytics.

Stuff you wanna know : 

What we value 

• A Be Kind attitude is the main guideline within iLoF

• A hand in the hammer and another free to support your co-workers as a true team player

• An Honest and Egoless attitude towards discussions and critics working in good faith

• The braveness to speak your heart in any situation

• Through words or actions be always sure to make a difference at any moment!

• Understanding that everyone has an identity outside of work and must be respected (work-life balance)

• Be proud to drive your responsibilities to success and help others do the same, embracing ownership!

Perks 😉

• A bright future at a promising high-tech startup company 🚀

• Annual performance bonus

• Stock Options 💰

• A flexible environment and work-life balance: adaptable working hours, strong remote work culture 🏡

• A stimulating atmosphere with room for creativity - fast-paced, fun, and energetic startup with a friendly culture 🎉

• Weekly happy hours with amazing food and drinks

• Company offsites ⛱️

• Free coffee and snacks ☕

• Private healthcare insurance 💊

• The opportunity to work with a world 

• class, talented team: and potentially change healthcare as we know it for millions of patients living with complex diseases around the globe  🧗🏼‍♂️

We share a passion for being part of a mission that matters, and we are always looking for curious and collaborative people who share our values and want to be part of our journey.  

If that sounds like a fit for you, click the apply button and join us!

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Tags:

Engineering Manager Hardware, Hardware Team Lead Photonics, Head of Hardware Engineering, Senior Hardware Engineer Optics, Lead Systems Engineer Photonics, Photonics Engineer, Optical Systems Engineer, Optoelectronics Engineer, Optical Instrumentation Engineer, Optical Design Engineer, Optical Hardware Engineer, Optical Integration Engineer, Photonic Systems Engineer, Photonics Design Lead, Laser Systems Engineer, Laser Hardware Engineer, Imaging Systems Engineer, Optical Sensing Engineer, Medical Device Hardware Engineer, Biomedical Systems Engineer Photonics, Bio-Optics Engineer, Photonics Engineer Biomedical Devices, Medical Imaging Hardware Engineer, Diagnostic Device Hardware Manager, R&D Engineer Photonics/Optics, Research Scientist Photonics/Optoelectronics, Innovation Engineer Healthtech Devices, Deep Tech Hardware Lead, R&D Manager Photonics Hardware, Systems Architect Optical Devices, Electronics Engineer Medical Devices, Embedded Systems Engineer Photonics, Sensors Engineer Optical / Biomedical, Multidisciplinary Hardware Engineer Optics / Bio / AI, Product Development Engineer Optical Systems