R&D Nano Engineer

Are you our new colleague?

Are you an enthusiastic Nano Engineer keen to work on the next generation of detectors for space research? Would you like to use your technical skills, expertise and creativity to contribute to groundbreaking projects? If so, we’d love to have you join our team and help us achieve our goals.

Your position

Carrying out a series of manufacturing steps in accordance with detailed process instructions to produce nano-electronics in the cleanroom. Documentation must be maintained for the processes to be carried out and those already carried out, including process recipes, process conditions, deviations, rework, and inspection and measurement results. The manufacturing process to be carried out and the performance of the manufactured chips are discussed during regular project meetings chaired by the project leader or work package leader.

Your team

The Nano Development team, part of the Instrument Science Group, manufactures nanoelectronics and has advanced equipment available in its own cleanroom for the fabrication and inspection of patterns on a nanometre scale.

Your project

SRON is working on various space- and ground-based missions and has an urgent need for additional nano-fabrication capacity with immediate effect. To this end you will be working with advanced equipment like high-vacuum machines such as vapour deposition and sputter deposition machines, plasma etching and deposition, as well as UV contact mask aligners, supplemented by optical, mechanical, electrical and electron microscopic analysis equipment. The microstructures form the basis of (superconducting) detectors and optical components.

Position requirements

We are looking for a mid-career professional with a higher vocational education (HBO+) level of working and thinking, and several years of demonstrable experience in micro- and nanofabrication and development, including working in a cleanroom. The work is highly physics-oriented, so a degree in (technical) physics, (applied) chemistry or a similar discipline is essential. Communication will frequently take place in English as well as Dutch, and a good knowledge of the English language is recommended. Knowledge and experience of high-resolution lithography and inspection (e.g. electron beam patterning, steppers, SEM, AFM), as well as working with TES detectors, is an advantage. We believe that diversity makes us stronger and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds.

What we offer

We offer you an inspiring professional working environment with motivated teams and colleagues. You will be employed at NWO-I, the institute organisation to which we belong, for a period of two years, on a 40-hour-per-week basis. Employees of NWO-I/SRON are covered by the collective labour agreement for research institutions (CAO-OI).

The maximum full-time salary, is approximately €5.241.- (scale 9). Salary grading depends on education and experience. Scale 10 is negotiable for highly experienced candidates. The post is based in Leiden.

NWO-I offers, among other things:

• 8.33% end-of-year bonus
• 8% holiday pay
• 42 days’ holiday per year on a full-time basis
• a good pension scheme
• extensive training opportunities
• the possibility of flexible working hours
• a favourable parental leave scheme

More information & contact

Further details about SRON can be found on our website: www.sron.nl. For further information regarding the role, please contact Mr David Thoen, Head of the Nano Development Section, by email: d.j.thoen@sron.nl.

Applications, including a CV and/or portfolio, may be submitted via our website https://werkenbijsron.nl/ by May 10th 2026 at the latest.

We do not appreciate acquisition in response to this vacancy.