Some people look at a lens and see a product. You look at it and see geometry, optimisation, logic, and possibility. If differential geometry, numerical methods, and mathematical modelling are more than academic concepts to you, this role could be where your work starts shaping how people see the world every day.
This is an opportunity to join Prats, a well-established and independent ophthalmic lens manufacturer, in a role where mathematics is not sitting on the sidelines. It is right at the centre of product innovation, customisation, and technical progress.
The opportunity
Prats is looking for an R&D Specialist to join its surface calculation and lens design area in Barcelona. The person joining will become part of the team of specialists focused on surface calculation and optimisation within the R&D team, which gives the role clear visibility and real impact.
This is not a service-provider environment where work disappears into someone else's production chain. Here, the person in the role will contribute to the full product journey, from mathematical development and optimisation through to implementation and feedback from manufacturing and the wider business.
What you will be doing
The role combines applied mathematics, programming, product development, and technical problem-solving. Key responsibilities include:
- Improving algorithms used for the calculation, design, and optimisation of ophthalmic lenses.
- Supporting the implementation of new products and the continuous improvement of existing solutions in response to market needs.
- Developing new parameters and tools to increase product personalisation, including future-oriented applications linked to AI.
- Enhancing current optimisation processes for ophthalmic lenses based on defined optical targets and geometric design constraints.
- Working closely with a multidisciplinary team that includes specialists in physics, chemistry, engineering, and information science.
The work is practical as well as technical. The team is closely connected to the business, and that means ideas move into real products rather than staying as theory.
Why this role stands out
One of the strongest selling points of this opportunity is visibility. In a smaller team and a human-sized company, individual contributions matter more, and strong technical work does not get lost inside a large structure.
The environment is collaborative, autonomous, and close to the end product. The R&D team works with a high level of independence, supported by coordination and strategic direction, but without heavy-handed day-to-day management.
Prats is also in expansion mode, while still retaining the character of an independent business. That independence matters because the company has chosen to invest in its own technology, its own software, and its own R&D capability rather than relying on standard external solutions. This strategic autonomy translates into exceptional job stability, as the company isn't subject to the restructuring pressures or short-term financial demands that often affect multinational-owned competitors or private equity-backed businesses.
What you will bring
The essentials for the role are clear. Prats needs someone with a strong mathematical foundation and enough technical skill to apply it in a real product environment.
The ideal background includes:
- A university degree in Mathematics, Mathematical or Computational Physics, Computational Science, Mathematical or Physical Engineering, or a similar discipline.
- Strong knowledge of differential geometry of surfaces and linear algebra.
- Experience with optimisation of non-linear systems, with and without constraints, including convergence in minimisation problems such as least squares.
- Familiarity with numerical methods such as interpolation and extrapolation, surface characterisation using splines, and differentiation and integration of two-dimensional functions.
- Programming ability in Matlab, C++, or similar tools, with Matlab being especially important.
- Good English and Spanish and a strong analytical, problem-solving mindset.
There is flexibility on seniority, but not on intellectual strength. This could suit someone already doing similar work in industry, or someone with the right theoretical grounding and exceptional capacity to learn fast and apply complex concepts quickly.
The business behind the role
Prats is one of the few independent companies left in the ophthalmic lens sector, a market where many businesses now belong to large multinationals or investment groups. The company has maintained that independence through financial stability, proprietary freeform lens development, in-house anti-reflective treatment capability, and complete software autonomy.
Founded in 1969, Prats has production laboratories in Madrid, Barcelona, Lisbon, San José de Costa Rica, and Bogotá, and it has medium-term international expansion plans. It is a business that stays close to its customers and has built a reputation for innovation, including being the global pioneer in remote edging, a solution that later became a standard service in the sector.
Location and fit
The role is based in Barcelona. There is also the possibility of relocating to Madrid after an initial period of at least one year in Barcelona, once the person is fully integrated into the role and the team.
This opportunity will suit someone who wants more than a narrow technical brief. It is a strong match for a person who values autonomy, enjoys intellectually demanding work, and wants to play a meaningful role in a company where technical expertise genuinely influences product direction.
Apply
Apply via the apply button. If you want to discuss any point about the opportunity, call our Recruiting Manager.