Electronics and machinery

How to become a photonics engineer

Official title: Photonics engineer

Also called: Optical engineer, Optics engineer

Photonics engineers design and develop technologies that use particles of light for energy like lasers, fibre optics and scanners.

Main tasks

Design technology that uses light
Build prototypes of photonics devices
Test photonics systems and devices
Analyse data to understand photonics systems
Prepare project plans
Write reports, proposals and evaluations
Find new uses for photonics technology

How to become one

You need a qualification and experience to become a photonics engineer. You need NCEA Level 3 to do the study or training for this job. Required: a relevant tertiary qualification in electrical and electronic engineering and technology, physics or similar area; experience in similar work. Other requirements: a postgraduate qualification in electrical and electronic engineering and technology, physics or similar area; to join a professional organisation.

See the full Tahatū profile

Ways in

University: Engineering degrees, Offered by 5 universities in New Zealand
University: Science degrees, Offered by 6 universities in New Zealand

Pay

Most common pay: $87,050 to $114,830 a year (median $104,848), a TEC estimate before tax.
Lower: $83,353 a year · Upper: $154,471 a year
TEC's pay figures are estimates only. TEC says they must not be used to set pay, in pay negotiations or in visa applications.

Questions people ask

How do I become a photonics engineer?

How much does a photonics engineer earn in New Zealand?

The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $104,848 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $87,050 to $114,830 a year.

Sources

Tertiary Education Commission (Tahatu Career Navigator): Tahatu career ideas: descriptions, tasks, pay estimates, people employed, employment change 2018 to 2023, entry requirements, registration, interest scores (Site scrape 2026-10 (816 career ideas, sitemap lastmod 2026-10-01)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026

This content is sourced from the Tertiary Education Commission through the Tahatū Career Navigator website (www.tahatu.govt.nz) and used under the CC BY 4.0 licence. All or some of the information has been modified by Peernovo. TEC has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. TEC will not be held accountable for any errors within this content.

Qualification information from NZQA, used under CC BY 3.0 NZ.

This work is based on/includes Stats NZ's data which are licensed by Stats NZ for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. Census data via Figure.NZ.

Includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.

Sources: Tertiary Education Commission, Tahatū Career Navigator (career ideas, pay estimates, entry requirements and study options, CC BY 4.0, modified by Peernovo); Stats NZ, 2023 Census (via Figure.NZ) and the National Occupation List (CC BY 4.0); NZQA qualification information (CC BY 3.0 NZ); O*NET interest scores (CC BY 4.0); ILO global generative AI exposure index (CC BY 4.0). Links between career ideas and ANZSCO groups, degree fields and broad job groups are Peernovo's.

These results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.

Graduate outcomes: these results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.

Updated 4 October 2026