Careers at Cubitts
Careers at Cubitts
We’re striving to become the world's most innovative, customer-centric spectacles company. Transforming our age-old industry by combining modern design with traditional craftsmanship, and delivering flawless customer experiences.
We’ve come this far thanks to our exceptional people, and are always on the lookout for more of the right people to join us.
But we’re also very selective about who comes into the warm womb of Cubitts. We’re now an international company with a particular point of view. We’re building something ambitious and unusual, and that takes a certain kind of person. One who believes in our mission and shares our values. You can learn more about that below, and if that sounds like you, we’d love to hear from you.
Cubitts in Numbers
152 - team members
73 team members with 2+ years services
97% - get on well with colleagues (source: 2025 employee survey)
82% - proud to work for Cubitts (source: 2025 employee survey)
-12% - gender pay gap
4x - salary cap between the lowest and the highest paid
Our Islington store at 56 Cross Street, opened in 2024, is one of 13 London and 18 UK Cubitts stores.
We pride ourselves on our people and culture. We value people who are:
- Thoughtful and exacting
- Creative in how they think, and rigorous in how they execute
- Motivated by clarity, simplicity, and purpose
- Happy to work hard and be kind
- Ideally love spectacles
A focus on people, not perks
We are a Living Wage Employer, and aim to be a top quartile payer in our industry.
We don’t have ping-pong tables, but we do have great colleagues, meaningful work, and a culture that values balance, curiosity, and contribution.
Purpose, not platitudes
We’re committed to building a sustainable business. That means thoughtful growth and doing things properly. No gimmicks.
We're proud to be a certified B Corp, using our business as a force for good. At Cubitts, this means putting people and the planet first - from paying a real Living Wage, to offering enhanced parental leave, and investing in wellbeing benefits that support our team in and out of work.
Skills to thrive
We invest 1% of our total revenue each year into learning and development, offering everyone access to meaningful growth opportunities. From on-the-job training and Cubitts Academy to our YCN partnership, you’ll gain the skills to thrive.
We also offer a Professional Development Fund to support anyone pursuing courses or qualifications, giving you the freedom to shape your own learning journey. Since 2024, we have proudly supported 40 employees by providing access to a comprehensive professional development course.
Real responsibility
You won’t be micromanaged. You will be expected to think, to challenge, to lead. We hire people we trust, and give them room to make a difference. You will have a clear career path, quarterly reviews and direct feedback. Your manager knows exactly what is required to get to the next level, and your progression will be based on such.
At Cubitts, we believe pay should be fair, transparent, and equal. Not a negotiation or a mystery. Everyone, from the most junior to the most senior, works on the same terms: the same approach to salary, bonus, holiday, and sick pay.
We are a Living Wage employer
We’re proud to be accredited by the Living Wage Foundation, and as far as we know, we’re the only company in optics to hold that recognition.
That means everyone at Cubitts earns at least the real Living Wage, whether they work in retail, production, support, or leadership. Not just because it’s the right thing to do, but because we believe people do their best work when they feel secure, respected, and valued.
We don’t negotiate salaries
In other workplaces, pay can depend on who shouts the loudest, who asks at the right time, or who has the sharpest elbows. We don’t work like that.
At Cubitts, salaries are set by grade and level, not by negotiation. Everyone doing the same role, with the same responsibilities, is paid the same — regardless of their background, age, or how confident they are in a pay review meeting.
You can see our full pay bandings, past and present, published here and on every job description. We believe transparency builds trust.
We have a Real Options Scheme
We believe in shared ownership. 7.5% of Cubitts’ shares are reserved for our team, via an employee options scheme. Once you’ve been with us for two years and meet the legal requirements set by HMRC, you’ll become eligible to join. Every April, we update the options pool and allocate new members accordingly.
A Fairer Approach to Bonuses
Our bonus scheme is simple, fair, and shared by all:
Each year, we commit to allocating 20% of Cubitts’ net profit to a bonus pot. That pot is then divided equally across the team, pro-rated to salary, regardless of role or seniority. Everyone benefits when we succeed — together.
Cubitts Timeline
2013
Cubitts.co.uk launches.
2014
First store opens in Soho. Our Bespoke service launches.
2015
Our second store opens, The Borough.
2016
Third and fourth stores open. We began offering spectacle making classes.
2017
Our first Atelier, at Cubitts St. James’s opens, with a dedicated store collection.
2018
We hosted an exhibition on the history of spectacles in London, alongside The Spectacle Issue 1. We launched our Tracey Emin cleaning cloth.
2019
We grow to ten stores, and introduce Redux, our approach to sustainability.
2020
Our first store outside of London opens in Brighton. We also opened in Hampstead, and launched our David Shrigley cloth.
2021
Three new stores open, in Cambridge, Leeds and Belgravia along with a new Cubitts website.
2022
We open two stores in Edinburgh, and our 13th store in London opens in Cheapside.
2023
We proudly became a B Corp.
2024
Opening of the first international Cubitts stores at 103 Mercer Street and 337 Bleecker St, New York.
You might bake a cake on a birthday. We make spectacles, so in 2023, for our tenth birthday, we made cake glasses. Candles optional.
Support that goes beyond salary. Working at Cubitts should feel rewarding in every sense, not just in the work you do, but in the care, growth, and recognition you receive along the way. We’ve built a benefits package to reflect the things that matter most: health and wellbeing, personal development, financial security, and of course, beautifully made spectacles.
Spectacle perks
- Four complimentary pairs per year
- Free eye exams for you, friends, and family
- Spectacle-making class to learn our craft
- 40% staff discount per quarter, plus 20% at all times
Learning and development
- Cubitts Academy access
- Professional Development Fund for external learning
Work-life balance
- Extra holiday day each year worked (capped at 100 days for the true lifers)
- Buy/sell up to 5 holiday days a year
- Sabbaticals: 1 month unpaid after 5 years, 1 month paid after 10
- Paid time away for life’s important moments
Health and wellbeing
- Life assurance
- Virtual GP and annual health checks
- Discounted gym membership
- Cycle to Work scheme
- Champion Health and Aviva+ subscriptions
Community and recognition
- Quarterly socials with your own budget
- £250 referral reward for successful hires
- Cognitive BURP idea scheme — win £100 for ideas we use
Financial support
- Annual season ticket loan
- Transparent pay, inflation reviews, annual bonuses
- EMI Option Scheme
An original Cubitts rivet, embedded in the granite of Lewis Cubitt’s Granary Square since 1851. Once securing cranes that hauled goods from the Regent’s Canal, today it remains a quiet marker of King’s Cross’s industrial past.
Our values are what bind us together. Without them, we’re just a group of individuals. With them, we’re a team, united in how we work, what we stand for, and where we’re going. They are not just words on a page. They’re a daily practice. They should be visible in everything you do, from how you greet a customer to how you give feedback, solve a problem, or design a better process.
We expect everyone at Cubitts, from our newest recruits to our longest-serving leaders, to live and breathe these values. That’s how we build something exceptional, together.
Our approach to DEI
At Cubitts we are committed to fostering a diverse, inclusive, and welcoming community where employees, customers, and partners all feel respected, valued, and empowered to be their authentic selves.
We celebrate diversity in all its forms and recognise that different perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences enrich our community. Inclusion is at the heart of our operations, we work actively to remove barriers, ensure equitable opportunities, and create a space where everyone belongs.
A customer dropped her glasses in the oven whilst removing a fish pie, the glasses did not survive the night.
This isn't the right place for everyone, and that’s the point.
We’re building something ambitious at Cubitts: a company defined by craft, care, and character. That takes work. It takes ownership. And it takes the right people. You might struggle here if:
- You don’t like people, this is a people business.
- You want a cushy job, we work hard and aim high.
- Our mission and values leave you cold.
- You know you won’t be here in a year, we invest heavily in new hires.
- You expect your career to be managed for you. You own your growth here.
- You think you’ve finished learning.
- You value ego over team.
- You complain without contributing.
We’re fiercely protective of our culture. If this sounds like your kind of place, let’s do brilliant things together. If not, better to know now.