The negatively charged nickel vacancy center (${\mathrm{NiV}}^{-}$) in diamond is a promising spin qubit candidate with predicted inversion symmetry, large ground state spin-orbit splitting to limit phonon-induced decoherence, and emission in the near infrared. Here, we experimentally confirm the proposed geometric and electronic structure of the NiV defect via magneto-optical spectroscopy. We characterize the optical properties and find a Debye-Waller factor of 0.62. Additionally, we engineer charge state stabilized defects using electrical bias in planar all-diamond p-i-p junctions. We measure a vanishing static dipole moment and no spectral diffusion, characteristic of inversion symmetry. Under bias, we observe stable transitions with lifetime-limited linewidths as narrow as 16 MHz and convenient frequency tuning of the emission via a second-order Stark shift. Overall, this Letter provides a pathway toward coherent control of the ${\mathrm{NiV}}^{-}$ and its use as a spin qubit and contributes to a more general understanding of charge dynamics experienced by defects in diamond.

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• Color centers
• Crystal defects
• Magneto-optical spectra
• Stark effect