Senior Optical Engineer

As a Koch company, Molex is a leading supplier of connectors and interconnect components, driving innovation in electronics and supporting industries from automotive to healthcare and consumer to data communications. Our experienced people, groundbreaking products, and leading-edge technologies help deliver a wider array of solutions to more markets than ever before.

About the role

Experienced senior-level optical engineer to lead technology development for co-packaged optics (CPO). This role combines hands-on optical and SiPh device packaging engineering with project/technical management, vendor collaboration, cross-functional and global team leadership, and R&D to bring manufacturable CPO solutions to production. Candidate must have deep process engineering experience in SiPh packaging, semiconductor laser/device packaging, optical fiber handling, and/or semiconductor wafer processes.

Responsibilities

• Lead technology development activities for CPO and associated optical packaging solutions.
• Define and execute packaging solutions R&D: die attach, adhesive selection, wire bonding, fiber attach, alignment, thermal and stress considerations, and material qualification.
• Plan and run feasibility studies, design-of-experiments (DOE), pilot builds, and reliability testing.
• Project and technical management (planning, schedules, budgets, risk management, vendor coordination).
• Manage and lead cross-functional teams (design, manufacturing, reliability, supply chain, quality) and collaborate with global sites/vendors.
• Hands-on lab/bench work: prototyping, process setup, process optimization, optical fiber handling, optical alignments, test automation, and test integration.
• Identify process/packaging yield drivers, implement corrective actions, and scale technologies toward production.
• Prepare technical documents, reports, presentations, and interact with external partners and suppliers.
• Mentor junior engineers and build team capabilities.

Core Competencies & Behavioral Skills

• Leadership: able to lead technical teams and mentor others.
• Communication: clear technical writing, presentation, and stakeholder management.
• Problem solving: structured problem solving and root-cause investigation.
• Collaboration: successful cross-functional and global team player.
• Planning & Execution: organizes complex programs, meets milestones, manages risks.

Requirements

• Master’s degree or higher in Optical Engineering, Physics, Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, or related field.
• Minimum 10 years of industry experience in optical packaging, SiPh packaging, or semiconductor laser/device packaging with strong process engineering background.
• Demonstrated hands-on experience in optical device packaging: die attach, adhesives, wire bonding, optical fiber management, optical alignment, materials selection.
• Strong knowledge of semiconductor wafer processes and interactions with packaging (e.g., thermal budgets, contamination control).
• Proven track record leading technology development projects and cross-functional/global teams.
• Excellent communication and people management skills; experience managing vendors and supplier qualification.
• Willingness and ability to travel as required (domestic and international travel).

Skills

• SiPh (silicon photonics) packaging and integration processes.
• Experience in process development and optimization related to optical devices.
• Optical fiber knowledge: theory, handling, cleaving, splicing, ferrule/array assembly, fiber pigtail techniques.
• Die attach processes, bonding materials (solders, adhesives), curing processes, and reliability implications.
• Thermal analysis and mechanical/stress analysis for packages.
• Materials science for packaging: coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) mismatch mitigation, adhesives, and underfills.
• Wire bonding and alternative electrical interconnects; knowledge of flip-chip and other interconnect technologies.
• Test/measurement for optical devices: insertion loss, return loss, optical alignment tolerances.
• Familiarity with reliability testing standards (thermal cycling, HTOL, moisture, mechanical shock/vibration).

What Will Put You Ahead

• Prior CPO development experience and understanding of system-level integration.
• Experience with design-for-manufacturability (DFM) and design-for-test (DFT) in optical packaging and optical devices.
• Background in automation for assembly/align/test, process control, and statistics (SPC).
• Multi-site/global program management experience.
• Experience with supplier development and contract/manufacturing scale-up.

Pay

For this role, we anticipate paying $160,000 - $220,000 per year. This role is eligible for variable pay, issued as a monetary bonus or in another form.

Benefits

Our goal is for each employee, and their families, to live fulfilling and healthy lives. We provide essential resources and support to build and maintain physical, financial, and emotional strength - focusing on overall wellbeing so you can focus on what matters most. Our benefits plan includes:

• Medical, dental, vision, flexible spending and health savings accounts.
• Life insurance, ADD, disability, retirement.
• Paid vacation/time off, educational assistance.
• May also include infertility assistance, paid parental leave, and adoption assistance.