Senior Photonics Engineer

About the role

The Senior Photonics Engineer will lead the full lifecycle of photonic design, from concept to tape-out, for mission-critical defense and intelligence applications. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in PIC design, simulation, and testing, and will contribute to both optical and RF system-level engineering.

Responsibilities

• Lead the full PIC design cycle process: requirements analysis, component and circuit design, simulation, layout, foundry tape-out, post-fabrication test, and design iteration
• Design PIC circuits and components using foundry PDKs and first-principles approaches as needed
• Execute PIC layout using Luceda IPKISS or equivalent tools
• Perform photonic simulation using Lumerical, Tidy3D, Photonforge, or equivalent tools
• Manage tape-out with domestic foundries including design rule checks, foundry interface, and run coordination
• Lead testing and characterization activities for fabricated PIC devices — optical and electrical measurements on bare die and packaged parts
• Design PICs with packaging in mind — fiber coupling, electrical fanout (wirebond and flip-chip), thermal, and mechanical constraints
• Contribute to optical system and link-level design and trade studies where programs extend beyond the chip level
• Mentor junior engineers and team members
• Contribute to IRAD projects and technology development
• Participate in customer-facing technical discussions and design reviews
• Contribute to technical and cost proposals

Requirements

• Education Requirements: Requires a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Photonics, Applied Physics or other relevant field plus a minimum of 8 years of relevant experience OR Master's degree plus a minimum of 6 years of relevant experience OR PhD degree plus a minimum of 3 years of relevant experience
• Experience with full-lifecycle PIC design: concept → modeling → tape-out → test
• PIC layout tools (Luceda IPKISS, Photonforge, or equivalent)
• Photonic simulation tools (Lumerical, Tidy3D, or equivalent)
• Foundry tape-out experience at a commercial photonics foundry
• Experience on at least one major photonics platform: silicon, silicon nitride, lithium niobate
• Working knowledge of core PIC building blocks: waveguides, couplers, ring resonators, AWGs, MZIs, modulators, photodetectors
• PIC test and characterization — fiber-coupled and probe-based measurements
• Technical leadership or mentorship of small engineering teams
• Python or scripting for design automation or test

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Photonics, Applied Physics or other relevant field plus a minimum of 8 years of relevant experience OR Master's degree plus a minimum of 6 years of relevant experience OR PhD degree plus a minimum of 3 years of relevant experience

Skills

• Experience with full-lifecycle PIC design: concept → modeling → tape-out → test
• PIC layout tools (Luceda IPKISS, Photonforge, or equivalent)
• Photonic simulation tools (Lumerical, Tidy3D, or equivalent)
• Foundry tape-out experience at a commercial photonics foundry
• Experience on at least one major photonics platform: silicon, silicon nitride, lithium niobate
• Working knowledge of core PIC building blocks: waveguides, couplers, ring resonators, AWGs, MZIs, modulators, photodetectors
• PIC test and characterization — fiber-coupled and probe-based measurements
• Technical leadership or mentorship of small engineering teams
• Python or scripting for design automation or test

Benefits

Not specified

Pay

USD $175,332.00/Yr. - USD $184,920.00/Yr.

Schedule

On-Site Full-Time, Hybrid (Part-Time Remote)