Optical Test Engineer

Optical / Optoelectronic Test Engineer

Berkeley, CA - onsite

Up to 240k base.

We’re working with an early-stage photonic computing company developing an integrated optical-electronic platform for AI workloads. The approach uses light to address the power, data-movement and compute-density challenges of conventional electronic accelerators.

The work spans photonic compute, electronic ICs, packaging and system architecture, with a focus on turning research silicon into a commercial computing platform.

They’re hiring an Optical / Optoelectronic Test Engineer to build characterization capability from the ground up. The focus is hands-on ownership: deciding what to measure, building the physical setup, interpreting results and using that evidence to improve devices and systems.

The role

• Develop characterization strategies for optical and optoelectronic devices, connecting measurements to device performance and system requirements.
• Build measurement infrastructure from scratch, including physical setups, instrument selection, station interfaces and calibration and reference methods.
• Personally run measurements, interpret results and investigate unexpected behaviour.
• Diagnose performance limits and failure mechanisms, using findings to inform design, packaging, test methods or operating conditions.
• Build repeatable manual and automated test workflows, improving measurement consistency, analysis and throughput.
• Work closely with device, design and packaging engineers to connect measured behaviour with design intent, simulations and fabrication.
• Extend characterization into temperature-dependent behaviour, reliability and module or subsystem performance where needed.

Your experience

• Hands-on characterization of photonic integrated circuits or relevant optical and optoelectronic devices.
• Backgrounds in free-space optics, optical communications, transceivers, fiber optics, semiconductor lasers or photodetectors are welcome. Direct PIC experience is preferred.
• Personal ownership of measurement strategy, physical setup, instrument selection, calibration or reference methods, and interpretation of device results.
• Strong device fundamentals, with the ability to explain how design choices and fabrication affect measured behaviour.

Why join?

You’ll help establish how a new photonic computing platform is measured, understood and improved. Your work will directly influence engineering decisions as devices, electronics and packaging come together.

The role offers broad ownership of both the measurement infrastructure and the conclusions drawn from it, working closely with the engineers developing the technology.

This is an opportunity for someone who enjoys building experimental capability, understanding why hardware behaves as it does and turning measurements into better devices and systems.

Interested? Let’s chat!