Senior Optical Product Engineer

Acceler8 Talent is proud to partner with a well-funded, VC-backed AI networking hardware startup in the SF Bay Area that’s redefining infrastructure for the world’s largest hyperscalers. Operating under a Joint Development Model (JDM), this company co-develops highly customized networking hardware, software, and optics solutions tailored to the evolving needs of large-scale AI workloads.

With over $610M in funding and rapid expansion underway, they are seeking a Hardware Product Engineer – Optics & Cables to own the qualification, reliability, manufacturing readiness, and long-term strategy of critical interconnect technologies powering next-generation AI networking platforms.

Responsibilities

• Lead qualification, reliability, and manufacturing readiness activities for high-speed optical transceivers, fiber optic assemblies, and cable solutions.
• Develop and execute validation plans to ensure long-term optical performance and field reliability.
• Define inspection, cleaning, assembly, and handling processes for optical components across internal and contract manufacturing environments.
• Partner with hardware, manufacturing, quality, and supplier teams to establish best practices for optics integration and deployment.
• Evaluate and qualify new optics and cable suppliers, providing technical guidance on supplier selection and manufacturing capabilities.
• Investigate failure modes, develop reliability test plans, and implement corrective actions to improve product robustness.
• Influence future interconnect technology roadmaps through evaluation of emerging optical and cable technologies.

Requirements

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Optical Engineering, Physics, or a related technical discipline.
• 8+ years of experience in optical product engineering, optical NPI, manufacturing engineering, reliability engineering, or related fields.
• Hands-on experience with high-speed networking optics and cable technologies, including 400G+ optical transceivers and interconnect systems.
• Strong understanding of optical component manufacturing processes, qualification methodologies, and reliability testing.
• Experience developing qualification plans, reliability test strategies, and failure analysis methodologies for optics or cable products.
• Knowledge of optical connector technologies, transceiver architectures, and common optical failure mechanisms.
• Experience working directly with suppliers and contract manufacturers to improve product quality and manufacturing readiness.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with automated optical inspection systems, BERT testing, and optical validation tools.
• Familiarity with optical manufacturing environments, cleanroom processes, and fiber handling best practices.
• Experience evaluating next-generation interconnect technologies such as co-packaged optics, active copper solutions, and advanced optical architectures.
• Knowledge of industry standards and qualification frameworks for high-speed optical networking products.