Hardware Systems Technical Lead

Lightmatter, Inc.; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 144,000 - 165,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Retirement Savings Matching Program

Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary & AD

Generous Time Off (Vacation, Sick &amp

Paid Family Leave

Short Term & Long Term Disability

Training & Development

Flexible, hybrid workplace model

Equity grants

Job summary

Lightmatter, Inc. is seeking a Hardware Systems Technical Lead to guide the design and delivery of photonics-based AI accelerators and interconnect platforms.

You will own hardware systems across concept to production, collaborating with mechanical, packaging, IC, firmware, and software teams to meet stringent electrical, power, and interface requirements. Join a team of engineers shaping next-generation silicon photonics data-center infrastructure, with a hybrid work model and competitive

Qualifications

• Bachelors in Electrical Engineering or related field.
• 7+ years of relevant industry experience.
• Proven track record delivering hardware systems from concept to production.
• Experience leading multi-disciplinary development across electrical, mechanical, and firmware domains.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with system architects to define hardware systems for photonic AI infrastructure.
• Own hardware systems development from concept through production.
• Define, develop, and review PCBAs to meet system electrical/power/interface needs.
• Lead hands-on integration, verification, and validation across bench bring-up, EVT/DVT, and production.
• Drive cross-functional work with firmware, photonics, packaging, and software teams.
• Maintain hardware documentation including schematics, test plans, and validation reports.
• Research components and technologies to meet product goals and improve processes.
• Mentor and provide technical guidance to engineers.

Skills

VRMs

High-speed SerDes

PCIe

Ethernet

SPI/QSPI

I3C

I2C

JTAG

Cross-disciplinary leadership

Ownership mindset

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or related discipline

Job description

Lightmatter is leading the revolution in AI data center infrastructure, enabling the next giant leaps in human progress. The company invented the world’s first 3D-stacked photonics engine, Passage™, capable of connecting thousands to millions of processors at the speed of light in extreme-scale data centers for the most advanced AI and HPC workloads.

Lightmatter raised $400 million in its Series D round, reaching a valuation of $4.4 billion. We will continue to accelerate the development of data center photonics and grow every department at Lightmatter!

If you're passionate about tackling complex challenges, making an impact, and being an expert in your craft, join our team of brilliant scientists, engineers, and accomplished industry leaders.

Lightmatter is (re)inventing the future of computing with light!

We are looking for a talented engineer to provide technical leadership to the Hardware Systems organization to help us build the next generation of silicon photonics based artificial intelligence accelerators and interconnect products. As a Hardware Systems Technical Lead, you will be responsible for delivering board and system solutions using Lightmatter’s innovative technology to create state of the art machine learning/artificial intelligence or massive scale-out interconnect platforms. You will work closely with our hardware and software teams, including mechanical, packaging, and IC engineering, to design and build leading edge system level products.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with system architects and technical leads to define and develop hardware systems for photonic AI infrastructure applications
• Own hardware systems development throughout the full lifecycle, from concept through production
• Define, develop, and review PCBAs to meet system-level electrical, power, and interface requirements
• Lead hands-on integration, verification, and validation across bench bring-up, EVT/DVT, and production release
• Drive cross-functional collaboration with firmware, photonics, packaging, and software teams to resolve dependencies and manage tradeoffs
• Maintain thorough hardware documentation for schematics, design reviews, test plans, validation reports, and other engineering documentation
• Research components and technologies to meet current and next-generation product goals and contribute to the technology roadmap, and improve development processes and engineering best practices
• Mentor and provide technical guidance to engineers on the team

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or related discipline with 7+ years of relevant industry experience
• Demonstrated track record of taking multiple complex hardware systems from concept through production
• Deep knowledge of VRMs, high-speed SerDes, and interfaces/protocols including PCIe, Ethernet, SPI/QSPI, I3C, I2C, and JTAG
• Experience leading multi-disciplinary development, integration, and troubleshooting across electrical, mechanical, and firmware domains
• Strong ownership mindset with the ability to work in ambiguous and dynamic environments

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience designing hardware systems for AI/HPC data center infrastructure, optical transceivers, or silicon photonics products
• Experience with Systems Engineering methodology, including requirements definition and traceability, FMEA, and EVT/DVT/PVT planning and execution
• Familiarity with advanced packaging technologies and high-density PCB design

We offer competitive compensation. The base salary range for this role determined based on location, experience, educational background, and market data.

Salary Range: total compensation goes beyond base salary, it also includes a new hire equity grant, annual performance-based equity, and other rewards that recognize your impact and contribution.

$144,000 - $165,000 CAD

• Retirement Savings Matching Program
• Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary & AD&D)
• Generous Time Off (Vacation, Sick & Public Holidays)
• Paid Family Leave
• Short Term & Long Term Disability
• Training & Development
• Flexible, hybrid workplace model
• Equity grants (applicable to full-time employees)

Benefits eligibility may vary depending on your employment status and location. Lightmatter recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, veteran status, and other protected status as required by applicable law.

Lightmatter follows a hybrid work model

Export Control

Candidates should have capacity to comply with the federally mandated requirements of U.S. export control laws.