Photonic Product Validation & Characterization Engineer

Inpho; Ottawa; On-site; CAD 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Full health benefits

Equity packages

Flexible work environment

Career growth opportunities

Job summary

Inpho, located in Ottawa, is searching for a Photonic Product Validation & Characterization Engineer to lead EVT/DVT planning and ensure technical validation of photonic components. The ideal candidate has 3–7 years of experience in photonic validation, a strong understanding of InP semiconductor physics, and proficiency in Python for data analysis. Inpho offers a competitive salary, benefits, and opportunities for career growth in a mission-driven startup.

Qualifications

• 3–7 years of practical experience in photonic or semiconductor device validation.
• Solid understanding of InP semiconductor physics and high-speed testing concepts.
• Proven experience with Python-based data analysis tools like Pandas or Plotly.

Responsibilities

• Own EVT/DVT planning, execution, and technical sign-off.
• Interpret results in the context of device physics.
• Analyze datasets and write clear, professional validation reports.
• Utilize Python to improve data visualization and analysis tools.
• Collaborate with design and test teams.

Skills

Analytical Problem Solving

Data Visualization

Cross-functional Communication

Technical Report Writing

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Physics, or related field

Tools

Python

Test Equipment

Job description

Job Title: Photonic Product Validation & Characterization Engineer

Company: Inpho

Job Type: Full-Time, On Site

Reports to: Senior Principal Optical Engineer

About Inpho

Inpho is a fast-growing startup, focused on developing cutting-edge optoelectronic solutions for next-generation communications, and photonic systems. Our multidisciplinary team is pushing the boundaries of innovation in integrated photonics and semiconductor packaging.

Inpho’s new class of monolithically integrated electro-photonic chips is poised to revolutionize and disrupt the optical interconnect market. Utilizing this new class of chips enables existing optical interconnect systems to be built at much lower cost; new architectures to be deployed that provide significantly higher price/performance; and a whole new generation of higher speed interconnect to be built that to date have been impossible.

About the Role

We are seeking a Photonic Product Validation & Characterization Engineer who is an autonomous problem solver and a proactive doer. While the Test Engineer focuses on lab execution, you will take ownership of the "why" and the "what"—determining the necessary test coverage to validate our photonic components and ensuring the results are technically sound. We need a team player who can take a project from the test bench all the way to a finished DVT report with minimal oversight. Success in this role means delivering clear, defensible EVT/DVT reports that enable confident product release decisions.

Key Responsibilities

• Project Ownership: Own EVT/DVT planning, execution, and technical sign-off, including defining test coverage and acceptance criteria for high-speed InP EMLs and photodetectors, ensuring all performance benchmarks are met.
• Analytical Problem Solving: Go beyond data collection to extract key parameters (e.g., bandwidth, RIN, extinction ratio); interpreting results in the context of device physics and identifying trends or anomalies and root causes of performance limitations.
• Report Leadership: Take full responsibility for analyzing datasets and writing clear, professional validation reports for internal and external stakeholders.
• Data Pipelines: Utilize Python to build and improve data visualization and analysis tools, making complex performance data easy for the team to digest.
• Collaborative Bridge: Work closely with both the design and test teams to refine characterization methods and troubleshoot device-level issues.

Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree (PhD also welcome) in Electrical Engineering, Physics, or a related field.
• Years of Experience: 3–7 years of practical experience in photonic or semiconductor device validation.
• Technical Knowledge: Solid understanding of InP semiconductor physics (lasers, modulators, detectors) and high-speed (PAM4) testing concepts.
• Specific Experience: Proven experience with high-speed test equipment and Python-based data analysis (Pandas, Plotly, or similar).

Soft Skills

• Experience working in a fast-paced environment, independently and as part of a team
• High level attention to detail, strong analytical skills and coachability
• Exceptional leadership, communication, interpersonal and organizational skills
• Strong cross-functional communication and technical decision-making ability
• Preferred Additional Experience
• Experience working in a startup environment
• Experience working in a high-tech hardware design and manufacturing company

Why Join Inpho?

• Be part of a mission-driven startup shaping the future of photonics.
• Competitive salary, full health benefits and equity packages, flexible work environment, and career growth opportunities.

Come work with a dynamic, high-talent team to build and commercialize the highest performance photonics chips in the world!