Senior Photonics Solutions Engineer

Lightium AG; Zürich; On-site; CHF 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Employee stock option plan (ESOP)

Competitive compensation package

Opportunity to shape Lightium’s go-to‑

Diverse, impact-driven team

Job summary

Lightium AG is seeking a Senior Photonics Application Engineer to be the technical face of the company from first inquiry to tape-out readiness. You will own the pre-sales journey, qualify requirements, and translate them into a credible technical scope aligned with Lightium’s PDK.

You will collaborate with R&D and operations to guide customers through design flows, enablement, and onboarding while representing the company at events and with international customers.

Qualifications

• A PhD or Master’s degree in Photonics, Electrical Engineering, Physics, or a related field.
• 5+ years of industry experience in integrated photonics design or related customer-facing roles (SiPh/SiN/InP/TFLN).
• Experience designing photonic engines at a transceiver or system level (IMDD, Coherent) is a strong plus.
• Hands-on proficiency with PIC design and EDA tools (Luceda IPKISS, Nazca, Synopsys, or KLayout).
• Deep familiarity with PDKs and design rule checks (DRC, LVS).
• Knowledge of electro-optic characterization, testing, and packaging requirements.
• Breadth across PIC applications from telecom to sensing.
• Fluency in English; Chinese or other Asian language a plus.

Responsibilities

• Pre-Sales Technical Ownership: be the first technical contact for opportunities across telecom, datacom, quantum, defense, AI, and health.
• Define the technical scope of each quotation with Operations and Sales and ensure the PO matches the quoted scope.
• Documentation: Record technical requirements, decisions, and commitments in the CRM for Sales handoff.
• Customer Onboarding & Design Enablement: run structured onboarding for every new customer: kickoff, PDK delivery and design-flow setup, training sessions, and regular design office hours.
• Voice of the Customer: bring structured customer feedback into R&D and product decisions: PDK gaps, design rule questions, packaging needs.
• Industry & Customer Presence: represent Lightium’s technical credibility at trade shows, conferences, and customer visits; travel internationally.

Skills

PIC design

EDA tools

PDK knowledge

DRC/LVS

Electro-optic testing

Packaging requirements

Cross-functional collaboration

English fluency

Education

PhD or Master’s in Photonics/EE/Physics

Tools

Luceda IPKISS

Nazca

Synopsys

KLayout

Job description

Lightium AG is seeking a Senior Photonics Application Engineer to be the technical face of the company from first inquiry to tape-out readiness. You will own the pre-sales journey, qualify requirements, and translate them into a credible technical scope aligned with Lightium’s PDK.

You will collaborate with R&D and operations to guide customers through design flows, enablement, and onboarding while representing the company at events and with international customers.