Senior Integrated Photonics Packaging Engineer (m/f/d)

Q.ant GmbH; Stuttgart; Hybrid; EUR 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Q.ANT is seeking a Senior Integrated Photonics Packaging Engineer to drive the end-to-end development of packaging architectures for PIC-based systems. You will co-design optical, electrical, and thermal packaging to maximize performance, enable scalability, and bridge photonics with high-speed electronics.

You will lead R&D workstreams, validate concepts end-to-end, and mentor junior engineers while collaborating with PIC designers, systems engineers, and external partners in a hands-on,

Qualifications

• Master's or Ph.D. in Photonics, Optoelectronics, Electrical Engineering, Physics, or a related field.

Responsibilities

• Drive packaging innovation: conceive, build, and experimentally validate novel packaging prototypes for co-integration of PICs with light sources, detectors, and high-speed electronics.
• Lead packaging R&D workstreams from concept to benchtop testing and knowledge transfer.
• Solve first-principles challenges in optical coupling, RF/microwave signal integrity, and thermal management.
• Develop coupling schemes (edge, grating, lensed fiber, micro-lens arrays) and measure performance.
• Collaborate with PIC designers, systems engineers, and electronics teams to align packaging with device and system constraints.
• Document recipes, procedures, rules, and tolerance budgets for manufacturability and IP.
• Coordinate with external partners and suppliers as the technical lead, not delivery manager.
• Mentor junior engineers and shape the packaging R&D roadmap.

Education

Master's or Ph.D. in Photonics/Optoelectronics/Electrical Engineering/Physics

Job description

Your mission

The future of AI computing is light, not electrons.
As Senior Integrated Photonics Packaging Engineer, you will sit at the very heart of Q.ANT's photonic hardware R&D. You will research, develop, and demonstrate novel electrical and optical packaging concepts that bring our photonic integrated circuits (PICs) to their full performance potential. Rather than managing external suppliers to deliver off-the-shelf solutions, you will own the hands-on development of packaging architectures end-to-end - from first-principles design through prototyping, benchtop characterization, and validation. By bridging optical, electrical, and thermal domains, you will directly shape the performance, integrability, and scalability of our PIC-based systems.
At Q.ANT, we are building photonic processing systems that compute with light - delivering a scalable, energy-efficient alternative to transistor-based architectures for next-generation AI and high-performance computing.

Your Impact & Responsibilities

• Drive Packaging Innovation: Conceive, build, and experimentally validate novel packaging prototypes and assembly methods for the co-integration of PICs with light sources, photodetectors, and high-speed analog electronics.
• Lead Workstreams End-to-End: Lead packaging R&D workstreams from concept definition and experiment design to hands-on benchtop testing and documented knowledge transfer.
• Solve First-Principles Engineering Challenges: Define packaging requirements and solve complex optical coupling, RF/microwave signal integrity, and thermal management challenges from a first-principles understanding.
• Develop Coupling Schemes: Design, build, and measure advanced optical coupling schemes (e.g., edge coupling, grating coupling, lensed fiber,
  micro-lens arrays).
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner closely with PIC designers, systems engineers, and electronics teams to ensure packaging architectures are co-designed with device- and system-level constraints in mind.
• Build Institutional Knowledge: Document process recipes, assembly procedures, design rules, and tolerance budgets to enable manufacturability assessments, repeatability, and IP generation.
• Technical Supplier Alignment: Coordinate with external partners and suppliers for specialized materials or fabrication capabilities as the technical lead who specifies and validates rather than manages delivery.
• Mentorship & Leadership: Mentor junior engineers and contribute to shaping the team's overall packaging R&D roadmap.

Your profile

• Education: Master's or Ph.D. in Photonics, Optoelectronics, Electrical Engineering, Physics, or a related field (a Ph.D. with an experimental packaging or integration focus is