Fiber pigtailing engineer

Quandela SA; Palaiseau; On-site; EUR 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Profit-sharing & company savings plan

100% health coverage

50% transport reimbursement or sustainable mobility bonus

Meal vouchers

Childcare assistance & referral bonuses

Job summary

Quandela SA in Palaiseau, France is seeking a skilled professional for a role in the Source Production team focusing on fiber pigtailing of single-photon sources. The selected candidate will develop, improve, and operate fiber coupling methods essential for photonic quantum devices.

Candidates should have a PhD or engineering degree in a relevant field, with hands-on experience in optics. The company offers a competitive salary, 100% health coverage, and various employee benefits.

Qualifications

• Strong hands-on experience in optics and optical alignment.
• Experience with fiber coupling, fiber handling or fiber-based optical systems.
• Good understanding of photonic structures and optical components.

Responsibilities

• Perform high-precision fiber coupling between single-mode fibers and micropillars.
• Work on fiber preparation and assembly steps.
• Perform optical characterization of quantum emitters using quantum optics techniques.

Skills

Optical alignment

Fiber coupling

Experimental physics

Communication skills

Cryogenic systems

Education

PhD or engineering degree in optics, photonics, optomechanics or related field

Tools

Quantum optics techniques

Job description

Quandela stands as a global leader in quantum computing, driven by groundbreaking technology and a strategic vision for scaling quantum solutions. The company’s unique ability to offer both hardware and software solutions, along with its commitment to build energy efficient quantum processing units that scale, positions it to play a key role in the next wave of innovation, and in many strategic and sovereign industrial sectors.

With a team of more than 140 people, we develop our own hardware and software stack, from semiconductor quantum emitters and photonic processors to quantum control systems and quantum algorithms.

Our ambition is to build large-scale fault‑tolerant quantum computers capable of solving problems beyond the reach of classical computation using Quandela's cutting‑edge quantum dot technology.

Achieving this vision requires not only advances in photonic quantum computing, but also the development of scalable spin‑photon interfaces, distributed entanglement capabilities and future SPOQC (Spin‑Optical Quantum Computing) architectures that will enable modular and fault‑tolerant quantum systems.

Join Us at the Forefront of Quantum Computing Innovation

About this position:

Join Quandela’s Source Production team to work on the fiber pigtailing of single‑photon sources. The role focuses on developing, improving and operating highly precise fiber coupling methods for photonic quantum devices.

The role is part of the Source Production team, which currently includes 11 people across fabrication, fiber pigtailing and optical characterization. The role is part of the pigtail team, currently composed of one person, and works in close interaction with the fabrication and characterization teams.

The objective is to improve the reliability, reproducibility and productivity of the pigtailing process, from prototype development to production‑ready methods.

Key responsibilities

• Perform high‑precision fiber coupling between single‑mode fibers and individual micropillars, with alignment precision below 100 nm
• Work on fiber preparation and assembly steps, including:
  • fiber cleaving
  • fiber gluing
  • fiber mounting with ferrules and holders
  • fabrication of structures on fiber tips
  • anti‑reflection coating treatment
• Develop and improve methods to evaluate coupling and alignment quality through clear metrics
• Cool down pigtailed sources and support the validation of the assembled devices
• Perform optical characterization of quantum emitters using quantum optics techniques, including single‑photon detection
• Contribute to the development of reliable and reproducible production procedures
• Write systematic reports and share production feedback with other teams
• Work closely with the fabrication and optical characterization teams
• Contribute to productivity improvements and risk mitigation in the pigtailing process
• Simulation experience is a plus

Desired profile

Required

• PhD or engineering degree in optics, photonics, optomechanics, experimental physics or a related field
• Strong hands‑on experience in optics and optical alignment
• Experience with fiber coupling, fiber handling or fiber‑based optical systems
• Good understanding of photonic structures and optical components
• Experience with cryogenic systems or low‑temperature optical setups
• Ability to work with high precision and follow established procedures
• Good communication and reporting skills
• Good level of English

Nice to have

• Experience with quantum emitters or single‑photon sources
• Simulation experience is a plus
• Good balance between hands‑on and simulation, ideally around 70% hands‑on / 30% simulation

Soft skills

• Very precise and rigorous
• Strong respect for procedures
• Creative when developing new methods
• Reliable and methodical
• Good risk mitigation mindset
• Team player
• Hands‑on and practical

• Competitive salary, flexible based on your experience
• Profit‑sharing & company savings plan
• 100% health coverage (Alan)
• 50% transport reimbursement or sustainable mobility bonus
• Meal vouchers (Swile), Gymlib fitness support
• Childcare assistance & referral bonuses (€1,000–€2,000)

What we offer:

• A meaningful role with real ownership, from day one
• A team eager to collaborate and grow with you
• Daily exposure to the entire quantum stack — from high‑level APIs to low‑level firmware, and everything in between.

At Quandela, we believe that the strength of our team is the plurality of experiences, perspectives, and journeys. We are committed to building a respectful, inclusive, and welcoming work environment. All applications are welcome.