Senior Systems Test Engineer

Salience Labs Ltd; Abingdon; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Salience Labs Ltd in the United Kingdom is seeking a senior Lab Test Engineer to own the system test capability for photonic switching hardware. You will define test strategies, build measurement setups and automate data capture in a fast, lab-driven environment.

You will mentor engineers, coordinate with Photonics, Electronics, Firmware and Product teams, and drive test readiness through structured plans and data-led decisions in pursuit of high-bandwidth, low-latency AI infrastructure goals.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of hands-on lab experience with optical, photonic or mixed signal electronic setups.
• Ability to build, debug and optimise measurement systems, and automate test workflows.
• Comfortable with test coverage, data quality and repeatability underpinning decisions.
• Ability to plan rigorously, track progress, and flag risks early.
• Background in photonics, optics, MEMS, mixed signal electronics, semiconductor test or high-speed transceiver validation.
• Experience with automated test frameworks and scripting for test automation and data analysis tooling.
• Fluency in Python (NumPy) and familiarity with VISA/SCPI protocols.

Responsibilities

• Define and own the system level test strategy for Salience’s photonic switching platform, covering test planning, setup definition, execution and reporting
• Build and maintain complex optical and electronic measurement setups with strong attention to stability, repeatability and safety
• Automate test sequences and data capture pipelines to minimise manual overhead and accelerate learning cycles
• Develop and communicate a clear view of test readiness, critical paths and parallelisable work
• Create plans, timelines and prioritisation frameworks that reflect real engineering constraints
• Optimise existing test processes by identifying wasted effort, anticipating failure modes and preparing setups ahead of hardware arrivals
• Collaborate closely with Photonics, Electronics, Firmware and Product teams to ensure test outputs align with system level performance requirements for high bandwidth, low latency switching
• Drive a culture of disciplined execution with a clear understanding of the commercial end goal
• Mentor and guide other engineers in test practice, automation and lab discipline
• Shape and lead the function with competence, judgement and reliability, even before any formal line management is introduced

Skills

Python (NumPy)

Test automation

Data analysis

Measurement systems

Lab environments

Scripting

Tools

VISA/SCPI

Job description

About us

Salience Labs is developing optical circuit switching technology for AI infrastructure, aimed at reducing latency and cost in data centre networks. As we move towards deployment, you’ll have real ownership of your area and work alongside a highly technical team on a hard problem in AI infrastructure.

Job Overview

This role sits at the centre of how Salience Labs takes our photonic switching technology from prototype to reliable deployment in AI networks. You will define, build and operate our system test capability, covering complex opto-electronic setups, automation and structured test execution.

We need someone with a clear, organised and outcome driven approach, able to design test strategies from first principles and communicate progress with data led clarity.

Success requires strong technical depth, solid operational discipline and the ability to work quickly and precisely in a lab environment. You will shape how we validate our switching hardware, ensure test readiness at each milestone and remove bottlenecks through smart automation and process improvement. As a senior member of the team, you will set the technical standard for test and guide others in meeting it.

What you’ll be doing

• Define and own the system level test strategy for Salience’s photonic switching platform, covering test planning, setup definition, execution and reporting

• Build and maintain complex optical and electronic measurement setups with strong attention to stability, repeatability and safety

• Automate test sequences and data capture pipelines to minimise manual overhead and accelerate learning cycles

• Develop and communicate a clear view of test readiness, critical paths and parallelisable work

• Create plans, timelines and prioritisation frameworks that reflect real engineering constraints

• Optimise existing test processes by identifying wasted effort, anticipating failure modes and preparing setups ahead of hardware arrivals

• Collaborate closely with Photonics, Electronics, Firmware and Product teams to ensure test outputs align with system level performance requirements for high bandwidth, low latency switching

• Drive a culture of disciplined execution with a clear understanding of the commercial end goal

• Mentor and guide other engineers in test practice, automation and lab discipline

• Shape and lead the function with competence, judgement and reliability, even before any formal line management is introduced

What we’re looking for

• Typically 5+ years of experience working hands on in lab environments involving complex optical, photonic or mixed signal electronic setups

• Demonstrable ability to build, debug and optimise measurement systems, and automate test workflows, with experience owning test capability end to end

• Comfortable operating in environments where test coverage, data quality and repeatability underpin every decision

• Ability to plan rigorously, track progress, think in parallel and flag risks early

• A background that may include photonics, optics, MEMS, mixed signal electronics, semiconductor test or high-speed transceiver validation

• Experience with automated test frameworks, scripting for test automation and data analysis tooling

• Fluency in Python (NumPy) and familiarity with VISA/SCPI protocols is essential

• Strong organisational capability, able to set expectations, anticipate bottlenecks and maintain momentum across multiple teams

• Experience mentoring or technically guiding other engineers

• Based in the UK or willing to relocate, with consistent presence required in the Oxford lab

Even better if you

• Have experience scaling system test infrastructure for high performance communication or switching hardware

• Are comfortable developing automated analysis pipelines to support data led decision making

• Have previously led or mentored test or validation teams

• Bring understanding of reliability, environmental or system level testing for optical or networking hardware

• Possess a practical commercial mindset, able to balance speed, risk and technical depth

If you are looking for an opportunity to shape the core test capability of a deep tech company redefining photonic switching for AI infrastructure, we would be glad to speak with you. This role suits someone who enjoys turning complex hardware behaviour into clear signals, structured plans and meaningful progress.