Senior R&D Scientist

BOM; Eindhoven; Hybrid; EUR 59,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

SMART Photonics invites you to join the R&D team developing next-generation InP Photonic Integrated Circuit technologies. You will work with scientists, engineers, product managers, customers, and manufacturing teams to turn innovative photonic concepts into scalable solutions, with focus areas in process development, photonic device development or technology integration.

Reporting to the Cluster Leader, you will lead technical projects, perform DoE, mentor junior colleagues, and contribute to

Qualifications

• PhD or equivalent experience in Integrated Photonics, Physics, Electrical Engineering, Semiconductor Technology, Materials Science, or a related field.
• Extensive experience in photonics, semiconductors, or a high-tech R&D environment.
• Expertise in semiconductor processing, technology development and integration to next gen product.
• Hands-on experience in cleanroom or semiconductor manufacturing environments.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and project leadership skills.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills within multidisciplinary teams.
• Passion for innovation and technology development.

Responsibilities

• Develop and improve photonic devices, PIC building blocks, and semiconductor process technologies, whilst performing device modelling.
• Design, execute, and analyse Design of Experiments (DoE) to optimize performance, yield, and manufacturability.
• Translate customer and product requirements into innovative and manufacturable solutions.
• Lead technical projects and drive innovation within your area of expertise.
• Support continuous improvement through root-cause analysis, FMEA, 8D, and process optimization activities.
• Mentor junior colleagues and contribute to technology roadmaps, publications, patents, and knowledge sharing.

Skills

Analytical skills

Project leadership

Communication

Collaboration

Mentoring

Hands-on engineering

Education

PhD or equivalent in related field

Job description

At SMART Photonics, you will join the R&D team developing next-generation InP Photonic Integrated Circuit (PIC) technologies. Working closely with scientists, engineers, product managers, customers, and manufacturing teams, you will help transform innovative photonic concepts into scalable and manufacturable solutions. Depending on your expertise, your focus may be on process development, photonic device development or technology integration.

You will report to the Cluster Leader.

Key Responsibilities:

• Develop and improve photonic devices, PIC building blocks, and semiconductor process technologies, whilst performing device modelling.

• Design, execute, and analyse Design of Experiments (DoE) to optimize performance, yield, and manufacturability.

• Translate customer and product requirements into innovative and manufacturable solutions.

• Lead technical projects and drive innovation within your area of expertise.

• Support continuous improvement through root-cause analysis, FMEA, 8D, and process optimization activities.

• Mentor junior colleagues and contribute to technology roadmaps, publications, patents, and knowledge sharing.

• PhD or equivalent experience in Integrated Photonics, Physics, Electrical Engineering, Semiconductor Technology, Materials Science, or a related field;

• Extensive experience in photonics, semiconductors, or a high-tech R&D environment;

• Expertise in one or more areas such as semiconductor processing, technology development and integration to next gen product.

• Hands-on experience in cleanroom or semiconductor manufacturing environments.

• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and project leadership skills.

• Excellent communication and collaboration skills within multidisciplinary teams.

• Passion for innovation and technology development.

Additional Information:

• Experience with III-V semiconductor technologies is highly preferred.

• This is a senior technical role with opportunities to lead projects, influence technology strategy, and act as a subject matter expert.

• The position combines hands-on technical work with project leadership and cross-functional collaboration.

• We value curiosity, ownership, continuous learning, and a collaborative mindset. At SMART Photonics, we expect people to be proactive.

We offer :

• An essential key position within our organisation

• To develop with us SMART Photonics into a market leader in an entrepreneurial, dynamic environment.

• A challenging position with plenty of room for own initiatives and professional development and personal growth.

• A talented group of passionate people working in an open, informal culture in multidisciplinary teams.

• Salary in level J (senior engineer) range from EUR 58.500 gross annual to EUR 100.213 gross annual; exact offer depending on industrial relevance, years of experience and seniority exposure. More details to be shared in first conversations.

How we create a safe work environment together.

Security is a shared responsibility. At SMART Photonics, we are committed to providing a safe, inclusive, and respectful workplace, where everyone is treated fairly. Together, we protect our people, information, technology, and operations. Every employee is expected to work responsibly by following approved procedures, using our systems and information with care, and speak up when something doesn't seem right. By applying, you agree to uphold our security principles and Code of Conduct.