Senior R&D Scientist

SMART Photonics; Eindhoven; On-site; EUR 59,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Essential key position

Open, informal culture

Professional development opportunities

Job summary

SMART Photonics in Eindhoven, Netherlands, is seeking a Senior R&D Scientist to join the R&D team developing next-gen InP PIC technologies. You may focus on process development, photonic device development, or technology integration, reporting to the Cluster Leader, and collaborating across functions.

Experience in photonics, semiconductor tech and leadership, plus a PhD or equivalent, are highly valued.

Qualifications

• PhD or equivalent in a relevant field.
• Extensive experience in photonics or high-tech R&D.
• Hands-on cleanroom or semiconductor manufacturing experience.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop photonic devices, PIC blocks and semiconductor processes; perform device modelling.
• Design, run and analyse DoE to optimise performance, yield and manufacturability.
• Translate customer requirements into manufacturable, innovative solutions.
• Lead technical projects and drive innovation in your area.
• Support process improvement with root-cause analysis, FMEA, 8D, optimisations.
• Mentor juniors and contribute to roadmaps, publications and patents.

Skills

Analytical skills

Problem solving

Project leadership

Communication

Education

PhD or equivalent in Integrated Photonics, Physics, Electrical Engineering, Semiconductor Tech, Materials Science

Job description

As Senior R&D Scientist 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.

• On-site
• Eindhoven, Noord-Brabant, Netherlands

Job description

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.

Job requirements

• 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.