Application Engineer – PIC Architecture

OpenLight Photonics; Santa Clara (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

OpenLight Photonics in Santa Clara, CA, seeks an Application Engineer—PIC Architecture to be the main technical interface between customers and internal teams. You will gather requirements, provide technical support, and explain PIC capabilities while ensuring successful product adoption.

You will collaborate across architecture, design, layout, process integration, test, and operations, creating datasheets, test reports, specs, and application notes.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's in a technical field such as Physics, Optics, Electrical Engineering, or Photonics.
• 1-5 years of work experience in a related role.
• Strong written and verbal communication for customer interactions.
• Experience creating technical documentation (datasheets, test reports, specs).

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary technical point of contact for customers and provide tech support.
• Understand customer requirements and translate them into actionable discussions with internal teams.
• Educate customers on product capabilities, performance, design considerations, and guidelines.
• Coordinate across architecture, design, layout, process integration, test, and operations teams.
• Support product evaluations, technical reviews, troubleshooting, and customer engagements.
• Develop, maintain, and update technical documentation (datasheets, test reports, specs, application notes, presentations).
• Track customer requests and project timelines to ensure successful execution and satisfaction.
• Provide technical feedback for new product introductions and market requirements.
• Assist the Architecture team in defining product features, performance metrics, and application requirements.

Skills

Technical communication

Cross-functional coordination

Technical documentation

Customer engagement

Program management

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in Physics/Optics/EE/Photonics

Job description

The Role

Application Engineer -- PIC Architecture to serve as the primary technical interface between customers and our internal engineering teams. In this role, you will work closely with customers to understand their application requirements, provide technical support, and communicate the capabilities of our Photonic Integrated Circuit (PIC) products and technologies.

You will collaborate with architecture, design, layout, process, test, and operations teams to gather technical information, resolve customer inquiries, and ensure successful product adoption. Additionally, you will support the Architecture team by creating and maintaining technical documentation, including datasheets, test reports, technical specifications, and application notes.

What You Will Do

• Serve as the primary technical point of contact for customers, providing timely and effective technical support.
• Understand customer requirements and translate them into actionable technical discussions with internal engineering teams.
• Educate customers on product capabilities, performance characteristics, design considerations, and application guidelines.
• Coordinate across architecture, design, layout, process integration, test, and operations teams to gather technical information and communicate solutions to customers.
• Support product evaluations, technical reviews, troubleshooting activities, and customer engagements.
• Develop, maintain, and update technical documentation, including:
  • Product datasheets
  • Test reports
  • Test specifications
  • Application notes
  • Technical presentations
• Track customer requests, technical issues, and project timelines to ensure successful execution and customer satisfaction.
• Support new product introductions by providing technical feedback from customer engagements and market requirements.
• Assist the Architecture team in defining and documenting product features, performance metrics, and application requirements.

Your Background Includes

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Physics, Optics, Electrical Engineering, Photonics, or a related technical field.
• 1-5 years of work experience
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to effectively interact with customers and cross-functional teams.
• Technical Program Management experience or demonstrated ability to coordinate activities across multiple engineering disciplines.
• Ability to quickly understand customer requirements and communicate complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Experience generating and maintaining technical documentation such as datasheets, test reports, specifications, and application notes.
• Proven ability to work effectively with multidisciplinary teams, including test, layout, process, design, and operations organizations.

About OpenLight

OpenLight is growing as customer adoption and industry momentum continue to accelerate. The rapid growth of AI and cloud infrastructure is driving unprecedented demand for faster, more energy-efficient optical connectivity. We are addressing this challenge through a platform approach that simplifies the development of photonic integrated circuits (PICs) and accelerates industry adoption.

As part of our team, you will contribute to technologies that enable AI and hyperscale data centers, high-speed optical communications, advanced sensing applications, next-generation photonic integration, and more. Our team is collaborative and fast-moving, and you will have the opportunity to make meaningful contributions across technology, operations, and business growth.

If you are excited about solving challenging problems, advancing cutting-edge technology, and working with a highly collaborative team, we would love to hear from you.