Applications Engineering Manager- Optical (LitePoint; San Jose, CA)

LitePoint; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 171,900 - 275,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health and wellbeing benefits

Paid vacation and holidays

Tuition assistance

Job summary

LitePoint in Silicon Valley seeks an Applications Engineering Manager to lead our photonics test applications team in San Jose, CA. You will grow and manage engineers, bridging customers and product teams to drive adoption and account growth.

You’ll own delivery, installation, calibration, troubleshooting, and customer relationships. Ideal candidates have 8+ years in optical R&D or applications engineering, prior people-management experience, and hands-on testing with optical instruments.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Photonics, Optical Engineering, Physics, Electrical Engineering, or related field; Master’s preferred or equivalent experience.
• 8+ years in optical R&D, design, testing, or applications engineering with customer-facing work.
• Prior people-management experience or demonstrated technical leadership with readiness to manage a team.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team of applications engineers—set goals, manage performance, balance workload, and support career growth.
• Set technical direction and best practices; ensure high-quality customer support.
• Own senior-level customer relationships in the region and coordinate with regional teams.

Skills

Photonics testing

C/C++

Python

Team leadership

Education

Bachelor's in Photonics/Optical/Electrical Eng

Tools

C/C++

Python

Job description

LitePoint: Driving Wireless Innovation

LitePoint is a global leader in wireless test solutions, partnering with top wireless device manufacturers to ensure their products meet the high standards of today's tech-savvy consumers. Our out-of-the-box solutions are designed to test the world's most widely used wireless chipsets.

LitePoint is a global leader in wireless test solutions, partnering with top wireless device manufacturers to ensure their products meet the high standards of today's tech-savvy consumers. Our out-of-the-box solutions are designed to test the world's most widely used wireless chipsets.

We collaborate with industry leaders in smartphones, tablets, PCs, wireless access points, and chipsets. Additionally, we are at the forefront of testing the rapidly growing Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, California, with a global presence, LitePoint is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Teradyne (NYSE: TER), a leading provider of automation equipment for testing and industrial applications.

Our Purpose

TERADYNE, where experience meets innovation and driving excellence in every connection. We are fueled by creativity and diversity of thought and in our workforce. Our employees are supportedto innovate and learn something new every day.

We cultivate a culture of inclusion for all employees that respects their individual strengths, views, and experiences. We believe that our differences enable us to be a better team – one that makes better decisions, drives innovation and delivers better business results.

Opportunity Overview

Our LitePoint team is seeking an Applications Engineering Manager to lead our photonics test applications effort in San Jose, CA. You will grow and manage a team of applications engineers and serve as the senior technical bridge between our photonics test products and the customers who depend on them—accountable for both your team's delivery (installation, calibration, troubleshooting, training, enablement) and the customer relationships that drive adoption and account growth. The position will work closely with the engineering and marketing organizations to guide product development as well and manage key customer design in activity.

Working in close partnership with regional applications and sales teams, you will ensure consistent support coverage and a steady flow of market information to R&D and product marketing. The applicant should have experience high-speed optical communications test—optical transceivers, silicon photonics, and optical links—using tools such as optical sampling scopes, BERTs, CDRs, optical spectrum analyzers, and optical power meters. This role suits an experienced applications engineer ready to lead: someone who can still go into depth in the lab, but whose primary leverage is developing the team, setting technical direction, and owning the regional customer relationship.

Team Leadership

• Manage, coach, and develop a team of applications engineers—goal-setting, performance management, workload balancing, and career growth.
• Set technical direction and best practices; ensure consistent, high-quality support across customers.
• Act as the escalation point for complex technical and customer situations.
• Drive customer design-ins and develop technical messaging for customer updates

Applications & Product Support

• Oversee troubleshooting, root-cause analysis, and issue resolution across module and system levels.
• Ensure customers are effectively supported through configuration, calibration, and operation of photonics test equipment.
• Develop automated test solutions, libraries, and tools for chipset vendors, brand names, ODMs, and CMs.
• Partner with engineering and product marketing to drive corrective action and influence product improvements.

Customer & Regional Engagement

• Own senior-level customer relationships in the region, ensuring proactive communication, satisfaction, and growth.
• Coordinate with regional applications and sales teams on coverage, engagement plans, and priorities.
• Direct product demonstrations, training, and technical workshops.
• Capture field feedback and channel it for product roadmap development.

Documentation & Reporting

• Ensure the team maintains strong technical documentation, application notes, and training materials.
• Report to leadership on customer interactions, issue trends, resolution metrics, and product feedback.
• Represent LitePoint at trade shows, conferences, and industry events.

All About You

We seek individuals who share our passion and determination. Our commitment to customer success drives us to go the extra mile. If you’re ready to join us in this mission, take a closer look at the minimum criteria for the position.

• Bachelor's degree in Photonics, Optical Engineering, Physics, Electrical Engineering, or related field (Master's preferred, or equivalent experience).
• 8+ years in optical R&D, design, testing, or applications engineering, including customer-facing work.
• Prior people-management experience, or demonstrated technical leadership (mentor, team lead, project lead) with readiness to formally manage a team.

Technical Skills

• Strong grasp of photonics testing principles, equipment, and measurement techniques.
• Deep understanding of high-speed Ethernet standards (IEEE 802.3bs/cd).
• Hands-on experience with optical test instruments: optical sampling scopes, CDR, BERT, optical spectrum analyzer, optical power meter.
• Structured troubleshooting from system down to component level.
• Proficiency in C/C++, Python, or similar for test automation.

Leadership & Communication

• Proven ability to lead, coach, and develop technical staff.
• Excellent communication skills, able to represent LitePoint to senior customer stakeholders.
• Track record of building lasting customer relationships in a technical environment.
• Effective coordination across distributed regional teams.

Other

• Ability to manage multiple priorities, engineers, and customers concurrently.
• Willingness to travel to customer sites, regional offices, and company events as needed.

This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship.

Compensation

The base salary range for this role is$171,900 to 275,000. This range is a good faith estimate, and the amount of base salary will correspond with experience and skill set. This range can also fluctuate depending on demand and location.

Incentive Plan:

This job is eligible for discretionary bonus(es) based on financial performance.

Benefits

Teradyne offers a variety of robust health and well-being benefit programs, including medical, dental, vision, Flexible Spending Accounts, retirement savings plans, life and disability insurance, paid vacation & holidays, tuition assistance programs, and more.

We attract, develop, and retain a high-performance workforce, comprised of people with diverse backgrounds and a shared drive for excellence. We strive to foster a positive and inclusive work environment that helps employees, and communities, thrive.