Cryogenic Photonics Test Engineer — Automation & Measurements

Great Sky

Boulder (CO)

On-site

USD 110,000 - 170,000

Full time

3 days ago

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Benefits offered by this job

Equity ownership

401(k) matching

Health/dental/vision/life insurance

Flexible PTO

Learning and conference support

Job summary

Great Sky in Boulder, CO is seeking a Photonics Test Development Engineer to own optical test and characterization workflows for integrated photonic devices central to our platform. You will design and automate test setups for cryogenic photonic networks, characterize passive and active components, and collaborate with design teams to accelerate hardware development.

This hands-on role offers high ownership, opportunities to shape testing infrastructure, and a path to advance silicon photonics

Qualifications

BS, MS, or PhD in physics, electrical engineering, optics, or related field, or equivalent practical experience.
Hands-on experience designing, assembling, and automating optical test and characterization setups.
Experience with optical and electro-optical characterization of photonic devices, including fiber coupling, grating measurements, waveguide loss measurements, and photodetector testing.
Knowledge of laser device physics and practical laser characterization.
Ability to work independently in a fast-paced research and development environment.
Proficiency in Python for test automation, instrument control, and data analysis.

Responsibilities

Own end-to-end optical test development for cryogenic photonic networks – from setup development to test plan definition.
Design, build, and automate optical, electrical, and optoelectronic test setups and develop custom measurement solutions for chip- and package-level device characterization, including fiber-to-chip coupling and alignment automation.
Perform rigorous characterization of passive SiN photonic components: gratings, splitters, couplers, and mode converters — including insertion loss, coupling efficiency, splitting ratio, bandwidth, and polarization extinction ratio measurements.
Characterize active devices such as integrated lasers, amplifiers, and superconducting single-photon detectors.
Document test methods and communicate findings through concise reports, presentations, and design reviews.
Create methods and systems for data acquisition and processing.
Collaborate closely with multiple technical teams to accelerate development cycles.
Ensure repeatability and reliability of test data.