Director, High-Power Laser & Photonics

Diamond Foundry; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 195,000 - 270,000; Full time

Job summary

Diamond Foundry in San Francisco seeks an experienced leader to own the end-to-end lifecycle of high-power laser systems, from optical physics R&D to scaling manufacturing processes on the floor. You will manage a team of laser engineers, optical physicists, and process specialists driving breakthrough yields in precision material processing.

Required are 8+ years in laser systems engineering with 5+ years of leadership, deep expertise in ultrafast/femtosecond lasers, beam delivery optics, and

Qualifications

• Master’s or Ph.D. in Optics, Photonics, Physics, Electrical Engineering, or Materials Science.
• 8+ years in laser systems engineering, with 5+ years managing technical optical/process engineering teams.
• Deep technical expertise in high-power industrial lasers (fiber, DPSS, ultrafast/femtosecond) and beam delivery optics.
• Proven track record in precision laser-material processing loops (wafer slicing, dicing, or optical annealing).
• Proficiency with optical simulation tools (Zemax, Code V) and multiphysics modeling (COMSOL, MATLAB, Python).
• Strong background in SPC, DOE, RCA.

Responsibilities

• Own the technical roadmap for high-power laser systems, beam shaping optics, and ultrafast laser slicing for diamond wafers.
• Lead and scale a high-performing team of photonics engineers, optical physicists, and laser process specialists.
• Drive the scaling and transfer of laser-material processing recipes from R&D to the factory floor.
• Partner with Equipment Engineering to design, procure, and integrate high-precision optical delivery hardware and galvo systems.
• Maximize diamond wafer yield by resolving complex laser-material interaction excursions and beam drift.
• Collaborate with Metrology and Automation teams to implement real-time optical sensor grids and closed-loop process controls.

Skills

Team leadership

Laser systems engineering

Optics design

Beam delivery optics

Zemax / Code V

MATLAB / Python

Statistical Process Control

Root Cause Analysis

Education

Master’s or Ph.D. in Optics/Photonics/Physics/EE/Materials Science

Tools

Zemax

Code V

COMSOL

MATLAB

Python

Job description

Diamond Foundry in San Francisco seeks an experienced leader to own the end-to-end lifecycle of high-power laser systems, from optical physics R&D to scaling manufacturing processes on the floor. You will manage a team of laser engineers, optical physicists, and process specialists driving breakthrough yields in precision material processing.

Required are 8+ years in laser systems engineering with 5+ years of leadership, deep expertise in ultrafast/femtosecond lasers, beam delivery optics, and