Director, Laser Technology

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

We are seeking an experienced, seasoned leader of Laser Technology to lead our laser process development and advanced optics team. In this role, you will own the end-to-end lifecycle of our high-power laser technology —from initial optical physics R&D and beam delivery modeling to scaling laser-material processing loops on the manufacturing floor. You will manage a team of laser engineers, optical physicists, and process specialists driving breakthrough yields in precision material processing.

Key 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 (dicing, singulation, surface ablation) 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, thermal lens effects, and beam drift

• Collaborate with Metrology and Automation teams to implement real-time optical sensor grids and closed-loop process controls.

Qualifications & Experience

• 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), beam delivery optics, and galvo scanners.

• Proven track record in precision laser-material processing loops (e.g., semiconductor wafer slicing, ceramic/hard-material dicing, or optical annealing).

• Proficiency with optical simulation tools (Zemax, Code V) and multiphysics modeling platforms (COMSOL, MATLAB, Python).

• Strong background in Statistical Process Control (SPC), Design of Experiments (DOE), and Root Cause Analysis (RCA).

$195,000 - $270,000 a year