Director of Test Automation

Neurophos; Sunnyvale (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k) matching

Stock options

Unlimited PTO

HSA contributions

Job summary

Neurophos is hiring a senior test engineer to own end-to-end test and automation for T100 optical processing units. You will define test strategies across wafer, component, and system levels, develop wafer-level probe programs, and build scalable automation and data pipelines to ensure correct optical, electrical, and computational paths.

You will lead a small team hands-on, drive measurable production readiness, and apply AI/ML to optimize tests and calibration.

Qualifications

• MS or PhD in engineering, physics, or computer science, and 10+ years in test engineering or test automation for hardware.
• You have built a test automation system from nothing and seen it carry real production volume.
• Wafer-level test experience on logic or photonic devices: probe, test program development, and screening die before packaging.
• Experience testing systems rather than components with multiple subsystems.
• Built or owned a test data management system with volume storage and die-level traceability.
• Connected test data across levels and applied AI/ML to guide tests and screening criteria.
• Strong software skills in Python or similar, including instrument control.

Responsibilities

• Define and own the test strategy across wafer, component, and system level for T100 OPU modules and POC1 units.
• Develop wafer-level probe and test programs to screen known-good die.
• Establish system-level tests covering optical, electrical, and computational paths.
• Build automation for test sequences, fixturing, and instrument control.
• Design the test data system with schema, storage, and traceability.
• Link results across levels to inform calibration and specs.

Skills

Test automation

Wafer-level testing

System testing

Python

Instrumentation control

Test data management

AI/ML in test

Leadership

Education

MS/PhD in engineering/physics/CS

Tools

Probe stations

Python

Job description

About Neurophos

The demand for new data centers and AI compute is rapidly outpacing the planet’s energy capacity. Digital solutions are hitting a power wall as we approach the physical limits of traditional silicon. Conquering this bottleneck means rethinking the fundamental architecture of inference compute. The industry's current path can't meet the need, so we're taking a different approach.

Instead of traditional electronic circuits, we use silicon photonics and an active, programmable metasurface to perform matrix multiplications at the speed of light. Our optical cells are 10,000x smaller than traditional photonic components, enabling unprecedented density. By using photonics instead of electricity, our chips become more efficient as they scale. This architecture will deliver up to 100 times the energy efficiency of existing solutions while significantly improving performance for large-scale AI inference.

We’ve assembled a world‑class team of industry veterans and recently raised a $110M Series A led by Gates Frontier. Participants include M12 (Microsoft’s Venture Fund), Carbon Direct Capital, Aramco Ventures, Bosch Ventures, Tectonic Ventures, Space Capital, and others.

Join us and shape the future of computing!

Location: Austin, TX (preferred) or Sunnyvale, CA. Full-time onsite position.

Reports To: VP of Product Engineering

FLSA Status: Exempt

Position Overview

Neurophos is bringing up its first optical processing units, and no one has tested one before. This role owns test and test automation at every level (wafer, component, and system) plus the automation and data that connect them. Today, most testing happens by hand, one part at a time, by the engineers who designed the part, and that won't scale at volume. You will define what test means for the T100, set pass criteria from what the hardware actually does, and build the team and infrastructure to run it.

Primary Responsibilities

• Define and own the test strategy across wafer, component, and system level for T100 OPU modules and POC1 units.
• Develop wafer-level probe and test programs that screen known‑good die before they are committed to a package.
• Establish system-level tests that verify the optical, electrical, and computational path produces the right answer, since a unit can pass every electrical check and still be wrong.
• Build the automation behind all three levels: test sequences, probe and fixturing, instrument control, and the pass criteria that decide what moves forward.
• Design the test data system: schema and storage for measurement data at volume, and traceability that carries a die’s identity and position through packaging into the finished unit.
• Connect results across levels so upstream data shortens downstream test and seeds calibration, and system findings feed back into component specs and screening criteria.
• Work with calibration, optical metrology, and integration engineers, who share instruments, fixtures, and data with test.
• Hire and lead the test team, and stay hands‑on at the bench while the team is small.

Qualifications

• MS or PhD in engineering, physics, or computer science, and 10+ years in test engineering or test automation for hardware, including time spent hiring and growing engineers.
• You have built a test automation system from nothing and seen it carry real production volume. Not inherited one, not bought one.
• Wafer-level test experience on logic or photonic devices: probe, test program development, and what it takes to screen die before they go into a package.
• Experience testing systems rather than components, where the answer depends on several subsystems interacting and the failure is rarely where it first looks.
• You have built or owned a test data management system, not just used one, including schema, storage at volume, and die‑level traceability through packaging.
• You have connected test data across levels and applied AI/ML to it: learning which upstream measurements predict downstream behavior, deciding which tests a given unit still needs, and setting screening criteria from evidence.
• Strong software skills in Python or similar, including instrument control, and the judgment to build a framework others can extend without you.

Preferred Skills

• Optical or photonic test: fiber, free-space optics, detectors, and alignment.
• High‑speed electrical measurement and signal integrity.
• Hardware‑in‑the‑loop test frameworks.
• Test for systems where accuracy comes from calibration rather than component tolerance.
• Taking a test process from first article into production and handing it to a contract manufacturer.

What We Offer

This is an opportunity to play a pivotal role in an innovative startup redefining the future of AI hardware. Work on game‑changing technology at the intersection of photonics and AI as part of a collaborative, brilliant team. You’ll contribute to a platform that redefines computational performance and accelerates the future of artificial intelligence. Come help us bring this transformative technology to the world.

Benefits

• 100% coverage of base health plan premiums for you and your dependents, plus HSA contributions.
• Unlimited PTO. No rigid vacation banks, just a focus on delivery.
• 401(k) matching and stock option opportunities to ensure our success is your success.
• Full suite of voluntary benefits, including Dental, Vision, Life, Hospital, Critical Illness, and Accident insurance.
• Personalized Benefits. Choose the plans that fit your life and take the cash back for those that don’t.