Engineering Project Manager (PIC) Fabrication

NOKIA; Sunnyvale (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Corporate Retirement Savings Plan

Health and dental benefits

Short-term disability, and long-term (

Life insurance, and AD&D - Companypaid

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Tuition Assistance Plan

Adoption assistance

Employee Assistance Program/Work Life

Job summary

Nokia in Sunnyvale, CA is seeking an Engineering Project Manager to drive development and fabrication of Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs). You will bridge optoelectronic design, our photonic chip manufacturing facility, and system integration teams to deliver high-performance PICs for AI data centers and coherent networks.

The role requires a bachelor's or higher in engineering/physics, 5+ years in hardware or project management, and experience with Smartsheet or Jira.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's/Master's/Ph.D. in Engineering, Physics, Optics, or related field.
• 5+ years in hardware engineering, product development, or project management.
• Experience with project management software such as Smartsheet or Jira.

Responsibilities

• Own execution schedule, milestones, and deliverables for PIC fabrication projects.
• Coordinate daily with optical design, mask layout, fabrication, packaging, and product management teams.
• Align tools and processes with fabrication engineering to optimize hardware queues and maintenance.
• Identify critical path dependencies, bottlenecks, and material risks.
• Maintain project dashboards and report status to leadership and engineering stakeholders.

Skills

Project management

Communication

Cross-functional collaboration

Analytical thinking

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree

Ph.D. degree

Tools

Smartsheet

Jira

Job description

We are seeking a highly motivated and detail-oriented Engineering Project Manager (EPM) to drive development and fabrication of our next-generation Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs). In this role, you will bridge the gap between cutting-edge optoelectronic design, our new photonic chip manufacturing facility, and system integration teams. You will coordinate cross-functional efforts to deliver high-performance PICs to power the world's fastest AI data center fabrics and coherent transport networks. This is an ideal role for one looking to accelerate their career in deep-tech hardware delivery.

Key Responsibilities

• Project Execution & Lifecycle Management: Own the execution schedule, milestones, and deliverables for PIC fabrication projects.
• Cross-Functional Coordination: Facilitate daily synchronization between optical design engineers, mask layout teams, internal fabrication operations, packaging specialists, and product management.
• Tool and Process Alignment: Partner closely with internal fabrication engineering teams and dedicated processing tool owners to optimize hardware queues, schedule critical preventative maintenance, and prevent line bottlenecks during engineering runs.
• Risk & Bottleneck Management: Proactively identify critical path dependencies, technical roadblocks, processing tool constraints, and material supply risks.
• Project Reporting: Maintain clear project dashboards. Communicate technical status, resource constraints, and key metrics regularly to senior leadership and engineering stakeholders.

Required Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor's, Master's, or Ph.D. Degree in Engineering, Physics, Optics, Materials Science, or a related technical/science discipline.
• Experience: Minimum of 5+ years of professional experience in a hardware engineering, product development, or project management role.
• Project Management Fundamentals: Proven experience managing project timelines, organizing complex technical deliverables, and utilizing project management software (e.g., Smartsheet, Jira).
• Communication: Exceptional verbal and written communication skills, with a demonstrated ability to translate complex hardware status into structured, actionable project updates.

Preferred & Desired Attributes

• Basic understanding of semiconductor manufacturing environments, cleanroom protocols, and the operational cadence of dealing with processing tools and wafer-handling coordination.
• Analytical Thinking: Skills to analyze requirements for completeness, consistency, and feasibility.
• Familiarity with semiconductor design lifecycles, particularly tape-out processes, cleanroom assembly, testing, or packaging.
• Direct exposure to InP substrates, fabrication processes, coherent optical subsystems, or fiber-optic communications systems is a significant plus, though strong execution skills remain the primary focus.
• An agile mindset with the ability to navigate shifting priorities in a fast-paced, R&D-heavy semiconductor environment.

What We Offer

At Nokia, we offer a collaborative, technically rigorous environment where you will collaborate with world-renowned experts in physics and networking infrastructure. You will receive competitive compensation, comprehensive benefits, and direct exposure to the technologies defining the next decade of computing infrastructure. Some of our benefits in US:

• Corporate Retirement Savings Plan
• Health and dental benefits
• Short-term disability, and long-term disability
• Life insurance, and AD&D - Company paid 2x base pay
• Optional or Supplemental life and AD&D insurance (Employee/Spouse/Child)
• Paid time off for holidays and Vacation
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan
• Tuition Assistance Plan
• Adoption assistance
• Employee Assistance Program/Work Life Resource Program