Field Application Engineer

Amphenol; Pasadena (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Amphenol Active Optics Products (AOP) seeks a Field Application Engineer to be the technical interface between customers and our development team. You own projects from inquiry through production qualification, applying expertise in high-speed data transmission, optics, and test technology to ensure transceivers are integrated and used effectively.

You will provide on-site and remote support, develop customer-specific architectures, perform SI analyses, and help define test requirements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor or Master in electrical engineering, optoelectronics, photonics or a related technical field.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Proven experience with design-in projects, customer qualifications, and on-site technical support.

Responsibilities

• Provide on-site and remote technical support for product selection, integration, and bring-up at customer sites.
• Support customer projects from requirements analysis through production qualification.
• Develop customer-specific application concepts and system architectures considering optical, electrical, and thermal constraints.
• Perform link budget analyses, signal integrity assessments, and performance optimizations for our products in customer applications.
• Define test and validation requirements; contribute to new product features based on customer feedback.
• Create application notes, design guides, FAQs, and evaluation kits.

Skills

Analytical skills

Troubleshooting under pressure

Customer-facing

Presentation skills

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelors or Masters in electrical engineering/optoelectronics/photonics

Tools

LabVIEW

Python

MATLAB

Oscilloscopes

BERT test systems

Job description

As a Field Application Engineer (FAE) at Amphenol Active Optics Products (AOP), you are the technical interface between our customers and our development team. You take ownership of customer projects from the initial inquiry through production qualification. With your expertise in high-speed signal transmission, optics, and test and measurement technology, you ensure that our transceivers are optimally integrated and utilized. For our customers, you are the trusted point of contact.

Your Responsibilities Include:

• Providing on-site and remote technical support for product selection, integration, and bring-up at customer sites
• Supporting customer projects from requirements analysis through production qualification
• Developing customer-specific application concepts and system architectures, taking optical, electrical, and thermal boundary conditions into account
• Performing link budget analyses, signal integrity assessments, and performance optimizations for our products in the customer application
• Defining test and validation requirements; contributing to the specification of new products/features based on customer feedback
• Creating application notes, design guides, and FAQs, as well as general technical product documentation and associated evaluation kits
• Conducting technical training sessions, webinars, and product demonstrations for customers and distribution partners
• Working closely with sales, production, and development to translate market requirements into technical roadmaps
• Providing technical support at trade shows, customer events, and lab demonstrations; building use cases and demo setups
• Monitoring competitive solutions and industry standards

What You Bring

• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills
• Structured troubleshooting, even under time pressure
• Approximately 3+ years of experience in the semiconductor, optoelectronics, photonics, or electronics industry
• Proven experience with design-in projects, customer qualifications, and on-site technical support
• Customer and service orientation
• must be authorized to work in the U.S.
• A Bachelor or Master in electrical engineering, optoelectronics, photonics or a related technical field
• The ability to present complex technical content to different audiences
• Independent working style, project management fundamentals, and good organizational skills
• Willingness to travel: approximately 25–30% (trade shows, customer meetings, training sessions)
• In-depth knowledge of:
  • Optical high-speed data transmission (transceivers, lasers, modulators, optical receiver diodes, optics)
  • High-speed signal transmission and signal integrity, plus a basic understanding of analog, and digital circuit design
  • Test and measurement technology, particularly in the field of optical transmission technology, including the confident use of bit error rate test systems (BERT) and oscilloscopes

Ideally, You Also Bring

• Knowledge of relevant standards and specifications
• Experience with transceivers, datacenter optics, telecommunications, or industrial sensing
• Experience in technical sales support and pre-sales
• Knowledge of simulation or design tools
• Programming/scripting experience (LabVIEW, Python, MATLAB) for test setups and data analysis
• German language is a plus, not required

About AOP

We Connect The World At The Speed Of Light!

Amphenol AOP is part of FCI Deutschland GmbH and belongs to the Amphenol Group. AOP stands for Active Optics Products. At its Berlin site in Germany, AOP develops and manufactures reliable, precise and technically innovative high-speed electro-optical transceivers with a team of around 100 experts. These are deployed by leading companies in the aerospace, defence, data and telecommunications sectors.

The Amphenol Group (NYSE: APH), with over 170,000 employees and revenue of USD 23 billion, is the leading supplier of electrical, fibre-optic and customised connector systems. With around 100 years of experience, Amphenol combines technological expertise, a global presence and a focus on customer needs.

What makes us special?

We are a global team of colleagues who enjoy taking on responsibility, are enthusiastic about the latest technical possibilities and collegial cooperation, we like to think outside the box and never lose sight of our goals. We come from very different cultural backgrounds and mainly speak German or English with each other.

You’ll be a great fit if:

• You embody "Enthusiasm": you roll up your sleeves, support your team, and joyfully foster a trustworthy, solution-focused environment.
• For you, "Respect" means taking everyone seriously, respecting their dignity, listening actively, and challenging ideas — not the people behind them.
• You demonstrate "Accountability" by keeping your promises, delivering timely, high-quality results. You learn from mistakes without making excuses and turn them into valuable opportunities.

Amphenol is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristic.