Field Application Engineer (Integrated Photonics)

TechTree; Massachusetts; Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity (stock options)

Cutting-edge AI & EDA tooling

Direct collaboration with industry-ext

Conference attendance and professional

Job summary

TechTree in the United States is seeking a senior engineer to own the technical relationship at the intersection of photonic engineering, scientific AI, and customer deployment, translating challenges into AI-assisted workflows on our platform.

You will work directly with PIC designers, EDA vendors, and foundry partners to translate complex engineering challenges into structured, AI-assisted workflows, designed for live deployment and scalable impact.

Qualifications

• Requires MSc or PhD in integrated photonics, electrical or telecommunications engineering, or related field.
• 5+ years in photonic product development; deployment experience valued.
• Hands-on with simulation and EDA tools (COMSOL, Ansys, RSoft, Cadence Virtuoso, Synopsys OptoCompiler, Luceda IPKISS, or similar).

Responsibilities

• Architect AI-assisted workflows for photonic design, verification, and yield improvement.
• Translate complex engineering processes (simulation setup, compact modelling, variability analysis, layout-aware optimisation, measurement interpretation) into verifiable, physics-grounded workflows.
• Identify high-value bottlenecks and deliver solutions that integrate with existing EDA tools, simulation environments, and PDK ecosystems.
• Build models that improve design confidence, accelerate iteration cycles, and support analysis across process corners and fabrication variability.
• Feed customer learnings directly back into platform capabilities and product features.

Skills

Excellent communicator

Architectural thinking

Customer-facing

Education

MSc or PhD in integrated photonics, electrical or telecommunications engineering, or related field

Tools

COMSOL

Ansys

RSoft

Cadence Virtuoso

Synopsys OptoCompiler

Luceda IPKISS

Job description

We're building a new class of AI systems designed to reason with the rigour of the scientific method. Combining deep learning with formal logic and physics-based modelling, our platform creates verifiable, interpretable AI that accelerates real engineering workflows - not replaces them.

Our mission: a 30× improvement in the speed, accessibility, and cost of semiconductor and photonic hardware development by 2030. We're at an early, high-conviction stage - and the team we're building reflects that.

About the Role

This is not a pre-sales support role.

You'll sit at the intersection of photonic engineering, scientific AI, and customer deployment - working directly with PIC designers, EDA vendors, and foundry partners to translate complex, real-world engineering challenges into structured, AI-assisted workflows on our platform.

You're expected to own the technical relationship. That means identifying bottlenecks, architecting deployable solutions, and integrating AI-assisted processes into live engineering environments - not just demoing features.

The role offers a clear path into technical leadership in AI-assisted engineering and workflow architecture.

What You’ll Do

Architect AI-assisted workflows for photonic design, verification, and yield improvement - enabling customer teams to move faster without compromising manufacturability

Translate complex engineering processes (simulation setup, compact modelling, variability analysis, layout-aware optimisation, measurement interpretation) into verifiable, physics-grounded workflows

Identify high-value bottlenecks and deliver solutions that integrate with existing EDA tools, simulation environments, and PDK ecosystems

Build models that improve design confidence, accelerate iteration cycles, and support analysis across process corners and fabrication variability

Feed customer learnings directly back into platform capabilities and product features

What You’ll Bring

MSc or PhD in integrated photonics, electrical or telecommunications engineering, or related field

5+ years in photonic product development; experience reaching market deployment is highly valued

Hands‑on with simulation and EDA tools (COMSOL, Ansys, RSoft, Cadence Virtuoso, Synopsys OptoCompiler, Luceda IPKISS, or similar)

Experience with advanced component design - high-speed modulators or photodiodes

Track record working directly with EDA vendors or photonic foundries to deliver technical solutions

Experience with multi-objective co-design

Excellent communicator - equally comfortable with device engineers, engineering managers, and enterprise stakeholders

Nice to have

Hands‑on experience with modern AI tools: LLMs, APIs, agentic systems, orchestration frameworks

Python for scientific computing, workflow orchestration, or API integration

Familiarity with cloud/HPC infrastructure and enterprise deployment models

Experience working with R&D organisations on production software

What's on Offer

Competitive compensation + equity (stock options)

Access to cutting‑edge AI, physics, and EDA tooling

Direct collaboration with leading experts at the intersection of AI and hardware

Conference attendance, research engagement, and professional development

A team that cares about doing technically rigorous work - not just shipping fast

Work Model

Hybrid - Boston or Toronto office

Process

After screen by TechTree:

30 min with Head of Photonics, Hiring Manager

30 min with Advisor (Professor, University of Toronto ECE)

45 min with the core team members - Technical Product Lead in PIC, Optoelectronic Measurements Lead, Research Engineer. Broader technical questions

References (in parallel with exec interview)