Hybrid CAD/PDK Engineer - Silicon Photonics

RiseMe; Goleta (CA); Hybrid; USD 130,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Incentive stock options (ISOs)

Generous insurance

401k matching

Unlimited vacation

Spot bonuses

Job summary

OpenLight Photonics is seeking a software/EDA engineer to build and maintain automation that turns photonic chip designs into manufacturable mask data. You’ll own the PDK, mask build flows, and verification infrastructure, enabling reliable production workflows.

Hybrid schedule (3 days in office). Salary ranges from $130,000 to $230,000, with ISOs, strong benefits, and a collaborative start-up environment.

Qualifications

• B.S./M.S. in EE, CS, Applied Physics or related field.
• Strong Python skills and solid software engineering fundamentals.
• Experience with version control, CI/CD pipelines, and Agile development practices.
• Exposure to EDA tool flows or scripting interfaces (SKILL, Tcl, Synopsys ICV, KLayout, IPKISS, GDSFactory) or ability to learn quickly.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain automated mask build workflows that assemble PIC designs into GDS artwork, reproducibly and on schedule
• Build and release the OpenLight PDK: device libraries, parameterized cells, compact models, and symbol/schematic views across our EDA platforms; own physical verification infrastructure
• Stand up CI/CD pipelines, regression suites, and automated QA to maintain a robust PDK and mask release process
• Partner with EDA vendors to bring up and validate our PDK on their platforms
• Work alongside process engineers, device designers, and PIC Architects to turn manual, error-prone steps into automated workflows
• Monitor for quality escapes, perform root cause analysis, and drive improvements to prevent recurrence

Skills

Python

Software engineering

Version control

CI/CD

Agile development

Education

B.S. or M.S. in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Applied Physics, or related discipline

Tools

SKILL

Tcl

Synopsys ICV

KLayout

IPKISS

GDSFactory

Job description

OpenLight Photonics is seeking a software/EDA engineer to build and maintain automation that turns photonic chip designs into manufacturable mask data. You’ll own the PDK, mask build flows, and verification infrastructure, enabling reliable production workflows.

Hybrid schedule (3 days in office). Salary ranges from $130,000 to $230,000, with ISOs, strong benefits, and a collaborative start-up environment.