Lead Photonics Test & Automation Engineer (Equity)

K2 Space; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 220,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Medical/dental/vision

Life insurance

Paid parental leave

Paid time off

Job summary

K2 Space in Torrance, CA is seeking a Senior Photonics Test & Automation Engineer to lead the build of automated PIC test stations and software frameworks, turning photonic ICs into data used for next-generation space hardware.

You will own test from first-silicon bring-up through production screening, integrating free-space optics and driving lab standards while collaborating with PIC designers, packaging, ASIC, and post-silicon validation teams.

Qualifications

• Bachelors degree in electrical engineering, physics, optics, or a related technical field.
• 5+ years hands-on experience testing photonic integrated circuits or optoelectronic components (probing, fiber alignment, and optical test equipment).
• Built automated test stations from scratch, with Python for instrument control, test frameworks, and data analysis.
• Hands-on free-space optics (alignment, beam characterization, cameras or wavefront sensors).

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and own automated wafer-, die-, and module-level PIC test stations, including optical and RF probing, fiber-array alignment, and swept-laser measurements.
• Develop modular, reusable test automation software and instrument drivers in Python, with version control, CI, and AI-assisted tooling, and a shared data pipeline used by design, packaging, and reliability engineers.
• Interface PIC test stations with custom free-space optical testbeds through shared instrument control, synchronization, and data.
• Characterize passive and active photonic devices including high-speed electro-optic measurements.
• Own design-for-test standards and correlate measurements with simulation, feeding them into the team’s design automation and modeling flow.
• Build portable, automated setups for in-situ measurements during radiation, thermal-vacuum, and burn-in campaigns.
• Scale test from one device to many and hand off to production at constellation volume.
• Mentor engineers and technicians, and set lab standards for safety, calibration, and documentation.

Skills

Photonic testing

PIC testing

Python for automation

Free-space optics

Education

Bachelors in EE/Physics/Optics

Tools

FormFactor photonic probers

MPI

ficonTEC

Job description

K2 Space in Torrance, CA is seeking a Senior Photonics Test & Automation Engineer to lead the build of automated PIC test stations and software frameworks, turning photonic ICs into data used for next-generation space hardware.

You will own test from first-silicon bring-up through production screening, integrating free-space optics and driving lab standards while collaborating with PIC designers, packaging, ASIC, and post-silicon validation teams.