Manager, Photonics Hardware Validation Engineering

PsiQuantum; Milpitas (CA); On-site; USD 201,000 - 237,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health coverage and benefits

401(k) with company match

Equity grants

Paid leave and holidays

Job summary

PsiQuantum is seeking an Engineering Manager, Photonics Hardware Validation to own the characterization, verification, validation, and failure analysis of electro-optical subassemblies integrated with PICs. The role focuses on validating single-photon sources and detectors and overseeing the RF readout chain.

You will lead a team across photonics design, electrical, mechanical, firmware, software, packaging, and manufacturing to ensure requirements are met and readiness for manufacturing is

Qualifications

• 8+ years in optical/electro-optical hardware characterization, validation and test.
• Experience leading cross-functional hardware validation and failure analysis.
• Experience mentoring engineers and establishing repeatable validation practices.

Responsibilities

• Lead photonics hardware validation team; define ownership, priorities and career development.
• Manage characterization plans from hardware bring-up through manufacturing transfer.
• Establish measurement methods, calibration practices, and test documentation.

Skills

People management

Photonics hardware

Data analysis

Cross-functional leadership

Education

Bachelors in EE/Physics/Photonic

Tools

Optical test equipment

RF test equipment

Python

MATLAB

Job description

PsiQuantum's mission is to build the first useful quantum computers: machines capable of delivering the breakthroughs the field has long promised. Since our founding in 2016, our singular focus has been to build and deploy million-qubit, fault-tolerant quantum systems.

Quantum computers harness the laws of quantum mechanics to solve problems that even the most advanced supercomputers or AI systems will never reach. Their impact will span energy, pharmaceuticals, finance, agriculture, transportation, materials, and other foundational industries.

Our architecture and approach is based on silicon photonics. By leveraging the advanced semiconductor manufacturing industry, including partners like GlobalFoundries, we use the same high-volume processes that already produce billions of chips for telecom and consumer electronics. Photonics offers natural advantages for scale: photons don't feel heat, are immune to electromagnetic interference, and integrate with existing cryogenic cooling and standard fiber-optic infrastructure.

That approach has since been tested at the highest level of scrutiny the U.S. government applies to emerging technology, and it has held up. In 2025, PsiQuantum closed a $1 billion funding round that valued the company at $7 billion. In 2026, the U.S. Department of Commerce signed a $100 million Letter of Intent under the CHIPS and Science Act, followed by a $125 million agreement with DARPA under Stage C of its Quantum Benchmarking Initiative, PsiQuantum's most valuable U.S. government agreement to date. This year, we also broke ground on our utility-scale quantum computer in Brisbane, Australia, and continued building out our Chicago site. Victor Peng, our CEO, and co-founder Jeremy O'Brien, now Executive Chairman, lead a team and board that reflects how seriously the world is taking this build, joined this year by Intel's Lip-Bu Tan and Atomico's Niklas Zennström.

PsiQuantum also develops the algorithms and software needed to make these systems commercially valuable. Our application, software, and industry teams work directly with leading Fortune 500 companies, including Airbus, Lockheed Martin, Mercedes-Benz, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Mitsubishi Chemical, to prepare quantum solutions for real-world impact.

Quantum computing is not an extension of classical computing. It represents a fundamental shift, and a path to mastering challenges that cannot be solved any other way. The potential is enormous, and we now have the funding, the government validation, and the sites under construction to make it real.

Job Summary:

The Engineering Manager, Photonics Hardware Validation owns the characterization, verification, validation, performance classification, and failure analysis of electro-optical subassemblies integrated with custom photonic integrated circuits (PICs). The primary focus of this role is the validation of single-photon sources and detectors, including the associated RF signal readout chain. This role leads validation strategy and execution from proof-of-concept test methodologies and early hardware bring-up through qualification and manufacturing readiness.

You will combine people leadership with strong technical oversight, partnering with photonics design, electrical, mechanical, packaging, firmware, software, systems, product engineering, and manufacturing teams to verify requirements, resolve hardware issues, and provide clear evidence of design and manufacturing readiness.

Responsibilities:

Lead, hire, and grow a photonics hardware validation team; define technical ownership, priorities, staffing plans, and career development opportunities.

Own comprehensive characterization, verification, and validation plans for photonic modules and electro-optical subassemblies, from initial hardware bring-up through qualification and manufacturing transfer.

Establish repeatable measurement methods, calibration practices, uncertainty analysis, experimental designs, data-review processes, and configuration-controlled test documentation.

Drive cross-functional debugging, failure analysis, and root-cause investigations; verify corrective actions and clearly communicate residual risks and recommended next steps.

Review integrated optical, electrical, firmware, software, packaging, and thermal designs; identify critical measurements and influence design-for-testability and validation access.

Translate system and component requirements into measurable acceptance criteria, requirements-to-test traceability, test coverage, and validation reports.

Partner with operations teams to define test methods for production units.

Manage validation schedules, laboratory capacity, equipment needs, and cross-functional dependencies; provide regular execution summaries, validation reports, yield indications, and readiness assessments to stakeholders.

Promote safe laboratory practices and effective handling of lasers, optical equipment, RF instrumentation, and sensitive devices.

Experience/Qualifications:

Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, physics, optics, photonics, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

8 or more years of industry experience relevant to optical and electro-optical hardware characterization, validation, and test, including 2 or more years of people management or demonstrated technical and team leadership.

Strong foundation in silicon photonics, optical systems, and electro-optical characterization, including insertion loss, return loss, and hands-on use of optical test equipment.

Hands-on expertise with optical and RF laboratory instrumentation and RF readout electronics such as LNAs, bias tees, and baluns, including measurement uncertainty and quantitative troubleshooting.

Proven record leading cross-functional hardware validation and failure analysis, including hardware bring-up, requirements-based test planning, issue closure, and qualification.

Experience in data analysis using Python, MATLAB, or comparable environments, with an emphasis on reproducible and traceable results.

Ability to lead cross-functional technical decisions, manage competing priorities, and communicate complex engineering issues clearly to technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Demonstrated ability to mentor engineers, develop technical leads, and establish repeatable validation practices.

Preferred Qualifications

Master’s degree or PhD in a relevant technical discipline.

Experience with single-photon detection, low-noise RF readout chains, and characterization of low-level optical and electrical signals.

Experience with wafer-level or packaged-device characterization, PIC integration, and design-for-test methodologies for photonic hardware.

Experience with reliability qualification, statistical analysis, design of experiments, and production yield improvement.

Experience testing in cryogenic environments or validating photonics hardware for quantum computing applications, including thermo-mechanical stress.

Note:

PsiQuantum provides equal employment opportunity for all applicants and employees. PsiQuantum does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), gender identity, gender expression, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, physical or mental disability, military or veteran status, marital status, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, genetic information, or any other basis protected by applicable laws.

We are not accepting unsolicited resumes from employment agencies.
Base pay is one part of the total compensation package. Full-time roles are eligible for equity and benefits.Our compensation ranges reflect the cost of labor across multiple U.S. geographicmarkets, and we pay based on defined geographic zones. This position may be filled withinone of the followingU.S. geographic zones, each with its own salary range.

Actual compensation may vary outside of these ranges and is dependent on various factors including, but not limited to, a candidate's qualifications, relevant education and training, competencies, experience, geographic location, business needs, and internal equity. Your recruiter can share more details about the salary range applicable to your location during the hiring process.

Zone 1 - Bay Area and NYC

Zone 2 - Examples include Los Angeles and Washington DC

Zone 3 - Examples include Austin, Chicago, and Sacramento

Zone 4 - Examples include Nashville and Phoenix/Tempe and many remote locations

This position includes the following benefits: competitive health coverage for you and your dependents, 401(k) with company match, equity grants, access to financial wellness tools and planning resources, wellness benefits, family support programs, life and disability insurance, paid leave programs, company-designated paid holidays, discretionary time off (DTO), and an end-of-year company shutdown. Some of these benefits have eligibility requirements and may vary based on location, role, or employment status. Many of these benefits are subsidized or fully paid for by the company.

The estimated annual base salary rangefor this role is:

Zone 1
$201,400-$236,600 USD

Zone 2
$181,200-$212,900 USD

Zone 3
$161,100-$189,300 USD

Zone 4
$140,900-$165,600 USD