Optical Engineer

Metric; United States; On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Metric is building out its PIC Scientist team in the US Midwest. This onsite role offers ownership over photonic integrated circuit design from concept through layout and tapeout, with hands-on validation in the lab. Sponsorship available.

You will work at the frontier of quantum computing, combining modeling, layout, and experimental work to understand why a design behaves as it does, shaping the infrastructure and processes with a small, collaborative team.

Qualifications

• Hands-on lab experience with photonics or PICs.
• Strong track record in research and experimentation.
• Experience with design modeling and layout is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Model and design PICs, then follow them through layout and foundry tapeout, owning the design end-to-end.
• Hands-on in the lab running optical test and measurement work.
• Build and refine experimental infrastructure, test rigs and measurement setups.
• Investigate unexpected results and iterate to understand deviations from models.
• Collaborate with a small, growing team to shape processes and infrastructure.

Skills

PIC design

Optical systems

Lab experimentation

Modeling & layout

Foundry characterization

Education

PhD in Physics/Engineering/Optics

Job description

PIC Scientist - Quantum Computing - Onsite - US Midwest - Sponsorship available

My client are building out their photonic integrated circuit (PIC) team from the ground up, and are looking for scientists who want real ownership over that build.

This isn't a pure engineering role. We're looking for people with genuine scientific curiosity, who want to understand why a design behaves the way it does, not just get it through tapeout. You'll be working at the boundary of open questions in photonics, where the answer isn't always in a textbook yet.

What your day-to-day looks like:

• Model and design photonic integrated circuits, then follow them all the way through layout and foundry tapeout, you own the design, start to finish
• Get hands-on in the lab running experimental validation: setting up, running, and interpreting optical test and measurement work
• Build and refine the experimental infrastructure itself, the test rigs and measurement setups other scientists will rely on
• Dig into unexpected results and iterate, this is research-driven work, so a chunk of your time goes to figuring out why something didn't behave as modeled, not just moving to the next task
• Work closely with a small, growing team where your input shapes process, not just output

Who we're looking for:

• Strong scientific track record, ideally with fundamental hands-on lab experience, PhD-level research background is required
• Real experience with PIC design, optical systems, or foundry characterisation
• Comfortable moving between design work (modeling/layout) and experimental work (test/measurement) we need people who can do both, not specialists in only one
• All levels encouraged to apply, from early-career scientists to senior researchers, we're building out the team across the board
• Radar or general electronics engineering backgrounds aren't a fit here this is a photonics-specific role

This is a fantastic opportunity to enter or expand your experience in quantum computing.