Optical Test Engineer

Molex; Fremont (CA); On-site; USD 145,000 - 175,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical

Dental

Vision

Health savings accounts

Retirement

Paid vacation/time off

Educational assistance

Infertility assistance

Paid parental leave

Adoption assistance

Job summary

Molex is seeking an Optical Test Engineer in Fremont, CA to perform hands-on optical testing, data analysis, and failure analysis for advanced fiber-optic switch products. You will develop test procedures, analyze results, and troubleshoot to drive improvements across prototypes and production builds.

You will collaborate with design, software, and manufacturing teams, travel to manufacturing sites as needed, and contribute to NPI programs while leveraging experience with OSA, power meters,

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Optical Engineering, Physics, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical field.
• 4+ years with a Bachelor's degree, or 2+ years with a Master's degree in optical testing, system characterization, or manufacturing test.
• Hands-on experience with optical test equipment such as optical power meters, tunable lasers, OSA, and optical switches.
• Experience developing test procedures, documenting results, and preparing engineering reports.
• Experience analyzing test data, identifying performance trends, investigating failures, and troubleshooting complex optical or electro-optical systems.
• Experience working with cross-functional engineering teams and manufacturing organizations.
• Willingness to travel to manufacturing sites.

Responsibilities

• Perform hands-on optical testing, performance characterization, and troubleshooting for Optical Circuit Switch (OCS) products.
• Develop, execute, document, and optimize optical test procedures for prototype and production builds.
• Analyze large volumes of optical test data to evaluate product performance, identify trends, detect anomalies, and drive improvements.
• Perform failure analysis on non-conforming units to isolate root causes using optical and electrical techniques.
• Support troubleshooting of test failures and test-station issues; drive corrective actions with design, manufacturing, and supplier teams.
• Support engineering builds, design verification testing, qualification activities, and NPI programs.
• Collaborate with design, system integration, software, and manufacturing teams to improve test coverage and product quality.

Skills

Hands-on optical testing

Data analysis

Troubleshooting

Cross-functional collaboration

Manufacturing test engineering

Travel willingness

Python/C++ automation

Education

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Optical Engineering, Physics, Electrical Engineering, or related field

Tools

Optical power meters

Tunable lasers

OSA / Optical Spectrum Analyzers

Optical switches

Job description

Your Job

We are seeking a highly motivated and detail-oriented Optical Test Engineer for a visible, full-time role. This position will focus on backend testing, data analysis, failure analysis, and troubleshooting for cutting-edge fiber-optic Optical Circuit Switch (OCS) products, supporting next-generation AI Clusters and Data Centers.

The ideal candidate will work within a dynamic, cross-functional team – including product line management, electrical, mechanical, optical, and systems R&D, test and automation, and manufacturing, etc. The candidate will collaborate with colleagues across global sites and engage with internal and external component suppliers.

Our Team

Molex possesses a rich heritage in the optical industry. We provide the highest performing and field-proven wavelength management solutions, from components and modules to integrated line-cards. Continuous innovation in passive component function integration, miniaturization, and manufacturing automation, cutting edge WSS and amplification technology and comprehensive optical, mechanical, electrical and software design capabilities enable us to serve the needs of high-density, high-bandwidth, and flexible optical networks of telecom, datacom, hyperscale datacenter and supercomputing.

What You Will Do

• Perform hands-on optical testing, performance characterization, and troubleshooting activities for Optical Circuit Switch (OCS) products.
• Develop, execute, document, and optimize optical test procedures for prototype and production builds.
• Analyze large volumes of optical test data to evaluate product performance, identify trends, detect anomalies, and drive continuous improvement.
• Perform failure analysis on non-conforming units down to the component level, using optical and electrical techniques to isolate root cause.
• Support troubleshooting of product test failures and test station issues; drive corrective and preventive actions with design, manufacturing, and supplier teams.
• Support engineering builds, design verification testing, qualification activities, and NPI programs.
• Partner closely with design, system integration, software, and manufacturing teams to troubleshoot technical issues, improve test coverage, and enhance product quality and yield.

Who You Are (Basic Qualifications)

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Optical Engineering, Physics, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical field.
• 4+ years of experience with a Bachelor's degree, or 2+ years with a Master's degree, in optical testing, system characterization, product development, or manufacturing test engineering.
• Hands-on experience with optical test equipment such as optical power meters, tunable lasers, optical spectrum analyzers (OSA), optical switches, etc.
• Experience developing test procedures, documenting test results, and preparing engineering reports.
• Experience analyzing test data, identifying performance trends, investigating failures, and troubleshooting complex optical or electro-optical systems.
• Experience investigating technical issues and identifying root causes with analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Experience working with cross-functional engineering teams and manufacturing organizations.
• Willingness to support engineering and manufacturing builds and occasional travel to manufacturing sites.

What Will Put You Ahead

• Bilingual in Mandarin
• Experience with Optical Circuit Switch (OCS), WSS, MEMS, or other fiber optic switching products and knowledge of key optical performance parameters.
• Experience transferring products from R&D to volume manufacturing.
• Experience supporting product qualification, production test development, and yield improvement activities.
• Experience developing automated test script with python/C++.
• Familiarity with OTDR/OFDR.

For this role, we anticipate paying $145,000 - $175,000 per year. This role is eligible for variable pay, issued as a monetary bonus or in another form.

At Koch companies, we are entrepreneurs. This means we openly challenge the status quo, find new ways to create value and get rewarded for our individual contributions. Any compensation range provided for a role is an estimate determined by available market data. The actual amount may be higher or lower than the range provided considering each candidate's knowledge, skills, abilities, and geographic location. If you have questions, please speak to your recruiter about the flexibility and detail of our compensation philosophy.

Hiring Philosophy

All Koch companies value diversity of thought, perspectives, aptitudes, experiences, and backgrounds. We are Military Ready and Second Chance employers. Learn more about our hiring philosophy here.

Who We Are

As a Koch company, Molex is a leading supplier of connectors and interconnect components, driving innovation in electronics and supporting industries from automotive to health care and consumer to data communications. The thousands of innovators who work for Molex have made us a global electronics leader. Our experienced people, groundbreaking products and leading-edge technologies help us deliver a wider array of solutions to more markets than ever before.

At Koch, employees are empowered to do what they do best to make life better. Learn how our business philosophy helps employees unleash their potential while creating value for themselves and the company.

Our Benefits

• medical
• dental
• vision
• flexible spending
• health savings accounts
• life insurance
• ADD
• disability
• retirement
• paid vacation/time off
• educational assistance
• infertility assistance
• paid parental leave
• adoption assistance

Specific eligibility criteria is set by the applicable Summary Plan Description, policy or guideline and benefits may vary by geographic region.

Our goal is for each employee, and their families, to live fulfilling and healthy lives. We provide essential resources and support to build and maintain physical, financial, and emotional strength - focusing on overall wellbeing so you can focus on what matters most.

Additionally, everyone has individual work and personal needs. We seek to enable the best work environment that helps you and the business work together to produce superior results.

Equal Opportunities

Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability and protected veteran status. Except where prohibited by state law, some offers of employment are conditioned upon successfully passing a drug test. This employer uses E-Verify.