Photonics Circuit Designer

Front Door Defense; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 145,000; Full time

Job summary

PsiQuantum is hiring a Photonics Circuit Designer in Palo Alto, California. This role involves designing and validating high-performance silicon photonic circuits for quantum computing. Ideal candidates will have a PhD and at least 5 years of experience in integrated photonics, along with strong skills in photonic device modeling and simulation.

The compensation ranges from $140,000 to $165,000 annually, and opportunities exist for collaboration with leading companies in the tech space.

Qualifications

• 5 years of relevant work or academic research experience in integrated photonics.
• In-depth knowledge of photonic devices, including performance metrics and testing techniques.
• Extensive experience with integrated photonic circuit layout.

Responsibilities

• Design and optimization of photonic circuits.
• Full simulation of complex photonic circuits.
• Collaboration with component design and circuit characterization teams.

Skills

Photonic device and circuit modeling

Electromagnetic simulation packages

Data analysis

Python for scientific applications

Communication skills

Education

PhD or equivalent in Electrical Engineering or Physics

Tools

Commercial software platforms for photonic design

Job description

Photonics Circuit Designer

Lead the design and validation of high-performance silicon photonic circuits for quantum computing

Location: Palo Alto, California, United States

Compensation: $140,000 - 165,000 USD / year

Job Tags: Product

About The Role

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.

In 2024, PsiQuantum announced government‑funded projects to support the build‑out of our first utility‑scale quantum computers in Brisbane, Australia, and Chicago, Illinois. These initiatives reflect a growing recognition that quantum computing will be strategically and economically defining—and that now is the time to scale.

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 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 have a clear path to make it real.

Come join us.

Job Summary

We seek a creative and innovative individual with strong fundamentals in photonic devices and circuits. This role focuses on pushing the boundaries of high‑performance integrated photonic circuits. The ideal candidate will be proficient in photonic device and circuit modeling and electromagnetic simulation packages, as well as the layout of photonics circuits, and have excellent software skills for simulation, circuit definition, and data analysis.

Responsibilities

• Data‑driven modeling of linear photonic devices at different scales and with diverse methods.
• Design and optimization of photonic circuits.
• Full simulation of complex photonic circuits, including modeling of photon‑pair generation through spontaneous four‑wave mixing.
• Schematic representation of photonic circuits.
• Coordination of photonic circuits layout.
• Data analysis to evaluate and understand the performance of photonic devices and circuits.
• Collaboration with component design and circuit characterization teams to ensure the validation of photonic circuits.

Qualifications

• Education: PhD or equivalent in Electrical Engineering or Physics.
• Experience:
  • 5 years of relevant work or academic research experience in integrated photonics.
• Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
  • In‑depth knowledge of photonic devices, including performance metrics and testing techniques.
  • Extensive experience with photonic design using commercial software platforms.
  • Experience with integrated photonic circuit layout.
  • Extensive experience with Python for scientific applications and data manipulation.
  • Excellent communication skills and the ability to collaborate effectively across technical and non‑technical teams.
  • Experience using the Wolfram Language is a plus.

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.

Note: PsiQuantum will only reach out to you using an official PsiQuantum email address and will never ask you for bank account information as part of the interview process. Please report any suspicious activity to [e-mail].

We are not accepting unsolicited resumes from employment agencies.

Compensation

U.S. Base Pay Range: $120,000 - 145,000 USD

Bay Area Pay Range: $140,000 - 165,000 USD