Photonics Hardware Validation Engineer

Lightmatter; Mountain View (WY); Hybrid; USD 177,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health care

Equity grants

Hybrid workplace

Paid time off

Retirement plan

Training & development

Job summary

Lightmatter, USA, is hiring a Photonics Hardware Validation Engineer to design, develop, and build test systems for validating silicon photonics-based optical interconnect products. You will collaborate with device, hardware, software, and design teams to support end-to-end development, validation, and qualification of photonic systems.

The role emphasizes hands-on bench work, chip bring-up, test-plan development, lab equipment setup, and automated data analysis in a cross-functional team.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Physics, or a related field.
• Hands-on experience with bench test equipment for data communications, including electro-optic link testing and characterization.
• Experience in data communications, specifically electro-optic link-level testing and characterization in a lab environment.
• Familiarity with PCB design, including hardware testing and debugging of electro-optic circuits.
• Ability to work with Design, Software and cross-functional teams to drive chip bring-up and validation in lab.
• Basic scripting skills for automation of lab tests including analysis of results and reporting.

Responsibilities

• Understand chip specifications to take responsibility for chip bring-up, testing, and validation of Optical Interconnect products, including test plan development and interoperability testing.
• Contribute to test plan development, test bench configuration, setup of lab test equipment, and troubleshooting of validation setups.
• Work within the product validation team on electro-optic, link-level testing in the lab using industry-standard practices and equipment.

Skills

Bench testing

EO link testing

PCB design familiarity

Automation scripting

Cross-functional collaboration

Chip bring-up

Data communications

Education

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

Tools

Python

MATLAB

Job description

Lightmatter is leading the revolution in AI data center infrastructure, enabling the next giant leaps in human progress. The company invented the world’s first 3D-stacked photonics engine, Passage™, capable of connecting thousands to millions of processors at the speed of light in extreme-scale data centers for the most advanced AI and HPC workloads.

Lightmatter raised $400 million in its Series D round, reaching a valuation of $4.4 billion. We will continue to accelerate the development of data center photonics and grow every department at Lightmatter!

If you’re passionate about tackling complex challenges, making an impact, and being an expert in your craft, join our team of brilliant scientists, engineers, and accomplished industry leaders.

Lightmatter is (re)inventing the future of computing with light!

In this role, you will design, develop, and build photonic test systems that are critical to the characterization and validation of our products. You will collaborate closely with device, hardware, software, and digital and analog design teams to support the end-to-end development, validation, and qualification of photonic systems and their key components.

Join a tight-knit team where each individual’s contributions directly impact the success of the company and our innovative products. At Lightmatter, you’ll have the opportunity to work with people who love to build and thrive in technically diverse environments where great ideas are valued and prioritized.

We are hiring a Photonics Hardware Validation Engineer to join our Validation team to drive photonics testing, characterization and validation of our silicon photonics-based optical Interconnect Products.

Responsibilities

• You will need to understand our chip specifications well so that you can take responsibility for chip bring‑up, testing, and validation of our next‑generation Optical Interconnect products. This includes supporting the development of chip validation plans aligned to product specifications, xDVT, and interoperability testing.
• You will be required to contribute to test plan development, test bench configuration planning, setup of lab test equipment, and troubleshooting of validation setups to enable successful chip bring‑up and testing.
• You will work within the product validation team on electro‑optic, link‑level testing in our lab using industry‑standard practices and equipment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Physics, or a related field.
• Hands‑on experience with standard bench test equipment for data communications, including electro‑optic link testing and characterization.
• Experience in the data communications field, specifically in electro‑optic link‑level testing and characterization in a lab environment.
• Familiarity with PCB design, including hardware testing and debugging of electro‑optic circuits.
• Ability to work closely with Design Engineers, Software Engineers, and broader cross‑functional teams to quickly gain knowledge of Lightmatter products and drive execution of chip bring‑up and validation in our lab.
• Basic scripting skills for automation of lab tests including analysis of results and report generation.
• Solid understanding of electrical and optical blocks in transmitters and receivers to enable efficient chip bring‑up and link testing.
• Ability to troubleshoot and debug the electrical optical building blocks in a transceiver to triage bugs and root‑cause performance gaps.

Preferred Qualifications:

• PhD is a plus
• Experience with high‑speed data communication systems, including NRZ and PAM4 signaling.
• Familiarity with industry standards such as IEEE, OIF‑CEI, or similar for data communication systems.
• Proficiency in Python, MATLAB, or similar tools for scripting and automation.
• Strong documentation skills to develop clear test plans, reports, and technical presentations.
• Prior experience in leading or mentoring junior engineers in lab validation and testing workflows.

We offer competitive compensation. The base salary range for this role determined based on location, experience, educational background, and market data.

Salary Range: total compensation goes beyond base salary, it also includes a new hire equity grant, annual performance‑based equity, and other rewards that recognize your impact and contribution.

$177,000—$240,000 USD

Benefits

• Comprehensive Health Care Plan (Medical, Dental & Vision)
• Retirement Savings Matching Program
• Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary & AD&D)
• Generous Time Off (Vacation, Sick & Public Holidays)
• Paid Family Leave
• Short Term & Long Term Disability
• Training & Development
• Commuter Benefits
• Flexible, hybrid workplace model
• Equity grants (applicable to full‑time employees)

Benefits eligibility may vary depending on your employment status and location. Lightmatter recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, veteran status, and other protected status as required by applicable law.

Export Control

Candidates should have capacity to comply with the federally mandated requirements of U.S. export control laws.