Photonics Sensing Architect

United States Digital Space LLC; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 216,000 - 255,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Equity package

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Mental health resources

Ōura Ring

Employee discounts

Paid time off

Holidays

Wellness days

Sick leave

Parental leave

Job summary

Ōura is seeking a collaborative Photonics Sensing Engineer to define, prototype, and validate optical sensors for low-power wearables in our San Francisco hybrid office.

You will lead sensor integration, drive characterization and validation tests, and collaborate with firmware, analytics, and systems teams to feed high-quality data into our signal processing and ML pipelines. Strong communication and cross-functional teamwork are essential.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of optical and electrode sensor or similar sensor design and integration roles.
• Experience with optical and electrode sensors, and low-power embedded sensor interfaces.
• Strong background in sensor characterization, signal quality analysis, embedded systems, and data integrity practices.
• Excellent analytical problem-solving and written/verbal communication skills.
• Collaborative mindset with experience working across hardware, firmware, and analytics teams.

Responsibilities

• Define, prototype and validate new sensors for low-power wearable platforms.
• Translate sensing requirements into robust hardware specifications.
• Lead integration of optical sensors into hardware with calibration, noise management, and high-quality signal acquisition.
• Design and execute sensor characterization and validation tests from prototype through production.
• Collaborate with firmware, algorithm, and systems teams to feed data into ML stacks.
• Contribute to product planning and sensor roadmap discussions.
• Develop and maintain rigorous test methodologies and automation for sensor performance.
• Analyze sensor data to diagnose edge cases and bottlenecks and define corrective actions.
• Engage with sensor vendors, partners, and manufacturers to assess technology options and optimize mass production.
• Produce clear technical documentation of sensor designs, trade studies, test plans, and performance metrics.
• Present findings and recommendations to engineering leadership and cross-disciplinary stakeholders.

Skills

Optical sensors

Electrode sensors

Embedded systems

Sensor integration

Signal quality analysis

Data integrity

Communication skills

Cross-functional collaboration

Tools

Raman spectroscopy

Photoacoustic sensing

QCL

Job description

Our mission at the company is to empower every person to own their inner potential. Our award-winning products help our global community gain a deeper knowledge of their readiness, activity, and sleep quality by using their the company Ring and its connected app. We've helped millions of people understand and improve their health by providing daily insights and practical steps to inspire healthy lifestyles.

Empowering the world starts with living our values and empowering our team. As a quickly growing company focused on helping people live healthier and happier lives, we ensure that our team members have what they need to do their best work — both in and out of the office.

We are looking for a collaborative, impact-driven Photonics Sensing Engineer who will help engineer, evaluate, and design new optical technologies. You will be working closely with our Director of Hardware Sensing out of the San Francisco office to help define, validate, and translate requirements alongside hardware and cross-functional stakeholders.

What You Will Do:

Sensor Architecture & Design

• Define, prototype and validate new sensors (optical like raman, spectroscopy, photoacoustic, QCL etc) for low-power wearable platforms.

• Translate sensing requirements into robust hardware specifications aligned with product goals.

• Development & Integration

• Lead integration of optical sensors into the company hardware, ensuring calibration, noise management, power efficiency, and high-quality signal acquisition.

• Design and execute sensor characterization and validation tests from prototype through production.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Collaborate with firmware, algorithm, and systems teams to ensure accurate motion data feeds into the company’s signal processing and machine learning stacks.

• Contribute to product planning and sensor roadmap discussions based on performance feedback and technology advances.

Testing & Validation

• Develop and maintain rigorous test methodologies, metrics, and automation frameworks for motion sensor performance evaluation.

• Analyze sensor data to diagnose edge cases and performance bottlenecks and define corrective actions.

Supplier & Partner Coordination

• Engage with sensor vendors, partners, and manufacturers to assess technology options, secure components, and optimize integration into mass-production workflows.

Documentation & Communication

• Produce clear technical documentation of sensor designs, trade studies, test plans, and performance metrics.

• Present findings and recommendations to engineering leadership and cross-disciplinary stakeholders.

This is a hybrid role out of our San Francisco office.

What you'll bring

• 5+ years of optical and electrode sensor or similar sensor design and integration roles.

• Experience with optical and electrode sensors, and low-power embedded sensor interfaces.

• Strong background in sensor characterization, signal quality analysis, embedded systems, and data integrity practices.

• Excellent analytical problem-solving and written/verbal communication skills.

• Collaborative mindset with experience working across hardware, firmware, and analytics teams.

Benefits

At Ōura, we care about you and your well-being. Everyone here at Ōura has a ring of their own and we are continually looking to improve employee health.

What we offer:

• Competitive salary and equity packages

• Health, dental, vision insurance, and mental health resources

• An Ōura Ring of your own plus employee discounts for friends & family

• 20 days of paid time off plus 13 paid holidays plus 8 days of flexible wellness time off

• Paid sick leave and parental leave

Ōura takes a market-based approach to pay, which may vary depending on your location. US locations are categorized into tiers based on a cost of labor index for that geographic area. While most offers will be closer to the starting range, successful candidates' pay will be determined based on job-related skills, experience, qualifications, work location, internal peer equity, and market conditions. These ranges may be modified in the future.

Region 1: $216,000 - $255,000

We are not considering candidates residing in the following states: Alaska (AK), Delaware (DE), Iowa (IA), Mississippi (MS), Nebraska (NE), South Dakota (SD), West Virginia (WV), and Wisconsin (WI).

the company is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. Individuals seeking employment at the company are considered without regard to age, ancestry, color, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, medical condition, mental or physical disability, national origin, protected family care or medical leave status, race, religion (including beliefs and practices or the absence thereof), sexual orientation, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. We will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics.

We will work to ensure individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment.