Photonics Solutions Architect for AI Infrastructure

Socket.dev; Santa Clara (CA); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Incentive stock options

Insurance

401k matching

Unlimited vacation

Spot bonuses

Positive work environment

Job summary

OpenLight is seeking a Photonics Field Applications Engineer to support AI infrastructure, hyperscale datacenters, high-speed networking, and LiDAR. You will engage customers, deliver presentations, and align solutions with roadmaps across 800G and 1.6T platforms.

The role interfaces with sales, product, and engineering, requiring deep photonics expertise and strong collaboration. Hybrid schedule with travel up to 30–50% is expected.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in Field Applications Engineering, Systems Engineering, Optical Networking, Silicon Photonics, or Optical Module Development
• Experience supporting hyperscalers, cloud service providers, AI infrastructure companies, networking OEMs, or LiDAR and sensing customers
• Willingness to travel internationally and across time zones

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary technical liaison for strategic customers and partners
• Deliver technical presentations, product demonstrations, and solution training
• Understand customer architectures, requirements, and roadmaps to align solutions with business objectives
• Build trusted relationships with engineering, operations, procurement, and executive stakeholders
• Provide on-site and remote technical support throughout evaluation, design-in, qualification, and production phases
• Support customer integration of photonic and optical networking products
• Assist customers with high-speed optical interconnects, silicon photonics solutions, optical engines and transceivers, fiber-optic assemblies, AI cluster networking architectures, and LiDAR sensing systems
• Troubleshoot optical, electrical, and system-level performance issues
• Act as the voice of the customer within engineering and product teams
• Translate field requirements into product enhancements and roadmap recommendations
• Influence future product development based on customer feedback and market needs
• Collaborate with R&D teams on technology demonstrations, proof-of-concepts, and customer evaluations
• Support sales and account teams during customer engagements
• Participate in technical proposal development, RFQs, and RFP responses
• Identify expansion opportunities and drive technical wins
• Represent the company at industry conferences, customer meetings, webinars, and trade shows

Skills

Field Applications Engineering

Silicon Photonics

Optical Networking

Customer engagement

Travel flexibility

Education

Bachelor's degree in Optical Engineering, Photonics, Electrical Engineering, Physics or Applied Physics

Job description

OpenLight is seeking a Photonics Field Applications Engineer to support AI infrastructure, hyperscale datacenters, high-speed networking, and LiDAR. You will engage customers, deliver presentations, and align solutions with roadmaps across 800G and 1.6T platforms.

The role interfaces with sales, product, and engineering, requiring deep photonics expertise and strong collaboration. Hybrid schedule with travel up to 30–50% is expected.