Photonics Test Engineer

Darwin Recruitment; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Darwin Recruitment in San Francisco, CA is seeking a hands-on Photonics Test Engineer to develop and execute optical testing for photonic devices. You will design bench-test setups, characterize components and automate workflows to improve data quality and repeatability.

The role focuses on practical lab work, troubleshooting and close collaboration with a multidisciplinary engineering team on-site.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's, Master's or PhD in Photonics, Optics, Physics, Electrical Engineering or related field.
• Hands-on experience with waveguides, photodetectors and optical modulators.
• Experience designing and assembling optical lab test benches.
• Experience with automated testing and measurement workflows.
• Willingness to work on-site in a laboratory environment.

Responsibilities

• Design, build and operate optical test setups for photonic devices.
• Test and characterize integrated optical components including waveguides, photodetectors and modulators.
• Develop automated testing and measurement workflows.
• Troubleshoot device-level and test-setup issues and feedback to engineering.
• Document test procedures and results for repeatable testing.
• Collaborate with colleagues to support device development and performance optimization.

Skills

Photonics experience

Waveguides

Photodetectors

Optical modulators

Automated testing

Education

Photonics/Optics/Physics degree

Tools

Python

Job description

Photonics Test Engineer

About the Opportunity

We are partnering with an innovative technology company developing advanced photonic devices for next-generation computing applications.

The company is seeking a hands-on Photonics Test Engineer to develop and execute optical testing processes for its photonic devices. This role will involve building laboratory test setups from the ground up, characterising key optical components and automating measurement workflows to improve testing efficiency, repeatability and data quality.

This is an on-site position suited to an engineer who enjoys practical laboratory work, troubleshooting and working closely with a multidisciplinary engineering team.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, build and operate optical test setups for photonic devices.

• Test and characterise integrated optical components, including waveguides, photodetectors and modulators.

• Develop automated testing and measurement workflows to improve efficiency, repeatability and data analysis.

• Troubleshoot device-level and test-setup issues, translating findings into actionable feedback for the engineering team.

• Document test procedures, measurement methods and results to support consistent and repeatable testing.

• Collaborate with colleagues to support device development and performance optimisation.

Essential Requirements

• Industry experience in photonics or a closely related technical field.

• Bachelor's, Master's or PhD in Photonics, Optics, Physics, Electrical Engineering or a related discipline.

• Hands-on experience working with waveguides, photodetectors and optical modulators.

• Demonstrated ability to independently design and assemble optical laboratory test benches.

• Experience with automated testing, measurement workflows and test scripting.

• Willingness to work on-site in a laboratory environment.

Darwin Recruitment is acting as an Employment Agency in relation to this vacancy.

Oliver Logan