PIC Architect

Index Search Group; Santa Clara, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity incentive

Long-term incentive opportunities

Health insurance

HSA

Dental

Vision

Life insurance

AD&D

Job summary

Index Search Group seeks a PIC Architect to design and deliver photonic integrated circuits for data center, LiDAR, optical computing, and sensing. You will translate customer requirements into photonic solutions, drive definition, design, simulation, layout, and testing of silicon photonic circuits, and lead across multiple programs with customers and internal teams.

The role emphasizes technical leadership, deep PIC architecture experience, and collaboration with engineering, BD, and packaging

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering or related discipline preferred; Master’s/Bachelor’s considered.
• 5+ years of relevant experience; 10+ years total including Ph.D./research preferred.
• PIC Architect or Senior PIC Designer experience highly preferred.
• Strong PIC design/architecture and understanding of photonic IC layouts.

Responsibilities

• Design, implement, and deliver PICs on silicon-III-V platform; include lasers, modulators, detectors.
• Translate customer requirements into photonic architectures; drive design, simulation, layout, and testing.
• Lead technical discussions with customers and internal teams across programs.
• Define feasibility studies, timelines, and deliverables; transition products from development to production.

Skills

PIC design

Customer-facing

Cross-functional

Photonic components

Silicon photonics

Lifecycle understanding

Technical leadership

Reliability

High-speed testing

Education

Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering

Master's degree

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Simulation tools

Layout tools

Photonic design tools

Test equipment

Job description

Our client is seeking a PIC Architect to design, implement, and deliver photonic integrated circuits (PICs) for applications including data center communications, LiDAR, optical computing, and sensing.

This role will play a critical part in bringing new products to market, working across customers, business development, component design, layout, test, and reliability engineering. The PIC Architect will help translate customer requirements into photonic solutions while driving the definition, design, simulation, layout, and testing of silicon photonic circuits.

The ideal candidate will bring strong PIC design and architecture experience, technical depth across photonic components and systems, and the ability to serve as a customer-facing technical leader across multiple programs.

The Environment

This is a technical individual contributor opportunity within an advanced photonics environment focused on custom photonic application-specific integrated circuits. The technology combines lasers, modulators, receivers, and other photonic components onto silicon-based platforms for high-performance applications.

The role will work closely with customers and cross-functional engineering teams to move products from initial requirements and feasibility through design, testing, and manufacturing. The PIC Architect will report to the PIC Design Director of Engineering and will initially have no direct reports, with the potential to develop direct reports in the future.

The position is based in Goleta or Santa Clara, California, with no regular travel and very limited international travel.

Key Focus Areas

• Design, implement, and deliver photonics integrated circuits with optical gain and lasers on a proprietary heterogeneous silicon-III-V photonic platform.
• Drive the definition, design, simulation, layout, and testing of silicon photonic circuits.
• Work directly with customers to understand product requirements and map those requirements onto the photonic platform.
• Perform initial feasibility studies and define program timelines and deliverables.
• Work cross-functionally with customers, business development, component design, layout, test, and reliability engineering teams.
• Use industry standards and technology trends to establish requirements for reference PIC designs.
• Use commercial and custom-built tools to design and model custom PICs.
• Present technical results to customers and internal stakeholders.
• Coordinate packaging, chip interface requirements, and fabrication requirements with packaging, layout, and process teams.
• Define test requirements, review test plans, and analyze test data.
• Identify, specify, and prioritize new components for the PDK roadmap.
• Work with component designers to ensure new components meet required specifications.
• Support the development of products for data center communications, LiDAR, optical computing, and sensing applications.
• Serve as a technical lead or focal point across customer programs.
• Help transition products from development into production by understanding manufacturing requirements and challenges.

What Success Looks Like

• PIC designs that meet customer requirements and expected application performance.
• Successful translation of customer requirements into practical photonic architectures.
• Strong technical alignment across customers and internal engineering teams.
• New PIC designs successfully progressing through design, simulation, layout, testing, and manufacturing.
• Clear program timelines, deliverables, and technical requirements established early in development.
• Effective identification and prioritization of new components for the PDK roadmap.
• Strong collaboration between PIC architecture, component design, layout, packaging, process, test, and reliability teams.
• Technical challenges identified and addressed throughout the product development process.
• Customers and internal stakeholders receiving clear technical communication and well-supported design decisions.
• Successful transition of products from development into production.

Candidate Profile

• Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Applied Materials Science, Applied Physics, or a related discipline preferred. Master’s and Bachelor’s degree candidates may also be considered.
• 5+ years of relevant experience, with 10+ years of combined professional and Ph.D./research experience preferred.
• PIC Architect or Senior PIC Designer experience is highly preferred.
• Strong experience with PIC design and architecture.
• Strong understanding of photonic integrated circuit layout design.
• Experience with photonic components including lasers, modulators, detectors, and optical coupling.
• Understanding of the full product development lifecycle and how PICs integrate into larger systems, electronics, and optical modules.
• Datacom experience is highly relevant.
• Experience supporting LiDAR, OCS, or similar optical applications is preferred.
• Experience with optical sub-assemblies and optical modules.
• Experience with opto-electronic devices.
• Packaging experience, including an understanding of packaging challenges and their impact on system performance, is desirable.
• High-speed optical testing experience is desirable.
• Understanding of manufacturing challenges and the transition of products from development into production.
• Experience using simulation and technical data to support product development and customer discussions.
• Application engineering or customer-facing technical experience is beneficial.
• Experience managing multiple customer programs or serving as the technical lead across several customer projects is a plus.
• Strong customer-facing technical skills with the ability to understand requirements and serve as a technical lead or focal point.
• Strong communication and cross-functional collaboration skills.
• Ability to work effectively across customers, business development, engineering, and technical teams.
• Must be authorized to work in the United States as required for the position.
• Ability to work in Goleta or Santa Clara, California.
• Ability to work with no regular travel and very limited international travel.
• Equity incentive opportunity.
• Potential for additional long-term incentive opportunities as the organization continues to grow.
• Health insurance, HSA, dental, vision, life, and AD&D coverage.
• 401(k) contribution.
• Ability to work outside of the company for two weeks per year.