Principal Optical Link Engineer

Langham Recruitment; Santa Barbara (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Langham Recruitment is seeking a Principal Optical Link Engineer to lead the development, characterization, and validation of high-speed optical links—from transmitter/receiver PICs through to complete link demonstrations. The role spans PIC, board, and system-level testing, with a focus on robust link budgets and multi-terabit characterization.

Ideal candidates bring 7+ years in optical communication, hands-on experience with 100G+/lane links, and strong skills in Python for automation.

Qualifications

• BS in Electrical Engineering, Optics/Photonics, Physics or related field; MS/PhD preferred.
• 7+ years’ experience developing and validating high-speed optical communication links.
• Hands-on experience with 100G+/lane optical links; coherent experience is a plus.
• Excellent understanding of link budgets, OSNR, dispersion, polarization, jitter, equalization, and crosstalk.
• Experience with silicon photonics, InP photonics, or integrated optical engines.
• Strong communication, analytical, and problem-solving skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop and characterize high-speed optical links at the PIC, evaluation-board, and system level.
• Test and troubleshoot lasers, modulators, photodiodes, optical amplifiers, and passive photonic components.
• Define and experimentally validate optical link budgets, including dispersion, polarization, sensitivity, and other impairments.
• Perform advanced measurements using AWGs, oscilloscopes, VNAs, BER testers, OSAs, tunable lasers, and optical power meters.
• Lead root-cause investigations across photonics, high-speed electronics, and DSP.
• Develop automated test and analysis frameworks using Python.
• Establish scalable characterization setups and measurement methodologies for multi-terabit links.
• Collaborate with PIC design, packaging, firmware, and DSP teams while mentoring engineers.

Skills

High-speed optical links

Photonic testing

Python automation

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in EE/Optics/Photonics/Physics

MS/PhD preferred

Tools

AWGs

Oscilloscopes

VNAs

BER testers

OSAs

Tunable lasers

Power meters

Python

Job description

We’re working with an innovative photonics startup developing next-generation optical interconnects for AI and high-performance data centers.

We’re looking for a Principal Optical Link Engineer to lead the development, characterization, and validation of high-speed optical links—from transmitter/receiver PICs through to complete link demonstrations.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and characterize high-speed optical links at the PIC, evaluation-board, and system level.
• Test and troubleshoot lasers, modulators, photodiodes, optical amplifiers, and passive photonic components.
• Define and experimentally validate optical link budgets, including dispersion, polarization, sensitivity, and other impairments.
• Perform advanced measurements using AWGs, oscilloscopes, VNAs, BER testers, OSAs, tunable lasers, and optical power meters.
• Lead root-cause investigations across photonics, high-speed electronics, and DSP.
• Develop automated test and analysis frameworks using Python.
• Establish scalable characterization setups and measurement methodologies for multi-terabit links.
• Collaborate with PIC design, packaging, firmware, and DSP teams while mentoring engineers.

Requirements

• BS in Electrical Engineering, Optics/Photonics, Physics, or related field; MS/PhD preferred.
• 7+ years’ experience developing and validating high-speed optical communication links.
• Hands-on experience with 100G+/lane optical links; coherent experience is a plus.
• Excellent understanding of link budgets, OSNR, dispersion, polarization, jitter, equalization, and crosstalk.
• Experience with silicon photonics, InP photonics, or integrated optical engines.
• Strong communication, analytical, and problem-solving skills.