Principal Photonic Device Design Engineer

Entangled Future; Santa Barbara (CA); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 220,000; Full time

Job summary

IonQ, based in Santa Barbara, CA, seeks a Principal Photonic Device Design Engineer to lead the design and development of semiconductor lasers and active photonic devices for heterogeneous platforms. You will define architectures, drive production qualification, and guide multidisciplinary teams toward scalable quantum and classical systems.

The role requires deep expertise in photonics, experience with device modeling and fabrication processes, and strong technical communication.

Qualifications

• Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Applied Physics, Optics, Photonics, Materials Science, or related field.
• 5+ years of experience; or 8+ years of relevant industry experience.
• Deep expertise in semiconductor lasers, III-V photonics, and integrated photonics.
• Proven track record in active photonic devices through multiple cycles of design, fabrication and testing.
• Experience with modeling, simulation, mask layout, fabrication, and verification.
• Strong understanding of laser physics, epitaxial structures, and thermal behavior.
• Experience leading initiatives, mentoring engineers, and communicating technically.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development of semiconductor lasers and related photonic-device architectures.
• Translate requirements into device specifications, epitaxial designs, and optical structures.
• Drive designs from concept through production qualification and provide direction across teams.

Skills

Semiconductor lasers

III-V photonics

Photonic-device modeling

Optical simulation

Design leadership

Mentoring engineers

Education

Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering or related field

Tools

Photonic modeling tools

Mask layout software

Fabrication/process knowledge

Design verification tools

Job description

Principal Photonic Device Design Engineer at IonQ, Santa Barbara, California, United States. A lead-level full time position in the Quantum Platform - Engineering & Technology team, listed under hardware engineering.

About IonQ: IonQ, Inc . [NYSE: IONQ] is the world’s leading quantum platform and merchant supplier - delivering integrated quantum solutions across computing, networking, sensing, and security. IonQ’s newest generation of quantum computers, the IonQ Tempo, is the latest in a line of cutting-edge systems that have been helping customers and partners including Amazon Web Services, and AstraZeneca achieve 20x performance results and accelerate innovation in drug discovery, materials science, financial modeling, logistics, cybersecurity, and defense. In 2025, the company achieved 99.99% two-qubit gate fidelity, setting a world record in quantum computing performance . Headquartered in College Park, Maryland, IonQ has operations in California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Washington, Italy, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Our quantum computing services are available through all major cloud providers, while we also meet the needs of networking and sensing customers across land, sea, air, and space. IonQ is making quantum platforms more accessible and impactful than ever before. Location: This role is based onsite at our office in Santa Barbara, CA. Travel: Less than 10% Job ID: 1888 The Role: We are seeking a Principal Photonic Device Design Engineer to join our integrated photonics team. In this role, you will serve as a technical leader for the design and development of semiconductor lasers and other active photonic devices for heterogeneous integrated platforms supporting scalable quantum and classical systems. You will define device architecture and technology roadmaps, lead designs from concept through production qualification, and provide technical direction across multidisciplinary development programs. Responsibilities : Lead the development of semiconductor lasers and related active photonic-device architectures. Translate product and system requirements into device specifications, epitaxial designs, optical structures, ma

Requirements

• Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Applied Physics, Optics, Photonics, Materials Science, or a related field and 5+ years of experience, or 8+ years of relevant industry experience.
• Deep expertise in semiconductor lasers, III-V photonics, integrated photonics, or heterogeneous photonic integration.
• Demonstrated success developing active photonic devices through multiple design, fabrication, and characterization cycles.
• Extensive experience with photonic-device modeling, simulation, mask layout, fabrication, and design verification.
• Strong understanding of semiconductor laser physics, III-V materials, epitaxial structures, optical cavities, thermal behavior, and fabrication processes.
• Proven ability to define device architectures, resolve complex multidisciplinary problems, and drive technology from development through qualification or production.
• Experience leading technical initiatives, influencing engineering decisions, and mentoring engineers.
• Excellent technical communication, collaboration, documentation, and problem-solving skills.

Nice to Have

• Experience developing integrated laser platforms for quantum, sensing, communications, or other high-performance applications.
• Experience working with semiconductor foundries, epitaxial suppliers, and packaging partners to transition technologies into production.
• Experience supporting strategic customers, external partnerships, proposals, or government-funded R&D programs.