Senior Hardware Test Automation Engineer, Photonics

black.ai; Milpitas (CA); On-site; USD 155,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equal employment opportunity

Competitive salary range

Collaborative team environment

Job summary

black.ai is seeking a Hardware Senior Test Automation Engineer to lead the development of test automation for photonic quantum computers. You will design test stations, manage instrumentation, and create software for testing calibration while collaborating with various engineering teams.

The ideal candidate will have experience in optical test equipment, strong programming skills in Python, and a solid understanding of high-speed electro-optical systems. A competitive salary and benefits package are offered.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in engineering, computer physical science, or equivalent degrees, or 6+ years of industry experience.
• Experienced with interfacing and automating optical hardware test equipment.
• Proficiency in Python for automating data collection and analysis.

Responsibilities

• Lead the team designing and validating electro-optical test stations.
• Develop optimized software scripts to automate test measurements and data analysis.
• Build code using object-oriented programming design principles.

Skills

Optical hardware test equipment

Python

AI problem-solving

Test method development

Education

Master’s degree in engineering or equivalent

Tools

Optical spectrum analyzers

Oscilloscopes

Function generators

SQL

Job description

PsiQuantum’s mission is to build the first useful quantum computers—machines capable of delivering the breakthroughs the field has long promised. Since our founding in 2016, our singular focus has been to build and deploy million-qubit, fault-tolerant quantum systems.

Quantum computers harness the laws of quantum mechanics to solve problems that even the most advanced supercomputers or AI systems will never reach. Their impact will span energy, pharmaceuticals, finance, agriculture, transportation, materials, and other foundational industries.

Our architecture and approach is based on silicon photonics. By leveraging the advanced semiconductor manufacturing industry—including partners like GlobalFoundries—we use the same high-volume processes that already produce billions of chips for telecom and consumer electronics. Photonics offers natural advantages for scale: photons don’t feel heat, are immune to electromagnetic interference, and integrate with existing cryogenic cooling and standard fiber‑optic infrastructure.

In 2024, PsiQuantum announced government‑funded projects to support the build‑out of our first utility‑scale quantum computers in Brisbane, Australia, and Chicago, Illinois. These initiatives reflect a growing recognition that quantum computing will be strategically and economically defining—and that now is the time to scale.

PsiQuantum also develops the algorithms and software needed to make these systems commercially valuable. Our application, software, and industry teams work directly with leading Fortune 500 companies—including Lockheed Martin, Mercedes‑Benz, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Mitsubishi Chemical—to prepare quantum solutions for real‑world impact.

Quantum computing is not an extension of classical computing. It represents a fundamental shift—and a path to mastering challenges that cannot be solved any other way. The potential is enormous, and we have a clear path to make it real.

Come join us.

Job Summary

As an integral part of the team developing a photonic quantum computer, the Hardware Senior Test Automation Engineer, Photonics will be responsible for leading test automation and test station development for the electro‑optical components. This includes identifying required instrumentation, designing and building the test station, developing the software and methods required for automated testing calibration procedures, and acquiring data from various electrical, optical and electro‑optical systems.

Responsibilities

• Lead the team designing, building, and validating electro‑optical test stations in collaboration with Validation engineers. Deliver test station to both Engineering and Operations teams.
• Define test station features and capabilities to match requirements.
• Select the instrumentation and other needed devices that are required to make measurements on subassemblies, such as lasers, detectors, optical switches, function generators, and oscilloscopes.
• Manage equipment sourcing and station assembly and streamline the assembly process for ease of manufacturing.
• Develop optimized software scripts to automate test measurements, data analysis, and device characterization. The test software should be designed to scale up from 1 to N DUTs.
• Analyze test data to extract key performance parameters, and create reports on production yields, and failure trends.
• Store acquired data and associated analysis results in a designated database.
• Build code using object‑oriented programming design principles, in order to optimize code reuse and reduce errors.
• Review test station performance over time, and explore enhancements such as test time reduction.
• Write operator work instructions and training procedures, and work with the Operations team to ensure a smooth transition to production and 24/7 testing.

Experience/Qualifications

• Master’s degree in engineering, computer physical science, or equivalent degrees, or 6+ years of industry experience.
• Experienced with interfacing and automating optical hardware test equipment, including power meters, optical backscatter reflectometers (OBR), optical spectrum analyzers (OSA), oscilloscopes, function generators (AWG), and vector network analyzers (VNA).
• Experienced in developing test methods such as tuning/calibration algorithms.
• Proficiency in Python, including the principles of object‑oriented programming, for automating data collection and data analysis.
• Experienced in leveraging AI to resolve common problems and to develop code.
• Knowledgeable in the sourcing of test equipment and electronics, and the testing of optical assemblies, and electronics.
• Experienced in the design and testing of high‑speed electro‑optical systems such as line cards used in telecommunications equipment or similar.
• The candidate should have technical project management experience.
• Experience with manufacturing execution systems (MES) and SQL is preferred.

PsiQuantum provides equal employment opportunity for all applicants and employees. PsiQuantum does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), gender identity, gender expression, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, physical or mental disability, military or veteran status, marital status, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, genetic information, or any other basis protected by applicable laws.

Note: PsiQuantum will only reach out to you using an official PsiQuantum email address and will never ask you for bank account information as part of the interview process. Please report any suspicious activity to [e-mail].

U.S. Base Pay Range: $155,000 — $180,000 USD

Bay Area Pay Range: $180,000 — $200,000 USD