Senior High-Speed Photonic Design Engineer

Jobtailor; Sunnyvale (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

Jobtailor in Sunnyvale, CA is seeking a senior photonic IC design expert with a PhD and 5+ years of industry experience. You will own transmitter/receiver architecture and advance high-speed photonic circuits for cutting-edge communication systems.

You will design modulators/detectors, RF/microwave lines, and photonic spectral filters, collaborating with a small R&D team on next-generation integrated modules.

Qualifications

• PhD in EE / Applied Physics / related field.
• 5+ years of industry experience with photonic circuit design achievements.
• Extensive expertise in high-speed modulator/detector design.
• Extensive RF/microwave design expertise.
• Familiarity with optical modulation formats and photonic link modeling.
• Experience with RF/microwave design software (HFSS, ADS or equivalent).
• Experience with photonic device simulation software (Lumerical or equivalent).
• Experience with optical link simulation software (VPIphotonics, Lumerical Interconnect, etc.).
• Hands-on tapeouts at commercial foundries.
• Experience with Python, Git, and gdsfactory; DRC/LVS; Calibre.

Responsibilities

• Own and deliver record-breaking high-speed photonic IC designs.
• Contribute to system-level optimization and product strategy.
• Own photonic transmitter and receiver architecture.
• Design high-speed modulators and detectors.
• Design RF/microwave transmission lines within PICs.
• Work on next-generation photonic/electronic integrated modules.
• Develop wireless optical communication systems with optical phased arrays.
• Collaborate within a small, dynamic R&D team to solve challenges.

Skills

High-Speed Photonic Circuit Design

RF/Microwave Design

Optical Modulation Formats

Photonic Link Modeling

Photonic Spectral Filter Design

Python Programming

Tapeout Experience

Design Rule Checks (DRC)

Layout Versus Schematic (LVS)

Optical Communication Systems

Education

Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Applied Physics, Materials Science, or a related field

Tools

HFSS

ADS

Lumerical

VPIphotonics

Calibre

Gdsfactory

Git

Job description

• Own and deliver record-breaking high-speed photonic integrated circuit designs
• Contribute to system-level optimization and product strategy
• Own photonic transmitter and receiver architecture
• Design high-speed photonic modulators and detectors
• Design RF/microwave transmission lines within very-large-scale photonic integrated circuits
• Work on next-generation photonic and electronic integrated modules
• Develop wireless optical communication systems based on integrated optical phased arrays
• Collaborate within a small, dynamic R&D team to solve challenging problems

Requirements

• Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Applied Physics, Materials Science, or a related field
• Five (5) or more years of relevant industry experience with demonstrated achievements in photonic circuit designs
• Extensive expertise in high-speed photonic modulator and detector design
• Extensive expertise in RF/microwave design
• Expertise in optical modulation formats and photonic link modeling
• Experience with RF/microwave design software (HFSS, ADS or equivalent)
• Experience with photonic device simulation software (Lumerical or equivalent)
• Experience with optical link simulation software (VPIphotonics, Lumerical Interconnect, or equivalent)
• Hands‑on experience with multiple tapeouts at commercial foundries
• Experience in photonic spectral filter design
• Experience with Python, Git, and gdsfactory
• Experience with Design Rule Checks (DRC) and Layout Versus Schematic (LVS)
• Experience with commercial layout verification software (Calibre or equivalent)
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the ability to work effectively with senior external partners
• Hands‑on experience in advancing a product from the prototype phase to the final production stage

Core Competencies

Demonstrates extensive expertise in high-speed photonic circuit design, including modulators and detectors, while effectively collaborating within a dynamic R&D team to advance innovative photonic and electronic integrated modules.

Highest-signal resume keywords

• Ph.D. In Electrical Engineering
• High-Speed Photonic Modulator Design
• RF/Microwave Design Expertise
• Photonic Device Simulation Software
• Optical Link Simulation Software

ATS Optimization Keywords

Hard Skills

• High-Speed Photonic Circuit Design
• RF/Microwave Design
• Optical Modulation Formats
• Photonic Link Modeling
• Photonic Spectral Filter Design
• Python Programming
• Design Rule Checks (DRC)
• Layout Versus Schematic (LVS)
• Tapeout Experience
• Optical Communication Systems

Soft Skills

• Excellent Communication Skills
• Presentation Skills
• Collaboration

Industry Keywords

• Photonic Integrated Circuits
• Wireless Optical Communication
• Integrated Optical Phased Arrays
• Commercial Foundries

Tools & Technologies

• HFSS
• ADS
• Lumerical
• VPIphotonics
• Calibre
• Gdsfactory
• Git