Senior Mechanical Engineer, Photonic Systems

PsiQuantum; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 130,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity and benefits

Job summary

PsiQuantum is looking for a Senior Mechanical Design Engineer based in Palo Alto, California. This role involves designing optomechanical packages for the Optical Circuit Switch (OCS) program, requiring strong expertise in materials, thermodynamics, and precision design principles.

The successful candidate will own package designs from prototype to production, collaborating across various teams to ensure quality and manufacturability targets are met. Required qualifications include a Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering and 5 years of relevant experience.

Qualifications

• 5 years of experience in optomechanical design or photonics packaging.
• Willingness to support colleagues and external partners.
• Strong ability to resolve design and manufacturability tradeoffs.

Responsibilities

• Ownership of OCS package and subassembly designs.
• Conduct DFMEA, PFMEA, and risk analysis.
• Generate and maintain OCS process flow documentation.

Skills

Communication skills

Optomechanical design

Manufacturability expertise

Tolerance analysis

Design for Manufacturability

Education

Master's Degree in Mechanical Engineering

Tools

PDM / Arena

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

The Senior Mechanical Design Engineer is responsible for designing highly complex optomechanical and optoelectronic packages for the Optical Circuit Switch (OCS) program. You will work closely with photonics, packaging, process, test, quality, supply chain, and external manufacturing partners to translate OCS architecture and requirements into buildable, manufacturable, and verifiable package designs. Strong design skills incorporating mechanics of materials, thermodynamics, electronics integration, optical alignment, and precision design principles are a must.

Responsibilities

• Ownership of OCS package and subassembly designs from prototype through production readiness.
• Expertise in Design for Manufacturability, Design for Assembly, and supplier‑ready build documentation.
• Expertise with GD&T for precision optomechanical interfaces, datums, fixtures, and inspection plans.
• Expertise with tolerance analysis methods for optical alignment, mechanical stack‑up, FAU attach, and package interfaces.
• Generate and maintain OCS process flow documentation, build travelers, and assembly sequence definition.
• Conduct DFMEA, PFMEA, CTQ mapping, and risk analysis heat maps for OCS package and process development.
• Fixture design & fabrication for alignment, attach, metrology, handling, and production build support.
• Test set‑up design & fabrication for optical, mechanical, thermal, and process verification activities.
• Generate & maintain BOM’s, build standards, material callouts, and configuration‑controlled package documentation.
• Generate & maintain Specification & Drawing Trees for OCS package, subassembly, fixture, and supplier documentation.
• Ability to execute basic structural, thermal, warpage, and tolerance analyses to down‑select designs and reduce build risk.
• Comfortable with PDM / Arena, ECO discipline, drawing release, supplier documentation packages, and revision control.

Experience / Qualifications

• Strong communication & interpersonal skills across engineering, operations, quality, and supplier teams.
• Willingness to support colleagues and external partners to achieve OCS schedule, quality, and build‑readiness objectives.
• Exercises independent judgement in resolving design, interface, and manufacturability tradeoffs.
• Continuous learning mindset with interest in photonics packaging, process development, and production scale‑up.
• Execution of deliverables against schedule & quality targets in a fast‑moving productization environment.
• Experience with subcontractor management, supplier technical coordination, and manufacturing partner support.
• Master’s Degree or above in Mechanical Engineering, Optomechanical Engineering, Packaging Engineering, or a relevant discipline.
• 5 years of experience, with a focus on optomechanical design, optoelectronic packaging, photonics packaging, or precision mechanical systems.

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].

We are not accepting unsolicited resumes from employment agencies.

The ranges below reflect the target ranges for a new hire base salary. One is for the Bay Area (within 50 miles of HQ, Palo Alto), the second one (if applicable) is for elsewhere in the US (beyond 50 miles of HQ, Palo Alto). If there is only one range, it is for the specific location of where the position will be located. Actual compensation may vary outside of these ranges and is dependent on various factors including but not limited to a candidate's qualifications including relevant education and training, competencies, experience, geographic location, and business needs. Base pay is only one part of the total compensation package. Full time roles are eligible for equity and benefits. Base pay is subject to change and may be modified in the future.

U.S. Base Pay Range: $130,000—$160,000 USD

Bay Area Pay Range: $170,000—$185,000 USD