Senior Optical Engineer

Molex; Fremont (CA); On-site; USD 160,000 - 220,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

medical

dental

vision

flexible spending and health savings

life insurance

AD&D

disability

retirement

paid vacation/time off

educational assistance

infertility assistance

paid parental leave

adoption assistance

Job summary

Molex is seeking an experienced Senior Optical Engineer to lead technology development for co-packaged optics (CPO). You will combine hands-on optical and SiPh packaging with project management, vendor collaboration, and global team leadership to bring manufacturable CPO solutions to production.

Requires 10+ years in optical packaging with strong process engineering. Travel domestically and internationally is expected as projects scale toward production.

Qualifications

• Master's degree or higher in Optical Engineering, Physics, Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, or related field.
• 10+ years of industry experience in optical packaging, SiPh packaging, or semiconductor laser/device packaging with strong process engineering background.
• Hands-on experience in optical device packaging: die attach, adhesives, wire bonding, optical fiber management, optical alignment, materials selection.
• Strong knowledge of semiconductor wafer processes and interactions with packaging (thermal budgets, contamination control).
• Proven track record leading technology development projects and cross-functional/global teams.
• Excellent communication and people management skills; experience managing vendors and supplier qualification.
• Willingness and ability to travel as required (domestic and international travel).

Responsibilities

• Lead technology development activities for CPO and associated optical packaging solutions.
• Define and execute packaging solutions R&D: die attach, adhesive selection, wire bonding, fiber attach, alignment, thermal and stress considerations, and material qualification.
• Plan and run feasibility studies, design-of-experiments (DOE), pilot builds, and reliability testing.
• Project and technical management (planning, schedules, budgets, risk management, vendor coordination).
• Manage and lead cross-functional teams (design, manufacturing, reliability, supply chain, quality) and collaborate with global sites/vendors.
• Hands-on lab/bench work: prototyping, process setup, process optimization, optical fiber handling, optical alignments, test automation, and test integration.
• Identify process/packaging yield drivers, implement corrective actions, and scale technologies toward production.
• Prepare technical documents, reports, presentations, and interact with external partners and suppliers.
• Mentor junior engineers and build team capabilities.

Skills

Optical engineering leadership

SiPh packaging

Project management

DOE design

Vendor collaboration

Cross-functional leadership

Education

Master's degree in Optical/Electrical/Materials Science or related field

Tools

Process equipment experience

Laboratory test equipment

Job description

Your Role

Experienced senior-level optical engineer to lead technology development for co-packaged optics (CPO). The role combines hands-on optical and SiPh device packaging engineering with project/technical management, vendor collaboration, cross-functional and global team leadership, and R&D to bring manufacturable CPO solutions to production. Candidate must have deep process engineering experience in SiPh packaging, semiconductor laser/device packaging, optical fiber handling, and/or semiconductor wafer processes.

Our Team

As a Koch company, Molex is a leading supplier of connectors and interconnect components, driving innovation in electronics and supporting industries from automotive to health care and consumer to data communications. The thousands of innovators who work for Molex have made us a global electronics leader. Our experienced people, groundbreaking products and leading-edge technologies help us deliver a wider array of solutions to more markets than ever before.

What You Will Do

• Lead technology development activities for CPO and associated optical packaging solutions.
• Define and execute packaging solutions R&D: die attach, adhesive selection, wire bonding, fiber attach, alignment, thermal and stress considerations, and material qualification.
• Plan and run feasibility studies, design-of-experiments (DOE), pilot builds, and reliability testing.
• Project and technical management (planning, schedules, budgets, risk management, vendor coordination).
• Manage and lead cross-functional teams (design, manufacturing, reliability, supply chain, quality) and collaborate with global sites/vendors.
• Hands-on lab/bench work: prototyping, process setup, process optimization, optical fiber handling, optical alignments, test automation, and test integration.
• Identify process/packaging yield drivers, implement corrective actions, and scale technologies toward production.
• Prepare technical documents, reports, presentations, and interact with external partners and suppliers.
• Mentor junior engineers and build team capabilities.

Core Competencies & Behavioral Skills

• Leadership: able to lead technical teams and mentor others.
• Communication: clear technical writing, presentation, and stakeholder management.
• Problem solving: structured problem solving and root-cause investigation.
• Collaboration: successful cross-functional and global team player.
• Planning & Execution: organizes complex programs, meets milestones, manages risks.

Who You Are (Basic Qualifications)

• Master's degree or higher in Optical Engineering, Physics, Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, or related field.
• Minimum 10 years of industry experience in optical packaging, SiPh packaging, or semiconductor laser/device packaging with strong process engineering background.
• Demonstrated hands-on experience in optical device packaging: die attach, adhesives, wire bonding, optical fiber management, optical alignment, materials selection.
• Strong knowledge of semiconductor wafer processes and interactions with packaging (e.g., thermal budgets, contamination control).
• Proven track record leading technology development projects and cross-functional/global teams.
• Excellent communication and people management skills; experience managing vendors and supplier qualification.
• Willingness and ability to travel as required (domestic and international travel).

• SiPh (silicon photonics) packaging and integration processes.
• Experience in process development and optimization related to optical devices.
• Optical fiber knowledge: theory, handling, cleaving, splicing, ferrule/array assembly, fiber pigtail techniques.
• Die attach processes, bonding materials (solders, adhesives), curing processes, and reliability implications.
• Thermal analysis and mechanical/stress analysis for packages.
• Materials science for packaging: coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) mismatch mitigation, adhesives, and underfills.
• Wire bonding and alternative electrical interconnects; knowledge of flip-chip and other interconnect technologies.
• Test/measurement for optical devices: insertion loss, return loss, optical alignment tolerances.
• Familiarity with reliability testing standards (thermal cycling, HTOL, moisture, mechanical shock/vibration).

What Will Put You Ahead

• Prior CPO development experience and understanding of system-level integration.
• Experience with design-for-manufacturability (DFM) and design-for-test (DFT) in optical packaging and optical devices.
• Background in automation for assembly/align/test, process control, and statistics (SPC).
• Multi-site/global program management experience.
• Experience with supplier development and contract/manufacturing scale-up.

For this role, we anticipate paying $160,000 - $220,000 per year. This role is eligible for variable pay, issued as a monetary bonus or in another form.

At Koch companies, we are entrepreneurs. This means we openly challenge the status quo, find new ways to create value and get rewarded for our individual contributions. Any compensation range provided for a role is an estimate determined by available market data. The actual amount may be higher or lower than the range provided considering each candidate's knowledge, skills, abilities, and geographic location. If you have questions, please speak to your recruiter about the flexibility and detail of our compensation philosophy.

Hiring Philosophy

All Koch companies value diversity of thought, perspectives, aptitudes, experiences, and backgrounds. We are Military Ready and Second Chance employers. Learn more about our hiring philosophy here.

Who We Are

As a Koch company, Molex is a leading supplier of connectors and interconnect components, driving innovation in electronics and supporting industries from automotive to health care and consumer to data communications. The thousands of innovators who work for Molex have made us a global electronics leader. Our experienced people, groundbreaking products and leading-edge technologies help us deliver a wider array of solutions to more markets than ever before.

At Koch, employees are empowered to do what they do best to make life better. Learn how our business philosophy helps employees unleash their potential while creating value for themselves and the company.

Our Benefits

Our goal is for each employee, and their families, to live fulfilling and healthy lives. We provide essential resources and support to build and maintain physical, financial, and emotional strength - focusing on overall wellbeing so you can focus on what matters most.

• medical
• dental
• vision
• flexible spending and health savings accounts
• life insurance
• ADD
• disability
• retirement
• paid vacation/time off
• educational assistance
• infertility assistance
• paid parental leave
• adoption assistance

Specific eligibility criteria is set by the applicable Summary Plan Description, policy or guideline and benefits may vary by geographic region. If you have questions on what benefits apply to you, please speak to your recruiter.

Additionally, everyone has individual work and personal needs. We seek to enable the best work environment that helps you and the business work together to produce superior results.

Equal Opportunities

Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability and protected veteran status. Except where prohibited by state law, some offers of employment are conditioned upon successfully passing a drug test. This employer uses E-Verify. Please click here for additional information. (For Illinois E-Verify information click here, aqui, or tu).