Senior Optical Systems Engineer

Eridu AI; Saratoga (CA); On-site; USD 170,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Eridu, a Silicon Valley hardware startup, is seeking a Senior Optical Systems Engineer to own test and measurement systems for advanced optical communication. This role focuses on the Optical Bridge program and involves lab automation, complex experiments, and data-driven validation of subsystem designs.

You will work with a world-class team, develop high‑throughput measurement workflows, and collaborate with OSAT/ODM partners to transition from prototype to production while meeting quality,

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Optics, Electrical Engineering or Physics.
• 10+ years of experience in optics development spanning optical, electrical, thermal, mechanical, and packaging implementation.
• Track record of taking hardware from concept through shipped production.
• Experience with Co-Packaged Optics, Near-Packaged Optics, Optical Compute Interconnect, and Linear Pluggable Optics.
• Experience managing OSAT/ODM suppliers through design and qualification.
• Hands‑on experience with link‑level metrics (e.g., link budget, insertion/return loss, OSNR, eye diagrams, jitter, BER, FEC margining).
• Experience gathering and organizing accurate measurement data and generating publication‑quality reports.

Responsibilities

• Owns development and execution of test and measurement systems for advanced optical communication systems, initial focus on Optical Bridge programs.
• Builds and automates the optical lab, designs and runs complex experiments, and generates data to validate/refine system designs.
• Collaborates with the Optical Bridge lead to align devices, subsystems, and integration.
• Develops test methodologies and plans for alignment, coupling, loss, and full system validation.
• Designs and runs experiments for optical and electro‑optical characterization and guides design decisions.

Skills

Optics engineering

Electrical engineering

Physics

Hardware development

Education

Bachelor's degree in Optics / Electrical / Physics

Master’s degree in Optics / Electrical / Physics

Tools

MATLAB

Python

3D-CAD

Job description

Eridu is a Silicon Valley-based hardware startup pioneering infrastructure solutions that accelerate AI data centers to deliver Faster AI . Today’s AI performance is frequently limited by communication bottlenecks. Eridu introduces multiple industry-first innovations across silicon, packaging, software, and systems to deliver an order of magnitude improvement in performance and unlock greater GPU utilization to speed training job completion times and tokens-per-second for more profitable inference. We do this while simultaneously reducing capital and power costs and improving reliability.

The company’s solutions and value proposition have been widely validated by leading hyperscalers.

Eridu has raised over $200M to date including its most recent, oversubscribed Series A round. The company is led by a veteran team of Silicon Valley executives who have delivered multiple billion dollar product lines and led multiple companies to billion dollar exits, including serial entrepreneur Drew Perkins, co-founder of Infinera (NASDAQ: INFN), Lightera (acq. by Ciena), Gainspeed (acq. by Nokia) and Mojo Vision (the world’s leading micro-LED company). The company is in execution mode and has a world-class engineering team with decades of experience in state-of-the-art silicon, packaging, optics, software, and systems. Eridu is working with best-in-class supply chain partners including silicon, packaging and systems.

Visit our website eridu.ai to learn more.

Senior Optical Systems Engineer

Eridu is a Silicon Valley-based hardware startup pioneering infrastructure solutions that accelerate AI data centers to deliver Faster AI. Today’s AI performance is frequently limited by communication bottlenecks. Eridu introduces multiple industry-first innovations across silicon, packaging, software, and systems to deliver an order of magnitude improvement in performance and unlock greater GPU utilization to speed training job completion times and tokens-per-second for more profitable inference. We do this while simultaneously reducing capital and power costs and improving reliability. The company’s solutions and value proposition have been widely validated by leading hyperscalers.

Eridu has raised over $200M to date including its most recent, oversubscribed Series A round. The company is led by a veteran team of Silicon Valley executives who have delivered multiple billion-dollar product lines and led multiple companies to billion dollar exits, including serial entrepreneur Drew Perkins, co-founder of Infinera (NASDAQ: INFN), Lightera (acq. by Ciena), Gainspeed (acq. by Nokia) and Mojo Vision (the world’s leading micro-LED company). The company is in execution mode and has a world-class engineering team with decades of experience in state-of-the-art silicon, packaging, optics, software, and systems. Eridu is working with best-in-class supply chain partners including silicon, packaging and systems.

Position Overview

Owns the development and execution of test and measurement systems for advanced optical communication systems, with an initial focus on the Optical Bridge programs. Responsible for building and automating the optical lab, designing and running complex experiments, and generating the experimental data needed to validate and refine system designs. Works in close partnership with Greg Miller, who leads Optical Bridge and broader system development spanning devices, subsystems, and integration.

Responsibilities:

• Drive advanced optical technologies into the system, including OSFP, XPO, CPO, diffractive waveguide optical bridges, and alternative approaches such as GRIN and TIR
• Translate high-level requirements into detailed optical, electrical, mechanical, thermal, and packaging sub-assembly specifications
• Develop test methodologies and plans for alignment, coupling, loss, and full system validation
• Design and run experiments for optical and electro-optical characterization; use results to guide design decisions and reduce technical risk

Development Execution

• Drive OSAT/ODM partners through design reviews covering component selection, schematics, PCB/substrate layout, 3D-CAD, SI/PI simulation, thermal simulation, and DFM feedback
• Drive OSAT/ODM partners to develop and execute test plans (BringUp, EDVT, MDVT, thermal, optical)
• Own the transition from prototype to full production, meeting quality, cost, and schedule targets
• Build and maintain Eridu's Optical Lab, including automated measurement systems using nano-positioners and instrumentation
• Develop high-throughput, repeatable scan routines and measurement workflows
• Develop MATLAB and/or Python tools for experiment control, data analysis, and sim-to-measurement correlation

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Optics Engineering, Electrical Engineering or Physics
• 10+ years of experience in optics development spanning optical, electrical, thermal, mechanical, and packaging implementation
• Track record of taking hardware from concept through shipped production
• Prior experience with Co-Packaged Optics, Near-Packaged Optics, Optical Compute Interconnect, and Linear Pluggable Optics
• Experience managing or driving OSAT/ODM suppliers through design and qualification
• Hands‑on experience with link‑level metrics such as link‑budget analysis, insertion/return loss, OSNR, eye diagrams, jitter, BER, and FEC margining
• Prior experience in gathering and organizing accurate measurement data and generating publication‑quality reports.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in Optics Engineering, Electrical Engineering or Physics
• Experience designing or building automated optical lab instrumentation
• Hands‑on experience with programming/scripting (Python and/or MATLAB) for lab automation or data analysis
• Working knowledge of high‑speed design and signal/power integrity considerations

Why Join Us?

At Eridu, you’ll have the opportunity to shape the future of AI infrastructure, working with a world‑class team on groundbreaking technology that pushes the boundaries of AI performance. Your contributions will directly impact the next generation of AI infrastructure solutions, transforming the performance of AI data centers.

The starting base salary for the selected candidate will be established based on their relevant skills, experience, qualifications, work location, market trends, and the compensation of employees in comparable roles.

Notice to Recruiting Agencies

Eridu does not accept unsolicited resumes or candidate profiles from staffing agencies or third‑party recruiters. Any candidate submitted to Eridu without prior written authorization from our recruiting team will be considered unsolicited and will become the property of Eridu. Eridu reserves the right to pursue and hire such candidates without any obligation to pay fees. Recruiting agencies are expressly instructed not to contact hiring managers, employees, or executives regarding open positions.