Senior Photonics & Optics Lead Engineer

Seagate Technology; Shakopee (MN); On-site; USD 147,000 - 214,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid time off

12 holidays

Flexible time off

Parental leave

401(k)

On-site cafe

Fitness center

Job summary

Seagate Technology in Shakopee, MN, seeks a Photonics & Optics Sr. Staff Engineer to design, model, test, and mature photonic devices and PICs for storage, sensing, and optical interconnects.

You will lead experiments, optimize subsystems, and guide cross-disciplinary teams through prototypes to scalable solutions. The role emphasizes hands-on leadership, first-principles engineering, and collaboration with foundries and academic partners to drive technology maturation.

Qualifications

• Experience with PIC design, optical modeling, simulation, and verification.
• Hands-on laboratory experience with lasers, detectors, instrumentation, optical test systems, and data analysis.
• Demonstrated ability to move technologies from concept through validated prototypes.
• Experience presenting technical results to senior leadership, peers, and external partners.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and characterize photonic devices and PICs.
• Perform photonic modeling, simulation, layout, verification, and trade-off analysis.
• Develop free-space and fiber-based optical experiments for demonstrations and validation.
• Lead laboratory activities including optical alignment, laser-based measurements, noise analysis, and system characterization.
• Collaborate with electronics, packaging, manufacturing, and reliability teams.

Skills

Photonic design

Optical modeling

Lab leadership

Data analysis

Cross-functional collaboration

Technical communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Optics/Photonics/Physics/Electrical Engineering

Master's degree in Optics/Photonics/Physics/Electrical Engineering

PhD in related field

Tools

Lumerical

Ansys

COMSOL

Zemax

MATLAB

Python

RSoft

Job description

Seagate Technology in Shakopee, MN, seeks a Photonics & Optics Sr. Staff Engineer to design, model, test, and mature photonic devices and PICs for storage, sensing, and optical interconnects.

You will lead experiments, optimize subsystems, and guide cross-disciplinary teams through prototypes to scalable solutions. The role emphasizes hands-on leadership, first-principles engineering, and collaboration with foundries and academic partners to drive technology maturation.