Silicon Photonics Control & Calibration Engineer - Optical Circuit Switches (OCS)

Voyant Photonics; New York (NY); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Catered lunch daily

On-site Midtown Manhattan office

Job summary

Voyant Photonics in New York City seeks a Silicon Photonics Control & Calibration Engineer to own driving, calibrating, and stabilizing OCS photonic devices from early characterization through firmware validation. You’ll design algorithms, specify drive electronics, and build test benches with cross‑functional teams.

Join a hands‑on Systems Team focused on frontier hardware, collaborating with photonics, test, electronics, and firmware engineers while delivering clear reports to drive decisions.

Qualifications

• MS in Electrical Engineering, Physics, Optics, or equivalent, or BS with relevant experience.
• 4+ years in control, calibration, or characterization of optical/photonic systems.
• Strong fundamentals in feedback, estimation, and noise analysis.
• Proficiency in Python for prototyping and data analysis.
• Ability to read embedded C/C++ and collaborate with firmware.

Responsibilities

• Characterize control behavior of photonic devices (phase shifters, MZIs, switches).
• Design calibration routines and closed‑loop control algorithms; prototype in Python.
• Derive driver electronics requirements from device physics and needs.
• Validate driver hardware; work with electronics engineers on tradeoffs.
• Handoff algorithms to firmware with specs and test vectors.
• Own final validation of firmware‑implemented control and calibration.
• Design, build, and automate the test setups that support all work.
• Collaborate with photonics design, test, electronics, and firmware teams; report findings.

Skills

Python

Control theory

C/C++

Test automation

Data analysis

Communication skills

Lab equipment

Embedded debugging

Education

MS in Electrical Engineering

BS with equivalent experience

PhD a plus

Tools

FPGA

Embedded systems

HIL test frameworks

Job description

Silicon Photonics Control & Calibration Engineer (OCS)

Voyant Photonics builds silicon photonic chips that steer and switch light at high speed. They power next generation, chip‑scale FMCW LiDAR for robotics and autonomy, and optical circuit switches (OCS) for AI data centers. Based in NYC, we’re a hands‑on team designing, building, and deploying frontier hardware to solve problems that matter, from how machines see to how AI scales.

About the role

We're looking for a Silicon Photonics Control & Calibration Engineer to join our Systems Team, reporting to the System Integration Lead. You'll own how our OCS photonic devices are driven, calibrated, and stabilized, from early device characterization through validated firmware. You'll design the algorithms, define what the drive electronics must deliver, build the benches to prove it all out, and own final validation once firmware implements your work.

What You'll Do:

• Characterize the control behavior of photonic devices such as thermo‑optic phase shifters, MZIs, and switch elements, including drive response, thermal crosstalk, drift, and variation.
• Design calibration routines and closed‑loop control algorithms, prototyping them in Python and validating on test benches and hardware‑in‑the‑loop setups.
• Derive driver electronics requirements from device physics and control needs, such as DAC/ADC resolution and noise, bandwidth, channel count, power, and inter‑channel crosstalk.
• Validate driver hardware against those requirements, partnering with electronics engineers on design tradeoffs.
• Hand off algorithms to firmware as clear specifications with reference implementations and test vectors.
• Own final validation of firmware‑implemented control and calibration, comparing embedded behavior against the Python reference.
• Design, build, and automate the test setups that support all of the above.
• Collaborate closely with photonics design, test, electronics, and firmware engineers, and generate clear reports that drive decisions.

What We're Looking For

• MS in Electrical Engineering, Physics, Optics, or a related field, or a BS with equivalent experience (PhD a plus).
• 4+ years of hands‑on experience in control, calibration, or characterization of optical, photonic, or other precision physical systems, though we're open to exceptional candidates at other experience levels who show strong potential and the right attitude.
• Strong fundamentals in control and estimation: feedback design, stability, noise, and system identification from measured data.
• Solid understanding of photonic device physics, particularly phase shifters and interferometric devices.
• Mixed‑signal electronics literacy sufficient to write and verify driver specifications and debug at the board level.
• Proficiency in Python for algorithm prototyping, test automation, and data analysis.
• Hands‑on experience with lab equipment and demonstrated experience automating test setups.
• Ability to read embedded C/C++ and debug alongside firmware engineers.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, especially for specifying algorithms and requirements others will implement.
• A self‑starter who thrives with minimal formal process, and is comfortable defining structure where it doesn't yet exist.
• Must be able to work on‑site.

Nice to Have

• Experience calibrating or controlling silicon photonic circuits, tunable lasers, optical switches, or coherent/datacom transceivers.
• Experience with multi‑channel calibration at scale, including dither or lock‑in based stabilization.
• Hands‑on embedded C/C++, FPGA, or real‑time systems experience.
• Experience with hardware‑in‑the‑loop test frameworks.

Life at Voyant

We build frontier hardware & systems from our lab and office in Midtown Manhattan, where optical tables, lab benches and electronics sit alongside traditional office space. Our work is hands‑on and primarily in person, but we don’t run on a rigid 9‑to‑5. We partner with customers across time zones, so some calls start early or run late, and we adjust schedules around them. We run a high‑trust, high‑accountability environment: you’ll own meaningful work, move quickly and often wear more than one hat. Voyant provides catered lunch every day at HQ, and we’re a diverse group of food lovers from around the world who enjoy sharing food, culture and technical ideas around the lunch table.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Voyant Photonics is an equal opportunity employer committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, pregnancy, marital or partnership status, age, national origin, citizenship, veteran or military status, disability, medical condition, genetic information, caregiver status, or any other characteristic protected by law.