Silicon Photonics Systems Test Engineer – Optical Circuit Switches (OCS)

Voyant Photonics; New York (NY); On-site; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Voyant Photonics in New York City seeks a Silicon Photonics Systems Test Engineer to stand up early OCS test benches, characterize chips, and translate results into design decisions. You will work on rapid derisk experiments, verify models, and collaborate across photonics, modeling, controls, and firmware teams.

You’ll contribute to a hands-on, world-class lab culture, where gearing tests for scale and delivering clear hypotheses are daily priorities.

Qualifications

• BS in Electrical Engineering, Physics, Optics, or related field (MS or PhD a plus).
• 4+ years hands-on photonic/optical test, derisking, or early-stage tech.
• Hands-on with optical lab equipment and fiber handling; strong prototyping mindset.
• Experience automating test equipment and analyzing large data sets.
• Proficiency in Python for test automation and data analysis.
• Ability to relate measurements to models and explain discrepancies in physical terms.
• Strong systems-level thinking and clear written/verbal communication.
• Self-starter who can define structure where it doesn’t exist.
• Must be able to work on-site in NYC.

Responsibilities

• Plan and run rapid derisk experiments on early SiPh test chips and subsystems.
• Characterize optical performance across switch paths (loss, crosstalk, extinction).
• Correlate measurements to device and system models; explain discrepancies physically.
• Identify indicators predicting scaling with port count and calibration needs.
• Design, build, and automate OCS test benches scalable to larger ports.
• Generate clear test reports and hypotheses to drive design decisions.
• Collaborate with photonics design, modeling, controls, electronics, and firmware teams.
• Balance quick-turn experiments with disciplined, repeatable characterization.

Skills

Photonic test experience

Lab automation

Python programming

Data analysis

Communication skills

Self-starter

On-site readiness

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering/Physics/Optics

Tools

Tunable lasers

Optical power meters

Optical spectrum analyzers

Polarization controllers

Job description

Silicon Photonics Systems Test Engineer – Optical Circuit Switches (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 Systems Test Engineer to join our Systems Team, reporting to the System Integration Lead. You'll be one of the first hands-on engineers on the OCS program, taking it from early technical derisk through proof of concept. Our architecture and models are well developed; your job is to put them to the test. You'll stand up the first OCS test benches, characterize early chips and prototypes, find where hardware and models disagree, and turn those findings into decisions.

What You'll Do:

• Plan and run rapid derisk experiments on early SiPh test chips and subsystems to validate key architectural assumptions.
• Characterize optical performance across switch paths, including insertion loss, crosstalk, extinction ratio, polarization and wavelength dependence, and switching time.
• Correlate measurements against device, circuit, and system models, and feed discrepancies back to design and modeling with clear physical explanations.
• Identify and measure the indicators that predict how performance will scale with port count, such as per-element variation, neighbor crosstalk, and calibration effort per port.
• Design, build, and automate OCS test benches from the ground up, with test approaches that can scale as port counts grow.
• Generate clear test reports and well-formed hypotheses that drive design decisions and inform specification limits.
• Collaborate closely with photonics design, modeling, controls, electronics, and firmware engineers, and with peers on our LiDAR program.
• Move fluidly between quick-turn exploratory experiments and disciplined, repeatable characterization.

What We're Looking For

• BS in Electrical Engineering, Physics, Optics, or a related field (MS or PhD a plus).
• 4+ years of hands-on experience in photonic or optical test, characterization, or early-stage technology derisking, though we're open to exceptional candidates at other experience levels who show strong potential and the right attitude.
• Hands-on experience with optical lab equipment (tunable lasers, optical power meters, optical spectrum analyzers, polarization controllers) and fiber handling and coupling, plus standard electrical equipment.
• Demonstrated experience automating test equipment and analyzing large datasets.
• Proficiency in Python for test automation and data analysis.
• Comfort working closely with models: understanding the assumptions behind a loss budget or circuit simulation, designing experiments to test them, and explaining discrepancies in physical terms.
• Strong systems-level thinking and the ability to apply physics and engineering fundamentals to debug complex, ambiguous problems.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, able to turn raw data into clear reports and actionable hypotheses.
• 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 testing silicon photonic integrated circuits, optical switches, or datacom/telecom optical modules.
• Familiarity with photonic simulation tools (e.g., Lumerical or similar).
• Experience with wafer- or die-level probing and high-channel-count test setups.
• Experience automating motorized stages or fiber alignment systems.

Life at Voyant

We build frontier hardware & software 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.