Sr. Staff Engineer, Hardware Module Integration (Lasers)

Ayar Labs; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 223,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading technology firm in San Jose, CA is seeking a Sr. Staff Engineer to specialize in HW/SW Module Integration. The ideal candidate will design and develop complex embedded systems and collaborate across teams to ensure product success. This role requires a strong background in electronics and embedded firmware development, with an emphasis on real-time systems. Salary ranges from $180,000 to $223,000 and includes various growth opportunities within a pioneering company in AI data solutions.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of industry experience is required.
• Experience with hardware debugging and communication protocols.
• Strong understanding of digital and analog electronics.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop analog and digital circuits.
• Implement and maintain device drivers and communication protocols.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure product integration.

Skills

Embedded Systems Development

Electronics Design

Analog Fundamentals

Troubleshooting

Microcontrollers

Education

Bachelor's or Master's degree in EE or Computer Engineering

Tools

C/C++

Embedded Firmware Development

SPI

I2C

Job description

Position: Sr. Staff Engineer, HW/SW Module Integration

Location: San Jose, CA

Ayar Labs is shattering AI data bottlenecks by moving data at the speed of light. As pioneers of co‑packaged optics (CPO), we are using light instead of electricity to move data faster, further, and with a fraction of the energy needed to fuel the explosive growth of AI models. Backed by industry giants like NVIDIA, AMD and Intel and manufactured in partnership with the world’s leading semiconductor ecosystem, Ayar Labs’ co‑packaged optics solution is key to unleashing next‑generation AI scale‑up architectures.

We are seeking a highly skilled Electrical & Firmware Engineer to design, develop, and support embedded electronic systems from concept through production. This role combines hands‑on hardware design with low‑level firmware development to deliver reliable, high‑performance products. This role will also be responsible for defining high‑performance laser driver architectures, control loops, and monitoring firmware to meet aggressive requirements for linewidth, RIN, power stability, and reliability in datacenter and telecom environments.

The ideal candidate is comfortable working across the full product lifecycle, including prototyping, testing, debugging, and cross‑functional collaboration. This role operates at a system‑architecture level and partners closely with laser device, optics, packaging, reliability, and manufacturing teams.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and develop analog and digital circuits, including schematic capture and pcb layout support
• Select and integrate components such as microcontrollers, sensors, power systems, and communication interfaces
• Develop embedded firmware in C/C++ (or similar) for real‑time systems
• Implement and maintain device drivers, bootloaders, and communication protocols (SPI, I2C etc)
• Perform hardware bring up, debugging, and root cause analysis using lab equipment
• Collaborate with mechanical, system (rack/chassis) electrical, manufacturing and test teams to ensure successful product integration, both on‑site and off‑sites in Asia
• Conduct design verification, validation, testing, and documentation
• Optimize designs for performance, reliability, manufacturability, and cost

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in EE, Computer Engineering, or related fields
• 5+ years industry experience
• Experience in embedded systems development and electronics design
• Strong understanding of digital and analog fundamentals
• Experience with microcontrollers and hardware debugging
• Familiarity with communication protocols and real‑time systems
• Ability to troubleshoot complex hardware and software interactions

Salary Range: $180,000 - $223,000

Ayar Labs is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and is strongly committed to all policies which will afford equal opportunity employment to all qualified persons without regard to age, sex, national origin, race, color, ethnicity, creed, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. It is the policy of Ayar Labs to provide reasonable accommodation when requested by a qualified applicant or employee with a disability, unless such accommodation would cause an undue hardship. Veterans are more than welcome and encouraged to apply.