Staff Hardware Test & Bring-Up Engineer

Lightmatter; Mountain View (CA); Hybrid; USD 167,000 - 193,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Retirement Savings Matching Program

Life Insurance

Generous Time Off

Paid Family Leave

Disability insurance

Training & Development

Flexible, hybrid workplace model

Equity grants

Job summary

Lightmatter in Mountain View, CA is hiring a Staff Hardware Test & Bring-Up Engineer to lead automated system-level tests from hardware bring-up to mass production ramp and collaborate with IC Design, DFT and Firmware teams.

The role requires a BS in Electrical/Computer Engineering with 8+ years of hands-on hardware bring-up, experience with JTAG/QSPI/I2C/SPI, and proficiency in Python or C/C++ to build test software.

Qualifications

• BS in Electrical or Computer Engineering with 8+ years of hardware bring-up and PCBA testing experience.
• Experience validating multi-rail power sequences and troubleshooting load behaviors.
• Proficient with JTAG, QSPI/QPI, I2C, SPI; strong firmware diagnostic integration.
• Proficient in Python or C/C++ for test executives and lab automation.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end hardware bring-up for ATE HW and coordinate with equipment suppliers.
• Lead electrical bring-up for photonic ICs on system-level evaluation boards.
• Architect and build automated test software on the bench.
• Collaborate with IC Design, DFT, and Firmware to define test requirements.

Skills

Hardware bring-up

Test automation (Python/C++)

Lab instrumentation

Multi-rail power sequencing

JTAG/Serial protocols

Education

Bachelor’s in Electrical/Computer Engineering

Master’s degree (preferred)

Tools

Python

C/C++

DMMs/SMUs

Oscilloscopes

Test benches/ATE

MBIST/DFT basics

Job description

Lightmatter is leading the revolution in AI data center infrastructure, enabling the next giant leaps in human progress. The company invented the world's first 3D-stacked photonics engine, Passage™ capable of connecting thousands to millions of processors at the speed of light in extreme-scale data centers for the most advanced AI and HPC workloads.

Lightmatter raised $400 million in its Series D round, reaching a valuation of $4.4 billion. We will continue to accelerate the development of data center photonics and grow every department at Lightmatter!

If you're passionate about tackling complex challenges, making an impact, and being an expert in your craft, join our team of brilliant scientists, engineers, and accomplished industry leaders.

Lightmatter is (re)inventing the future of computing with light!

We are seeking a Staff Hardware Test & Bring-Up Engineer to lead development of automated system-level tests from hardware bring up through mass production ramp. You will work closely with cross-functional teams to transition these technologies into high-volume manufacturing. We are looking for an engineer with a strong background in delivering test solutions for industry-leading products. You will be part of a growing interdisciplinary team with a lot of opportunities to learn and make a big impact.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end hardware bring-up for ATE HW, and partner directly with equipment suppliers to debug hardware anomalies.
• Lead the initial electrical bring-up for our photonic ICs products mounted on system-level evaluation boards.
• Architect and build robust, automated system-level test software programs in Python or C/C++ running on the test bench.
• Collaborate with IC Design, DFT, and Firmware teams to define hardware test requirements and isolate silicon versus board-level bugs.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related technical discipline with 8+ years of hands-on experience in physical hardware bring-up, PCBA functional testing, and custom ATE loadboard/socket integration for ASICs/SoCs.
• Expertise in validating multi-rail power-up/power-down sequences and troubleshooting dynamic load behaviors.
• Practical mastery of JTAG, QSPI/QPI, I2C, and SPI communication protocols.
• Experience driving hardware verification, integrating firmware diagnostic APIs, and executing direct register read/write routines.
• Advanced proficiency in Python or C/C++ for writing test executives, automating sequences over hardware bridges, and programmatic control of lab instrumentation.
• Expert hands-on command of standard bench equipment: digital multimeters (DMMs), Source Measure Units (SMUs), programmable power supplies, oscilloscopes, and logic analyzers.

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree with 6+ years of industry experience.
• Experience with embedded microcontrollers or debugging low-level firmware drivers.
• Familiarity with boundary scan (BSDL) tools, DFT concepts (MBIST, Scan), or standard ATE architectures.
• Basic understanding of eFUSE programming circuits, ADC/DAC calibration routines, or precision thermal sensing.

We offer competitive compensation. The base salary range for this role determined based on location, experience, educational background, and market data.

Salary Range: total compensation goes beyond base salary, it also includes a new hire equity grant, annual performance-based equity, and other rewards that recognize your impact and contribution.

$167,000 - $193,000 USD

• Retirement Savings Matching Program
• Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary & AD&D)
• Generous Time Off (Vacation, Sick & Public Holidays)
• Paid Family Leave
• Short Term & Long Term Disability
• Training & Development
• Flexible, hybrid workplace model
• Equity grants (applicable to full-time employees)

Benefits eligibility may vary depending on your employment status and location. Lightmatter recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, veteran status, and other protected status as required by applicable law.

Export Control

Candidates should have capacity to comply with the federally mandated requirements of U.S. export control laws.

U.S. Standard Demographic Questions

We invite applicants to share their demographic background. If you choose to complete this survey, your responses may be used to identify areas of improvement in our hiring process.

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey.Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiringprocess or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in aconfidential file.

As set forth in Lightmatter's Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.