Photonic Design Engineer

Lumilens•San Jose, CA

About The Position

Lumilens we are building the critical photonics infrastructure that powers tomorrow’s AI supercomputing. From chip-to-chip optical interconnects to scalable photonic engines, Lumilens is unlocking a new era of computing—faster, cooler, and massively more efficient. We’re a well-funded startup backed by Mayfield and led by veterans who’ve built and scaled some of the most transformative technologies in the industry. This isn’t incremental innovation's a ground-floor opportunity to rethink the optical layer from the silicon up. You’ll work alongside a team of world-class engineers solving some of the hardest challenges in optics, systems, and scale. Every line of code, every design decision, every breakthrough you help deliver will shape the infrastructure of tomorrow. If you're looking for mission, momentum, and the chance to make an outsized impact—jump on the rocket ship. We’re just getting started. Role Overview We are seeking an innovative Photonics Design Engineer to join our core R&D team. In this role, you will drive the development of our next-generation Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs). You will have the unique opportunity to own the full lifecycle of critical devices and subsystems—from architectural concept and simulation to layout and tapeout.

Requirements

Education: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Physics, Optical Engineering, or a related field.
Test Experience: Hands-on experience with optical and electrical test setups, including fiber alignment, probing, and signal integrity measurements.
Equipment Proficiency: Demonstrated ability to operate high-speed test equipment (Scopes, VNAs, AWGs) and optical instrumentation (Lasers, OSAs).
Data Analysis: Strong ability to process and analyze large datasets to extract key performance metrics.

Nice To Haves

Silicon Photonics Knowledge: Deep understanding of Silicon Photonics physics and failure modes.
Automation: Experience building automated test setups for wafer-scale testing.
PCB Knowledge: Familiarity with high-speed PCB design or troubleshooting for optical module evaluation.

Responsibilities

PIC Validation: Execute comprehensive validation of new Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs) and optoelectronic modules using evaluation PCBs and probe stations.
High-Speed Characterization: Perform electro-optical testing using high-speed equipment, including Bit Error Rate Testers (BERT), Arbitrary Waveform Generators (AWG), Real-time/Sampling Oscilloscopes, Vector Network Analyzers (VNA), and Lightwave Component Analyzers (LCA).
DC & Optical Testing: Conduct spectral and DC measurements using Tunable Lasers, Optical Spectrum Analyzers (OSA), Variable Optical Attenuators (VOA), and source-measure units.
Test Development: Develop and automate test scripts (Python, LabVIEW, or similar) for die-level and wafer-level characterization.
Manufacturing Transfer: Design test plans and methodologies that can be transferred from the R&D bench to high-volume manufacturing environments.