Senior Photonics Test & Automation Engineer
About The Position
K2 is hiring the first Photonics Test & Automation Engineer for its founding photonics team. The role will define how K2 tests photonics and build the laboratory capabilities and software that turn photonic integrated circuits (PICs)—from wafers and die to packaged modules—into trusted data for product improvement. The engineer will own photonic testing from first-silicon bring-up through production screening, working with PIC designers, packaging engineers, and ASIC and post-silicon validation teams. The position connects PIC test stations with custom free-space optical testbeds and channel emulators so device and channel measurements can be run within a shared framework. During the first year, the engineer will establish an automated PIC test station from the ground up and set characterization standards for K2 photonic parts. The role also involves scaling test capabilities toward production at constellation volume, mentoring engineers and technicians, and establishing lab standards for safety, calibration, and documentation.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, physics, optics, or a related technical field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
- At least 5 years of hands-on experience testing photonic integrated circuits or optoelectronic components, including probing, fiber alignment, and optical test equipment.
- Experience building automated test stations from scratch, using Python for instrument control, test frameworks, and data analysis.
- Hands-on experience with free-space optics, including alignment, beam characterization, cameras, or wavefront sensors.
Nice To Haves
- Advanced degree (MS or PhD) in a related field.
- Experience integrating free-space optical setups into automated testing, writing test plans, and defining test structures with designers.
- Experience with atmospheric turbulence, adaptive optics, or free-space optical communications, especially turbulence emulation using spatial light modulators or phase screens, or outdoor and field optical testing.
- High-speed electro-optic characterization to 50+ GHz using lightwave component analyzers, VNAs, BERTs, or sampling oscilloscopes.
- Experience with commercial photonic probers and automated test equipment, such as FormFactor, MPI, or ficonTEC.
- Experience with polarization-diverse and phase-sensitive optical measurements.
- Experience with environmental, thermal-vacuum, burn-in, or radiation testing of space hardware.
- Experience with production testing, manufacturing execution systems, or SQL test databases.
Responsibilities
- Design, build, and own automated wafer-, die-, and module-level PIC test stations, including optical and RF probing, fiber-array alignment, and swept-laser measurements.
- Develop modular, reusable Python test-automation software and instrument drivers, using version control, CI, and AI-assisted tooling, and create a shared data pipeline for design, packaging, and reliability engineers.
- Interface PIC test stations with custom free-space optical testbeds, including beam delivery and steering, spatial light modulators and phase screens, cameras, and wavefront sensors, through shared instrument control, synchronization, and data.
- Characterize passive and active photonic devices, including waveguides, couplers, filters, modulators, photodetectors, and heaters, including high-speed electro-optic measurements.
- Own design-for-test standards, including a test-structure library and probe and fiber-array conventions; correlate measurements with simulation, feed results into design automation and modeling flows, and maintain statistical process control and gauge R&R.
- Build portable, automated setups for in-situ measurements during radiation, thermal-vacuum, and burn-in campaigns with reliability and radiation-effects engineers.
- Scale testing from one device to many through parallel testing, test-time reduction, and operator procedures, and hand off testing to production at constellation volume.
- Mentor engineers and technicians and establish lab standards for safety, calibration, and documentation.
Benefits
- Equity in the company.
- Paid time off.
- Medical, dental, and vision coverage.
- Life insurance.
- Paid parental leave.
- Other perks as part of a comprehensive benefits package.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
