$130,000 - $230,000 USD yearly
Originally posted 15 June 2026 by the employer.
About the role
This is a lab-based Hardware Development Engineer role focused on hands-on testing, RF characterization, and analysis of photonic systems integrating photonic integrated circuits (PICs). The position involves evaluating active and passive optical components fabricated on OpenLight's integrated silicon photonics platform alongside high-speed control electronics and DSPs.
What you'll do
- Characterize photonic components and PICs including lasers, modulators, amplifiers, and optical components.
- Perform RF characterization of high-speed photonic systems for bandwidth, large signal eye-diagram performance, and BER.
- Work with PCBs and substrates that integrate PICs with control and high-speed electronics including DSPs.
- Build and develop automated test stations, handle equipment procurement, and develop test code and firmware updates.
- Build and support technology demonstrations on-site and at conferences, engaging directly with customers.
- Support customer system integration of PICs by resolving technical inquiries and delivering test documentation and reports.
What you'll need
- Degree in Electrical Engineering, Photonics, or related field.
- Relevant experience in RF photonic and high-speed optical communication system testing and analysis.
- Hands-on experience with optical and high-speed test equipment.
- Strong Python (or similar) programming ability, with familiarity in firmware architectures and debug.
- Ability to read schematics, debug hardware, and demonstrate general familiarity with printed circuit boards (PCBs).
- Experience in design and test of photonic modules such as transceivers or Lidar modules.
Skills: PIC, silicon photonics, RF characterization, test automation, Python
More semiconductor jobs: Photonics jobs · California jobs
This role has been open 0 days — well below the 72-day median for Optical/Photonics IC Design roles.
Optical/Photonics IC Design · Photonics
|
Open roles in category
161
|
Median days open
72 d
|
Category median salary (all employers)
$194k
|
See the full market breakdown ▾Category comparison, skills in demand, and who else is hiring
| Metric | OpenLight | All employers we track in this specialty (161 roles · 35 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 8 | 161 |
| Median days open | 5 d | 72 d (−67 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $194k |
Skills observed across this category: PIC, silicon photonics, RF characterization, test automation, Python
Who's hiring in this category
- Coherent Corp · 17 open roles · median 110 d
- GlobalFoundries · 13 open roles · median 81 d
- Ayar Labs · 11 open roles · median 2 d
- Lightmatter · 11 open roles · median 117 d
- Lumentum · 10 open roles · median 97 d
- Marvell Technology · 10 open roles · median 52 d
How we counted: 161 open Optical/Photonics IC Design (Photonics) roles from 35 employers tracked in the SemiconductorJobs index, counted 9 Nov 2026. Specialty figures count only roles carrying this exact specialty label, so an employer's related work in neighbouring specialties is not included there. Figures refresh nightly.