Lead Optical Component Engineer - Sunnyvale, CA, United States
Digital Design & SoC Architecture
Originally posted 5 October 2026 by the employer.
About the role
This role involves the design, development, and qualification of optical components for Optical Communication Systems (OCS).
What you'll do
- Design and develop optical components for Optical Communication Systems (OCS).
- Perform optical simulations, modeling, and performance analyses to validate designs.
- Identify, evaluate, and qualify component suppliers and vendors.
- Develop detailed component specifications that meet performance, quality, reliability, and cost targets.
- Lead component-level qualification activities and establish incoming inspection and quality control processes.
- Provide technical support, troubleshooting, and root cause failure analysis for optical components and systems.
What you'll need
- BS or MS in optics/physics or related technical fields.
- Minimum 5 years of related experience.
- Multidisciplinary background in optics, Physics, Materials science.
- Familiarity with telecom fibers, cables, connectors, passive optical components, and coating.
- Proficient computer skills, experience with Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Email, and internet access.
Nice to have
- Zemax experience is a plus.
Market context
This role has been open 4 days — well below the 50-day median for Hardware Systems Engineering roles.
Hardware Systems Engineering · AI ML Hardware
|
Open roles in category
939
|
Median days open
50 d
|
Median salary
$157k
|
See the full market breakdown ▾Category comparison, and who else is hiring
| Metric | Coherent Corp | All employers we track in this specialty (939 roles · 103 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 14 | 939 |
| Open roles in the wider Software, Firmware & Systems family | 32 | 6078 · 146 employers |
| Median days open | 56 d | 50 d (+6 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $157k |
Who's hiring in this category
- Intel Corporation · 70 open roles · median 27 d
- KLA Corporation · 57 open roles · median 41 d
- NVIDIA · 53 open roles · median 63 d
- Teradyne · 47 open roles · median 21 d
- Applied Materials · 46 open roles · median 58 d
- AMD · 44 open roles · median 61 d
How we counted: 939 open Hardware Systems Engineering (AI ML Hardware) roles from 103 employers tracked in the SemiconductorJobs index, counted 9 Oct 2026. Specialty figures count only roles carrying this exact specialty label, so an employer's related work in neighbouring specialties is not included there — it is counted in the wider Software, Firmware & Systems family row. Figures refresh nightly.