Manager, Optical Validation
$201,400 USD yearly
Originally posted 9 November 2026 by the employer.
About the role
The Optical Validation Manager oversees the validation of sub-assemblies and blades, directing characterization, testing, binning, and failure analysis for optical modules based on silicon photonics for quantum computing applications. This role manages validation activities across product phases, from initial proof-of-concept of test methodologies and early designs through high-volume manufacturing.
What you'll do
- Own the development and execution of characterization, verification, and validation plans for fiber-optics based modules.
- Manage the validation team, providing technical oversight, project management, performance evaluations, and coaching.
- Supervise measurements, deliver validation reports and daily activity summaries, and drive failure analysis in collaboration with cross-functional teams.
- Monitor milestones, assess program impact, and provide reports with expected yield indications for operations teams.
- Review hardware designs spanning optics, electronics, firmware, software, and thermal design to identify key measurement parameters and ensure design testability.
- Grow the engineering team by mentoring junior engineers, supporting the advancement of senior engineers and technical leads, and defining technical career paths.
What you'll need
- Bachelor's degree or above in Engineering or a related field with 10+ years of industry experience validating and testing optical systems, plus 3+ years of team and people management experience.
- Demonstrated background leading validation and failure analysis of fiber-optics based hardware products.
- Direct experience validating silicon photonics assemblies, advanced optical modules, or multi-chip co-packaged systems with control electronics using embedded firmware.
- Technical expertise with fiber-optic devices, including optical delay lines, polarization controllers, filters, electro-optical modulators, detectors, and lasers.
- Hands-on expertise with optical test equipment, including power meters, optical backscatter reflectometers (OBR), optical spectrum analyzers (OSA), and optical switches.
- Verbal and written communication skills to present technical findings to senior leadership and technical experts.
More semiconductor jobs: PsiQuantum jobs · Hardware design jobs · California jobs
This role has been open 0 days — well below the 46-day median for Hardware Systems Engineering roles.
Hardware Systems Engineering · AI ML Hardware
|
Open roles in category
1125
|
Median days open
46 d
|
Category median salary (all employers)
$150k
|
See the full market breakdown ▾Category comparison, and who else is hiring
| Metric | PsiQuantum | All employers we track in this specialty (1125 roles · 109 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 18 | 1125 |
| Open roles in the wider Software, Firmware & Systems family | 37 | 6558 · 156 employers |
| Median days open | 107 d | 46 d (+61 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $150k |
Who's hiring in this category
- Intel Corporation · 88 open roles · median 34 d
- KLA Corporation · 66 open roles · median 60 d
- Applied Materials · 59 open roles · median 40 d
- ASML · 59 open roles · median 18 d
- NVIDIA · 59 open roles · median 75 d
- Teradyne · 58 open roles · median 52 d
How we counted: 1125 open Hardware Systems Engineering (AI ML Hardware) roles from 109 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 — it is counted in the wider Software, Firmware & Systems family row. Figures refresh nightly.