Mixed-Signal Validation Engineer - Mountain View, CA, United States
$186,000 - $246,000 USD yearly
Originally posted 17 August 2026 by the employer.
Validate mixed-signal circuits and AMS architectures for the 3D-stacked Passage photonics engine.
About the role
As a Mixed-Signal Validation Engineer at Lightmatter, you will validate the architecture of mixed-signal circuits that enable a photonic-based communication fabric across digital, analog, photonic, and software interfaces. You will own mixed-signal architecture validation for the Passage product line from initial concept through high-volume production.
What you'll do
- Own mixed-signal architecture validation for Lightmatter’s Passage product line, working closely with the architecture, chip design, and software teams. - Validate and specify system-level mixed-signal designs integrating complex AMS and photonic circuits, including high-speed drivers and receivers, SerDes, ADCs/DACs, digital controllers, and photonic modulators and detectors. - Work closely with test and validation engineers to validate hardware against simulation predictions. - Collaborate with the DV team to translate pre-silicon verification into post-silicon validation and support architectural-level firmware validation. - Author, review, and validate architectural specifications and test methodologies. - Identify improvements and potential pitfalls, including mitigation strategies, regarding the execution of proposed architectures.
What you'll need
- MS in Electrical Engineering or a related field with 7+ years of relevant experience. - In-depth knowledge of design flows for AMS electronics, preferably on photonic communication channels. - Proven track record of delivering high-volume silicon to market and a thorough understanding of the silicon product development flow. - In-depth knowledge of mixed-signal circuit design in a high-speed analog/photonic link, including device bring-up, control, and digital signal processing. - Hands-on experience with lab instruments and test setups.
Nice to have
- Understanding of SerDes PCS layer and equalization, along with forward error-correction schemes. - Experience with CAD tools, SPICE simulators, IBIS-AMI simulators, and programming languages such as MATLAB or Python. - Experience in optical link bring-up and debug.
Skills: Mixed-Signal Validation, photonic-based communication, high-speed drivers, SerDes, lab instruments
This role has been open 68 days — well above the 41-day median for Post-Silicon Validation roles.
Post-Silicon Validation · Silicon Validation
|
Open roles in category
430
|
Median days open
41 d
|
Median salary
$166k
|
See the full market breakdown ▾Category comparison, skills in demand, and who else is hiring
| Metric | Lightmatter | All employers we track in this specialty (430 roles · 62 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 1 | 430 |
| Open roles in the wider Silicon Validation & Test family | 9 | 2235 · 112 employers |
| Median days open | 68 d | 41 d (+27 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $166k |
Skills observed across this category: Mixed-Signal Validation, photonic-based communication, high-speed drivers, SerDes, lab instruments
Who's hiring in this category
- AMD · 54 open roles · median 44 d
- Qualcomm · 38 open roles · median 31 d
- Micron Technology · 36 open roles · median 40 d
- NVIDIA · 24 open roles · median 25 d
- Microchip Technology · 22 open roles · median 76 d
- Apple · 20 open roles · median 3 d
How we counted: 430 open Post-Silicon Validation (Silicon Validation) roles from 62 employers tracked in the SemiconductorJobs index, counted 25 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 Silicon Validation & Test family row. Figures refresh nightly.