Principal Hardware Systems Technical Lead - Mountain View, CA, United States

Originally posted 10 September 2026 by the employer.

We are building silicon photonics-based artificial intelligence accelerators and interconnect products.

About the role

This role involves providing technical leadership to the Hardware Systems organization to build silicon photonics-based artificial intelligence accelerators and interconnect products. You will be responsible for delivering board and system solutions using Lightmatter’s innovative technology to create machine learning/artificial intelligence or massive scale-out interconnect platforms.

What you'll do

• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to team members to drive excellence.
• Own and drive multiple complex projects and hardware systems development from concept through production.
• Collaborate with system architects and technical leads to define and develop hardware systems for photonic AI infrastructure applications.
• Define, develop, and review PCBAs to meet system-level electrical, power, and interface requirements.
• Lead hands-on integration, verification, and validation across bench bring-up, EVT/DVT, and production release.
• Drive cross-functional collaboration with firmware, photonics, packaging, and software teams.

What you'll need

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or related discipline with 15+ years of relevant industry experience.
• Demonstrated track record of taking multiple complex hardware systems from concept through production.
• Deep knowledge of VRMs, high-speed SerDes, and interfaces/protocols including PCIe, Ethernet, SPI/QSPI, I3C, I2C, and JTAG.
• Experience leading multi-disciplinary development, integration, and troubleshooting across electrical, mechanical, and firmware domains.

Nice to have

• Experience designing hardware systems for AI/HPC data center infrastructure, optical transceivers, or silicon photonics products.
• Experience with Systems Engineering methodology, including requirements definition and traceability, FMEA, and EVT/DVT/PVT planning and execution.
• Familiarity with advanced packaging technologies and high-density PCB design.

Skills: board and system solutions, PCBA design, VRMs, high-speed SerDes, PCIe, Ethernet