Principal Optical Component Engineer - USA - CA - San Jose (Ridder), United States
$134,750 - $192,500 USD yearly
Originally posted 6 October 2026 by the employer.
About the role
This role involves the selection, qualification, approval, lifecycle management, and reliability oversight of optical components used in photonic, telecom, datacom, and laser products. The position focuses on optical component selection and qualification for products designed for long-term continuous operation.
What you'll do
- Serve as the liaison between Engineering and Supplier Quality teams for design for manufacturability.
- Own Component Engineering activities including selection, qualification, technical requirements, lifecycle management, reliability, and engineering change assessment for optical components.
- Review optical BOMs for performance, reliability, lifecycle, obsolescence, and supply-chain risks.
- Lead component qualification plans, including optical, mechanical, environmental, and reliability testing.
- Evaluate optical component performance and design margins for product performance, reliability, and long-term stability.
- Maintain accurate component data, including manufacturer part numbers, specifications, drawings, test methods, lifecycle status, country of origin, and approved sources.
What you'll need
- Bachelor’s degree in Optical Engineering, Photonics, Physics, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Engineering, or a related discipline.
- Five or more years of experience in optical engineering, photonics, optoelectronics, or component engineering.
- Strong knowledge of optical and optoelectronic components and assemblies.
- Experience interpreting optical specifications, drawings, datasheets, test reports, and qualification documentation.
- Experience with optical component qualification and reliability testing.
- Understanding of optical tolerances, alignment, coupling efficiency, beam propagation, and optical interfaces.
Nice to have
- Experience with optical and photonic products such as optical transceivers, coherent optics, lasers, photonic integrated circuits, optical engines, or fiber-optic modules.
- Knowledge of applicable optical, telecom/datacom, reliability, and industry standards.
- Experience with optical component packaging, assembly processes, materials, and manufacturing technologies.
- Experience with component lifecycle and engineering change management, including PCNs, EOLs, engineering changes, and alternate-component qualification.
This role has been open 3 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 | Lumentum | All employers we track in this specialty (939 roles · 103 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 10 | 939 |
| Open roles in the wider Software, Firmware & Systems family | 34 | 6047 · 146 employers |
| Median days open | 11 d | 50 d (−39 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.