Senior Technologist — Photonics Device and Systems R&D - San Jose, United States
Originally posted 26 October 2026 by the employer.
About the role
This role provides technical leadership for the research and development of new photonic devices and systems for data storage and communications applications. You will guide multidisciplinary teams from early concepts and device architectures through demonstrated prototypes.
What you'll do
- Define technology roadmaps, device architectures, performance targets, and development plans aligned with business and research objectives. - Lead concept generation, feasibility assessment, modeling, design, fabrication, characterization, and prototype demonstration activities. - Guide technical tradeoff studies across optical performance, electrical drive, thermal behavior, reliability, manufacturability, packaging, and system integration. - Collaborate with device, process, test, packaging, electronics, firmware, and system teams to resolve complex cross-disciplinary engineering problems. - Establish experimental strategies and interpret device- and system-level data to guide technical decisions. - Identify external technology trends, research opportunities, intellectual-property opportunities, and strategic partnerships.
What you'll need
- PhD in Photonics, Optics, Physics, Electrical Engineering, Applied Physics, or a closely related field. - 10+ years of experience in photonic device or system development. - Deep technical expertise in photonic device physics, optical systems, and experimental development. - Demonstrated leadership of multidisciplinary R&D programs from concept through prototype validation. - Strong understanding of photonic device design, fabrication, characterization, packaging, and system integration. - Track record of mentoring technical contributors and building alignment across engineering teams.
Nice to have
- Experience developing photonic technologies for data storage, optical communications, or adjacent high-volume applications. - Expertise in semiconductor lasers, modulators, detectors, integrated photonics, micro-optics, or optical interconnects. - Experience bridging device-level innovation with system architecture and product requirements. - Strong record of patents, publications, invited presentations, or recognized technical leadership in photonics. - Experience working with external research institutions, fabrication partners, suppliers, or strategic technology collaborators.
Skills: photonic devices, lasers, optical systems, integrated photonics, transceivers
This role has been open 0 days — well below the 82-day median for Optical/Photonics IC Design roles.
Optical/Photonics IC Design · Photonics
|
Open roles in category
137
|
Median days open
82 d
|
Median salary
$195k
|
See the full market breakdown ▾Category comparison, skills in demand, and who else is hiring
| Metric | Western Digital | All employers we track in this specialty (137 roles · 30 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 2 | 137 |
| Median days open | 98 d | 82 d (+16 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $195k |
Skills observed across this category: photonic devices, lasers, optical systems, integrated photonics, transceivers
Who's hiring in this category
- Coherent Corp · 18 open roles · median 95 d
- GlobalFoundries · 16 open roles · median 84 d
- Lightmatter · 14 open roles · median 103 d
- Marvell Technology · 10 open roles · median 40 d
- Lumentum · 9 open roles · median 85 d
- PsiQuantum · 8 open roles · median 139 d
How we counted: 137 open Optical/Photonics IC Design (Photonics) roles from 30 employers tracked in the SemiconductorJobs index, counted 28 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. Figures refresh nightly.