Sr. Staff Engineer, Photonics Design
$180,000 - $240,000 USD yearly
About the role
As a Sr. Staff Engineer, Photonics Design at Ayar Labs, you will own the photonic device layer, defining component targets, determining process feasibility, and driving the device roadmap from simulation through high-volume manufacturing.
What you'll do
- Own the device roadmap for integrated photonic components by setting performance targets, assessing process feasibility, and driving development from simulation through production.
- Engage directly with foundry partners across the Taiwan semiconductor ecosystem to extend process capabilities beyond standard PDK constraints.
- Architect and extend design and analysis tools, including simulation automation, layout flows, and verification frameworks.
- Lead device-level debug, failure analysis, and yield investigation across development and production runs.
- Drive component performance through cross-functional co-design alongside system, laser, packaging, firmware, and circuit design teams.
What you'll need
- B.S. or equivalent experience in Electrical Engineering, Optical Engineering, or a related field.
- 6+ years of commercial experience in silicon photonics or integrated photonic device design.
- Deep understanding of photonic device physics, including electro-optic modulators, photodetectors, gratings, couplers, and micro-ring resonators.
- Proficiency with simulation and design tools for passive and active optical devices, such as FDTD and charge transport simulation.
- Strong Python skills with demonstrated experience writing well-structured code and extending a shared codebase.
- Track record of taking opto-electronic components from design through manufacturing, including design, debug, and validation.
Nice to have
- M.S. or PhD with an integrated photonics focus.
- Experience engaging directly with foundry process teams on process development or customization beyond standard PDK offerings.
- High-speed design and RF test experience, including VNA, BERT, and wafer-level screening.
- Statistical analysis of process and test data, including DOE methods.
- Familiarity with co-packaged optics (CPO) architectures, system requirements, and the transition from pluggable to on-board optics.
- Experience with electro-optic reliability modeling and testing.
- Demonstrated use of AI tools for productivity gains in device optimization or AI-assisted code development.
More semiconductor jobs: Photonics jobs · San Jose jobs
This role has been open 87 days — well above the 71-day median for Optical/Photonics IC Design roles.
Optical/Photonics IC Design · Photonics
|
Open roles in category
161
|
Median days open
71 d
|
Category median salary (all employers)
$194k
|
See the full market breakdown ▾Category comparison, and who else is hiring
| Metric | Ayar Labs | All employers we track in this specialty (161 roles · 35 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 11 | 161 |
| Median days open | 1 d | 71 d (−70 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $194k |
Who's hiring in this category
- Coherent Corp · 17 open roles · median 109 d
- GlobalFoundries · 13 open roles · median 80 d
- Ayar Labs (this employer) · 11 open roles · median 1 d
- Lightmatter · 11 open roles · median 116 d
- Lumentum · 10 open roles · median 96 d
- Marvell Technology · 10 open roles · median 51 d
How we counted: 161 open Optical/Photonics IC Design (Photonics) roles from 35 employers tracked in the SemiconductorJobs index, counted 8 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. Figures refresh nightly.