Staff Software Engineer, Photonics - Palo Alto, California, United States
$150,000 - $175,000 USD yearly
Originally posted 9 June 2026 by the employer.
About the role
As part of the team developing a photonic quantum computer, the Staff Software Engineer will own the software that drives automated testing, calibration, and data acquisition across electro-optical test stations. This includes the sequencing, measurement, and instrument-control code running on test stations built by the hardware test automation team.
What you'll do
- Own and extend test-sequencing software, including measurement methods, sequencer logic, and instrument drivers across the electro-optical test fleet from prototype to production scale. - Design and implement automated measurement methods for electrical, optical, and electro-optical characterization such as spectrum sweeps, IV sweeps, and automated optical alignment across multi-instrument control chains. - Build and maintain SCPI/VISA-based instrument control layers and drivers for laboratory and production instrumentation. - Diagnose and resolve fleet-wide test-sequencing issues, including throughput regressions, alignment or movement bugs, and timing anomalies using logs, dashboards, and measurement data. - Design failure-handling mechanisms to surface hardware and measurement failures directly and prevent bad data propagation. - Partner with the hardware test automation team to translate new test station designs into automated test and calibration procedures.
What you'll need
- BS in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Physics, or a related field with 8+ years of relevant experience (MS with 6+ years, or PhD with 3+ years). - Strong Python skills, including asynchronous programming. - Hands-on experience building automated test/measurement software with instrument control using SCPI, VISA, or GPIB. - Working knowledge of electrical, optical, or electro-optical measurement concepts. - Experience debugging distributed or fleet-scale systems at the boundary between software and hardware. - Experience with photonics, quantum hardware, or semiconductor/wafer-level test. - Familiarity with test data platforms and pipelines.
Skills: photonic test software, wafer level testing, test automation, Python, photonic ICs, high throughput circuit testing
This role has been open 135 days — well above the 49-day median for Software Engineering Semiconductor roles.
Software Engineering Semiconductor · Manufacturing Equipment
|
Open roles in category
193
|
Median days open
49 d
|
Median salary
$132k
|
See the full market breakdown ▾Category comparison, skills in demand, and who else is hiring
| Metric | PsiQuantum | All employers we track in this specialty (193 roles · 35 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 1 | 193 |
| Open roles in the wider Software, Firmware & Systems family | 33 | 6298 · 144 employers |
| Median days open | 135 d | 49 d (+86 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $132k |
Skills observed across this category: photonic test software, wafer level testing, test automation, Python, photonic ICs, high throughput circuit testing
Who's hiring in this category
- Applied Materials · 35 open roles · median 29 d
- KLA Corporation · 33 open roles · median 68 d
- ASM International · 16 open roles · median 65 d
- Lam Research · 16 open roles · median 40 d
- Keysight Technologies · 9 open roles · median 81 d
- Onto Innovation · 9 open roles · median 65 d
How we counted: 193 open Software Engineering Semiconductor (Manufacturing Equipment) roles from 35 employers tracked in the SemiconductorJobs index, counted 24 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.
Similar Jobs
Infrastructure Systems Engineer - Arizona, Phoenix, United States
Intel Corporation · Remote friendly (US, Arizona, Phoenix, United States)
Infrastructure Storage Engineer - Arizona, Phoenix, United States
Intel Corporation · Remote friendly (US, Arizona, Phoenix, United States)