System Modeling Design Engineer - CA, San Jose, United States
Originally posted 28 September 2026 by the employer.
Design, predict, and optimize photonic system behavior across complex photonic components and architectures.
About the role
This role involves leading the development and application of advanced simulation frameworks for photonic device and system modeling. You will focus on optimizing performance across complex photonic components and architectures.
What you'll do
- Lead photonic device and system modeling efforts to enable simulation-driven architecture definition and design decisions.
- Develop and apply SystemVerilog-based models for optical system-level simulation and co-verification with electronic subsystems.
- Perform time-domain modeling and simulation using Python and/or Julia to analyze transient behavior, including optical link performance, SerDes interactions, DSP algorithms, jitter, noise, and signal integrity.
- Evaluate and define system-level trade-offs across photonic and electronic domains, focusing on power, performance, reliability, and cost.
- Build, validate, and maintain multi-physics models (optical, electrical, thermal) to predict behavior across operating conditions, data rates, and process variations.
- Correlate simulation models with lab measurements, including high-speed link characterization and silicon or module-level test data, and continuously refine model accuracy.
What you'll need
- Extensive experience in photonic device and system modeling, simulation, and performance optimization.
- Hands-on expertise with industry-standard photonic simulation tools (e.g., Lumerical, VPIphotonics, OptiSystem, COMSOL, or equivalent).
- Experience with SystemVerilog and mixed-signal/system-level modeling frameworks for optical-electrical co-simulation and verification.
- Strong experience in time-domain simulation using Python and/or Julia, including modeling of high-speed optical links, SerDes behavior, DSP algorithms, jitter, noise, and signal integrity.
- Proficiency in Python and/or Julia for building custom simulation frameworks, numerical analysis, data processing, and model automation.
- Deep understanding of multi-physics modeling, including optical, electrical, and thermal interactions.
- Proven ability to correlate simulation results with laboratory measurements, including high-speed link characterization and BER performance, as well as silicon or module-level test data.
Nice to have
- PhD or Master’s degree in related discipline.
Skills: photonic modeling, SystemVerilog, optical link, SerDes, DSP algorithms, Lumerical
This role has been open 6 days — well below the 67-day median for Optical/Photonics IC Design roles.
Optical/Photonics IC Design · Photonics
|
Open roles in category
133
|
Median days open
67 d
|
Median salary
$195k
|
See the full market breakdown ▾Category comparison, skills in demand, and who else is hiring
| Metric | AMD | All employers we track in this specialty (133 roles · 33 employers) |
|---|---|---|
| Open roles in this specialty | 4 | 133 |
| Median days open | 20 d | 67 d (−47 d vs this employer) |
| Median salary (USD postings) | — | $195k |
Skills observed across this category: photonic modeling, SystemVerilog, optical link, SerDes, DSP algorithms, Lumerical
Who's hiring in this category
- Lightmatter · 18 open roles · median 81 d
- GlobalFoundries · 16 open roles · median 67 d
- Coherent Corp · 15 open roles · median 75 d
- Lumentum · 9 open roles · median 62 d
- Keysight Technologies · 7 open roles · median 31 d
- Marvell Technology · 7 open roles · median 151 d
How we counted: 133 open Optical/Photonics IC Design (Photonics) roles from 33 employers tracked in the SemiconductorJobs index, counted 5 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.