Senior High-Speed Photonic Design Engineer

Location: Sunnyvale, California, United States; hybrid/onsite preferred, with remote work considered. Relocation support is available.

Salary: $220,000–$270,000 annually, inclusive of target bonus, plus equity and benefits.

Company

hirify.global, born at X, Google's Moonshot Factory, develops high-throughput, long-range free-space optical communication systems using eye-safe lasers and integrated optical phased arrays.

What you will do

• Own photonic transmitter and receiver architectures for next-generation integrated modules.
• Design high-speed photonic modulators, detectors, and 35–70 GHz RF/microwave transmission lines.
• Deliver very-large-scale photonic integrated circuit designs and commercial foundry tapeouts.
• Optimize communication systems at the system level, including modulation formats and photonic link budgets.
• Contribute to product strategy and advance high-impact wireless optical communication technology.

Requirements

• Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Applied Physics, Materials Science, or a related field.
• Five or more years of relevant industry experience with demonstrated photonic circuit design achievements.
• Extensive expertise in high-speed photonic modulator and detector design, RF/microwave design, optical modulation formats, and photonic link modeling.
• Experience with HFSS, ADS, or equivalent RF/microwave design software; Lumerical or equivalent photonic device simulation software; and VPIphotonics, Lumerical Interconnect, or equivalent optical link simulation software.
• Hands-on experience with multiple tapeouts at commercial foundries.

Nice to have

• Experience with photonic spectral filter design, Python, Git, and gdsfactory.
• Experience with DRC, LVS, and Calibre or equivalent layout verification software.
• Experience advancing products from prototype to final production.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills for collaboration with senior external partners.

Culture & Benefits

• Work in a small, dynamic R&D team operating in an ambiguous environment.
• Contribute to technology aimed at expanding affordable internet access.
• Hybrid/onsite work in Sunnyvale is preferred, while remote work may be considered.
• Benefits include equity and other employment benefits.