Photonic Test Development Engineer (AI Photonics)

Location: United States, including Boulder, Virginia, the San Francisco Bay Area, San Mateo, and Mountain View; remote work available across Eastern and Central Time Zones in the US

Salary: $150,000–$190,000 annually

Company

hirify.global is partnering with a well-funded AI hardware startup developing a new computing architecture that combines superconducting electronics with integrated photonics.

What you will do

• Own end-to-end optical test development for cryogenic photonic networks, from setup design through validation.
• Design, build, and automate optical, electrical, and optoelectronic test systems for chip- and package-level devices.
• Develop automated fiber-to-chip coupling, alignment, instrument-control, and data-acquisition workflows.
• Characterize passive SiN components and active devices such as integrated lasers, optical amplifiers, photodetectors, and superconducting single-photon detectors.
• Develop measurement techniques, process characterization data, and build scalable systems for test automation and structured experimental data management.
• Provide technical feedback to photonic design, fabrication, and integration teams through reports, presentations, and design reviews.

Requirements

• B.S., M.S., or Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Physics, Optics, Photonics, or a related technical field.
• Hands-on experience designing, assembling, and automating optical test and characterization setups.
• Experience characterizing photonic or optoelectronic devices, including fiber coupling, grating couplers, waveguide loss, or photodetectors.
• Knowledge of laser device physics and practical laser characterization experience.
• Strong Python skills for test automation, instrument control, data acquisition, and analysis.
• Ability to independently develop experimental solutions in a fast-moving, collaborative R&D environment.

Nice to have

• Experience with cryogenic measurements, cryostat-based systems, SNSPDs, or other single-photon detectors.
• Experience with silicon nitride photonics, automated photonic probe stations, or wafer-level testing.
• Experience developing automated fiber-alignment or chip-coupling systems.
• Experience characterizing integrated lasers, optical amplifiers, or other active photonic devices.
• Experience building test infrastructure from the ground up or managing large characterization datasets.

Culture & Benefits

• Work in a small, rapidly growing hardware R&D team.
• Take significant ownership of how emerging photonic technologies are tested and developed.
• Contribute to a company backed by venture funding and government-supported research programs.