Photonics Test Engineer (AI Hardware)

Location: On-site in Berkeley, California, 5 days per week

Salary: Up to $250,000 base salary plus equity

Company

Well-funded photonic computing startup developing optical processors for next-generation AI workloads through an integrated platform spanning photonics, electronic ICs, packaging, and system architecture.

What you will do

• Build optical and electrical measurement setups for integrated hardware.
• Characterize photonic devices, submodules, and modules.
• Select instruments, fixtures, and calibration methods.
• Develop test plans to isolate hardware failure mechanisms.
• Conduct reliability and temperature-dependent characterization.
• Automate measurement and data-analysis workflows and use findings to improve devices, packaging, and operating conditions.

Requirements

• Hands-on testing experience with photonic, optoelectronic, or closely related integrated hardware.
• Experience personally building and operating physical test setups.
• Direct experience selecting and using relevant instruments.
• Ability to develop characterization plans rather than only execute predefined procedures.
• Experience diagnosing hardware problems through experimental measurements, ideally at submodule, module, or system level.
• Ability to combine manual measurements with practical automation.

Nice to have

• Experience with module-level thermal verification.

Culture & Benefits

• Work in a small, technically deep team.
• Take broad ownership of physical testing strategy and characterization.
• Collaborate closely with photonics, electronics, and packaging engineers.
• Work at the intersection of photonics, electronics, and AI hardware.
• Technical platform and degree level are flexible; practical testing depth and ownership are prioritized.