Photonics Test Engineer (PIC Characterization & Automation)

Location: US-based, onsite opportunities; listed locations include Alameda County, Berkeley, California, and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Salary: $150,000–$220,000 annual base salary plus equity, depending on experience.

Company

Early-stage hardware companies developing advanced integrated photonic systems and photonic hardware.

What you will do

• Test and characterize photonic integrated circuits and move prototype devices toward reliable systems.
• Build optical and electro-optical test setups, including fiber-to-chip coupling and alignment.
• Automate measurements and test workflows with Python.
• Measure insertion loss, bandwidth, coupling efficiency, and polarization.
• Investigate reliability issues and perform failure analysis.
• Feed characterization results back into design and fabrication teams.

Requirements

• Hands-on experience testing photonic integrated circuits, not only free-space optics.
• Experience building test setups from scratch.
• Experience automating measurements with Python.
• Knowledge of lasers, modulators, detectors, waveguides, and couplers.
• Ability to debug unexpected device behavior and interpret characterization data.
• Availability for onsite work in the United States.

Nice to have

• Cryogenic test experience.

Culture & Benefits

• Work on advanced integrated photonic systems at early-stage hardware companies.
• Equity included alongside the base salary.
• Direct involvement across testing, design, and fabrication.