Agentic Photonic Design Engineer (AI)

Location: Remote position; candidates based in the Boston area may be preferred for in-person or hybrid work. Role associated with Watertown, Massachusetts, United States.

Company

hirify.global develops GPU-native physics simulation platforms that combine numerical methods and AI models for aerospace, automotive, semiconductor, photonics, and quantum hardware applications.

What you will do

• Develop and maintain integrations between PhotonForge and EDA tools for layout, DRC, LVS, and schematic-driven design.
• Build Python APIs and automation scripts connecting PhotonForge, EDA toolchains, and Tidy3D, while debugging and extending C++ components.
• Create agentic tools, AI-powered features, scripted flows, assistants, and workflow agents for photonic design automation.
• Develop application workflows and reference designs covering component and circuit simulation, compact modeling, and layout.
• Work with end users on quantum photonics, RF photonics, co-packaged optics, and silicon photonics challenges.
• Build fabrication-aware simulation pipelines using GPU-accelerated multiphysics solvers for optical, RF, charge, and thermal physics.

Requirements

• Production-quality Python development skills and the ability to read, debug, and contribute to C++ codebases.
• Hands-on experience with EDA and photonic design tools and tapeout-oriented workflows involving GDSII, DRC, LVS, PDKs, schematic-driven design, and compact models.
• Degree in electrical engineering, applied physics, photonics, or a related field; an MS or PhD is preferred.
• Working knowledge of Maxwell's equations, waveguide theory, and semiconductor device physics.
• Active use of AI tools and motivation to build agentic automation into engineering products.
• Ability to prototype and ship across EDA integration, software, and product development.

Nice to have

• Experience training or fine-tuning ML and AI models, including reinforcement learning, surrogate modeling, physics-inspired neural networks, or vision-language models.
• Expertise in quantum photonics, RF/microwave photonics, co-packaged optics, or optical interconnects.
• Experience building EDA connectors or plugins, generating compact models, extracting S-parameters, or performing circuit-level photonic simulation.
• Experience with agentic AI frameworks, LLM-based automation tools, AI product development, or open-source photonics and EDA tooling.

Culture & Benefits

• Collaborative and technically deep environment focused on curiosity and initiative.
• Competitive compensation with equity in a fast-growing startup.
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• 401(k) contribution and gym allowance.
• Opportunity to work at the intersection of AI and photonics-driven simulation.