Automation and Test Engineer - Photonics

Job Title

Automation and Test Engineer - Photonics

Role Summary

Develop and deploy automation and test software and systems for photonics manufacturing, including process automation, test automation, machine vision, data acquisition, and analytics. This is primarily a software development role with regular hands-on work in the lab and on the factory floor integrating instruments, motion systems, and optical hardware.

Experience Level

Mid-level (5+ years of relevant experience in automation, test, or software engineering in a hardware environment).

Responsibilities

Deliver automation and test solutions from requirements through manufacturing deployment and operate/maintain production systems.

• Own projects end-to-end: gather requirements, produce reviewable designs, implement, document, and deploy to production.
• Build test and process automation integrating motion stages, power supplies, optical/electrical instrumentation, cameras, and other lab/production equipment.
• Develop machine vision and inspection automation for manufacturing processes.
• Create data acquisition and analytics layers to convert raw measurements into engineering and production insights.
• Maintain and modernize existing software used in production and test environments.
• Work alongside design, process, manufacturing, and production teams and communicate requirements, designs, and results clearly to stakeholders.
• Troubleshoot hardware-software integration issues on the shop floor and in the lab.

Requirements

Key qualifications and skills required and preferred.

• Must-have: 5+ years in automation, test, or software engineering working with hardware in a production or laboratory environment.
• Must-have: Strong programming fundamentals; comfortable working in C#/.NET on Windows and Python; ability to learn and work in the team's stack.
• Must-have: Proven ability to run projects with minimal direction: interpret specifications, define acceptance criteria, and deliver.
• Must-have: Hands-on experience with instruments, motion systems, cabling/signals, and other hardware used in automated test and manufacturing.
• Must-have: Practical understanding of production requirements: uptime, throughput, repeatability, and production-grade reliability.
• Nice-to-have: Experience or interest in device physics, fiber optics, and photonics; familiarity with web technologies and Linux-based backend services is beneficial.

Education Requirements

Degree in Engineering physics, Electrical Engineering, or a similar field (as stated in the posting).

About the Company

Company: Lumentum

Headquarters: Milpitas, California, United States

Lumentum develops optical and photonic products and subsystems for telecommunications, data centers, cloud computing and industrial applications, providing lasers, modulators, transceivers and test solutions that enable high-speed networking and advanced photonics.