Director of Laser System Development

Job Title

Director of Laser System Development

Role Summary

Lead end-to-end development of C-band high-power laser systems for Neurophos’ optical AI compute platform. Own architecture, integration, vendor coordination, qualification, and productization of lasers to meet output power, coherence, and spectral-purity targets.

The role combines deep technical ownership of laser physics and system-level tradeoffs with program leadership across internal teams and external foundry/packaging partners.

Experience Level

Senior-level. The posting specifies 12+ years of progressive experience in laser and photonic device/system development, with at least 4 years in technical leadership or management roles.

Responsibilities

Deliver and operationalize high-power C-band laser systems and lead the related engineering programs.

• Define laser system architectures (e.g., EDFA/EDWA, MOPA, injection-locked) to meet targets for output power, coherence, linewidth, RIN, and SMSR.
• Perform system-level trade studies and modeling (locking bandwidth, coherence length, linewidth, wavelength stability) to guide design decisions.
• Develop and validate device and system models using simulation platforms or equivalent tools to predict performance and reduce re-spins.
• Own injection-locking analysis: locking-range, injected-power ratio, stability margins, and feedback/control requirements for maintaining lock across temperature and aging.
• Lead design reviews, failure analysis, qualification testing, and risk mitigation for laser subsystems.
• Build, mentor, and manage a multidisciplinary laser engineering team spanning laser physics, photonic integration, packaging, and test.
• Coordinate program execution with TPMs, internal teams, foundries, and assembly vendors; track milestones and escalate risks.
• Negotiate and manage vendor deliverables, SOWs, and co-development agreements with foundries and component partners.
• Drive IP generation, protect proprietary innovations, and cultivate external research or industry partnerships when appropriate.

Requirements

Must-have technical skills, experience, and leadership background.

• 12+ years in laser and photonic device/system development, including hands-on design, foundry engagement, device characterization, and qualification.
• At least 4 years in technical leadership or management roles responsible for program delivery and team building.
• Deep expertise in C-band laser physics and system integration for high-output-power, narrow-linewidth, low-RIN operation.
• Proven experience developing and qualifying EDWA/EDFA configurations and/or injection-locked laser systems for high-power single-wavelength output (example target: >300 mW fiber-coupled).
• System-level understanding of injection-locking dynamics (locking bandwidth and asymmetry, linewidth enhancement factor, master–slave optical path design) and stability across temperature and drive conditions.
• Ability to define feedback and control requirements for maintaining injection locking and to validate that electronics solutions meet system-level specifications.
• Knowledge of coherent-system constraints: phase noise, gain saturation, ASE management, back-reflection risks, and polarization sensitivity, and how to mitigate them at the system level.
• Experience with fiber coupling, higher-power laser packaging, and qualification testing methods.
• Proficiency with test & measurement equipment relevant to coherent laser characterization: OSA, frequency/phase-noise analyzers, self-heterodyne linewidth measurement, LIV, locking-range characterization, and similar tools.
• Proven vendor and foundry management experience: scoping, specification at epi/process levels, contract oversight, and schedule coordination.

Nice-to-have:

• Familiarity with simulation platforms such as Lumerical, VPIphotonics, PICS3D, or equivalent.
• Track record of patent generation or technology transfer and experience partnering with academic or national-lab collaborators.

Education Requirements

Ph.D. in Photonics, Electrical Engineering, Applied Physics, or a closely related field preferred. An M.S. with extensive industry experience will be considered. (Equivalent practical experience in laser system development is accepted as stated.)

About the Company

Company: Neurophos

Headquarters: Sunnyvale, California, United States

Startup developing silicon-photonic AI accelerator chips that use programmable metasurfaces and dense optical cells to perform matrix multiplications at the speed of light, targeting large-scale AI inference with much higher energy efficiency and performance than traditional electronic approaches.