Photonics Architect

Job Title

Photonics Architect

Role Summary

Define the micro-architecture for a photonic-based communication fabric and produce detailed technical specifications for engineering teams. Partner with photonic and analog engineering to turn device-level designs into production-ready systems.

Locations: Boston, MA or Mountain View, CA. Flexible, hybrid workplace model.

Experience Level

Senior; specific years of experience not stated.

Responsibilities

Primary responsibilities include:

• Propose and architect photonic components such as modulators, receivers, multiplexers, lasers, and amplifiers for product integration.
• Provide performance, power, and area estimates for photonic devices used within Passage.
• Collaborate with analog engineering to develop a high-bandwidth photonic interconnect solution.
• Author, review, and validate architectural specifications and technical documentation for the engineering team.
• Coordinate cross-disciplinary design reviews and iterate on device-to-system trade-offs.

Requirements

Must-have technical skills and attributes:

• Deep knowledge of photonic devices and semiconductor physics.
• Experience with integrated silicon photonics components and device-to-system integration.
• Familiarity with photonic simulation tools such as FDTD, Lumerical, Verilog-A, and VPI Photonics.
• Strong problem-solving skills for complex, ill-defined technical challenges.
• Ability and desire to collaborate effectively within cross-disciplinary teams.
• Capacity to comply with U.S. export control regulations.

Education Requirements

PhD in Electrical Engineering, Physics, Applied Physics, or a related discipline in photonics.

Compensation: base salary range listed at $150,000–$220,000 USD; total compensation includes equity and other rewards. Benefits include comprehensive medical, dental & vision, retirement matching, paid family leave, disability insurance, commuter benefits, and paid time off.

About the Company

Company: Lightmatter

Headquarters: Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Lightmatter develops photonic AI data-center infrastructure and optical chips for extreme-scale AI and HPC. The company invented the Passage 3D‑stacked photonics engine to provide high-bandwidth, low-latency interconnects across large-scale processors and raised $400M in Series D financing at a reported $4.4B valuation.