Photonics Product Engineering Lead

Job Title

Photonics Product Engineering Lead

Role Summary

Lead validation and productization of high-speed silicon photonic integrated circuits (PICs) and optical interconnect products. Work across design, process, packaging, assembly, and test teams to correlate first-silicon, wafer, package, and system performance and drive manufacturability for 100G/200G/400G per-lane architectures.

Compensation components include base salary, equity, annual bonus plan, and medical insurance.

Experience Level

Senior — expects significant hands-on experience in silicon photonics design, characterization, or validation. No specific years listed.

Responsibilities

Responsible for planning and executing device- and system-level validation, driving design and process improvements, and supporting qualification and production release activities.

• Lead validation of high-speed PIC designs from device level through full optical system specifications, correlating first-silicon performance with product targets.
• Develop and execute characterization and validation plans for modulators, photodetectors, waveguides, couplers, and CWDM/DWDM/BiDi multiplexers.
• Define test structures, design-of-experiments, and measurement methodologies to extract optical, electrical, and RF parameters across PVT conditions.
• Correlate wafer-, package-, and system-level performance and quantify gaps versus targets for 100G/200G/400G per-lane systems.
• Analyze link budgets, bandwidth, insertion loss, crosstalk, extinction ratio, BER, and power efficiency for CPO and pluggable optics.
• Support tape-out bring-up, wafer- and module-level characterization, and align simulation with first-silicon and production measurements.
• Drive design-for-manufacturability and design-for-test improvements to enable robust yield and scalable production ramps.
• Document validation results, spec correlation, and product-maturity assessments for design reviews and qualification gates.

Requirements

Must-have technical skills and practical experience.

• Experience in design, characterization, or validation of silicon photonics, PICs, or high-speed optical devices.
• Deep understanding of optical device physics (modulators, photodetectors, lasers, couplers, wavelength multiplexing).
• Hands-on experience with optical, electrical, and RF test equipment: VNAs, optical spectrum analyzers, BER testers, high-speed oscilloscopes, power/wavelength meters, and wafer probe stations.
• Working knowledge of link budget analysis, eye-diagram and BER evaluation, and PAM4 or coherent signaling for 100G/200G/400G systems.
• Ability to correlate first-silicon data with specifications and models and apply statistical data analysis to drive improvements.
• Proficiency in test automation and data analysis using Python or MATLAB.
• Familiarity with design-for-manufacturability, design-for-test, and production ramp considerations for optical interconnect products.
• Strong cross-functional collaboration and clear technical communication to both technical and non-technical audiences.

Education Requirements

Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Photonics, Optical Engineering, Physics, or a related technical discipline; advanced degree preferred.

About the Company

Company: GlobalFoundries

Headquarters: Saratoga Springs, New York, USA

GlobalFoundries is a leading contract manufacturer for the global semiconductor industry, with facilities in multiple countries, including the USA. The company develops a broad portfolio of semiconductor technologies and employs around 13,000 people worldwide. GlobalFoundries focuses on enhancing competitiveness in specialized application solutions and fostering innovation in mobile communications, consumer electronics, and automotive applications.