Principal Optical Engine (OE) / Link Architect

Job Title

Principal Optical Engine (OE) / Link Architect

Role Summary

Lead the technical definition and architecture of optical link design for next-generation optical products, delivering OCI‑MSA compliant Optical Engines. Translate market requirements (MRD) into detailed, actionable product requirements (PRD) and coordinate cross-functional engineering across optical, electrical, thermal, and mechanical domains.

Experience Level

Senior level — Principal. The role expects a senior engineer with approximately 10+ years of experience in transceiver or link architecture.

Responsibilities

Primary responsibilities include:

• Develop and own the Product Requirements Document (PRD) based on MRDs from Product Management.
• Architect complete optical transceiver sub-systems, balancing optical, electrical, thermal, and mechanical requirements to meet power, performance, and cost targets.
• Define and manage the end-to-end optical link budget; model impairments (dispersion, noise, crosstalk, penalties) and set FEC requirements.
• Lead system-level integration of Photonic Integrated Circuits (PIC) and Electronic Integrated Circuits (EIC), optimizing DSP, TIA, and modulator driver interactions with optical components.
• Drive decisions on high-speed modulation formats (e.g., PAM4, coherent) and collaborate with SI/PI teams for electrical interface compliance.
• Represent the company in standards and industry consortia; ensure product alignment with OCI and relevant MSAs.
• Perform technical and cost trade-off analyses for OE architectures, packaging approaches, component selection, and link budget allocations.

Requirements

Must-have qualifications and skills:

• 10+ years of industry experience as a Transceiver Architect, Link Architect, or Principal Optical System Architect.
• Deep, hands-on architectural expertise in both PIC and EIC and their system-level integration.
• Proven track record in optical transceiver design (examples: OSFP, QSFP-DD, co-packaged optics or similar).
• Expertise in link budgeting, optical penalty modeling, and FEC trade-offs for high-speed datacom/telecom links.
• Ability to write detailed PRDs and translate MRDs into strict, actionable technical specifications for engineering teams.
• Familiarity with the OCI ecosystem and experience developing products aligned with Multi-Source Agreements (MSAs).

Nice-to-have:

• Experience at tier‑1 semiconductor or optical networking companies (e.g., Intel, Broadcom, Marvell, Cisco).
• Experience with advanced 2.5D/3D packaging technologies (TSV, micro-bumping, flip-chip) and thermal management for high-density or co-packaged optics.
• Strong communication skills for articulating complex link-level concepts to cross-functional teams and stakeholders.

Education Requirements

MS or Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Photonics, Physics, or a related field.

About the Company

Company: Xscape Photonics

Headquarters: Santa Clara, California, United States

Developer of integrated photonics solutions and instrumentation, specializing in photonic circuits, control systems, and test methodologies for optical communication and sensing applications. Works on device integration, control algorithms, and validation of photonic hardware and firmware.