Senior System Integration & Optical Validation Engineer

Job Title

Senior System Integration & Optical Validation Engineer

Role Summary

Lead system integration, verification & validation (IV&V), and operational readiness for complex photonic quantum computing systems. Define test strategies, drive deployment and commissioning, and ensure systems meet performance and reliability requirements.

Collaborate across Optical, Quantum, Electronics, Controls, and Test Engineering to improve testability, scalability, and maintainability of integrated systems.

Experience Level

Senior - typically M.S. or Ph.D. with 5+ years relevant industry experience, or B.S. with 10+ years equivalent experience.

Responsibilities

Lead and execute system-level integration, testing, and validation activities for photonic and electro-optical subsystems.

• Plan and lead integration, bring-up, verification, and validation of optical, photonic, electro-optical, and electronic subsystems.
• Define system-level integration and test strategies, design experiments, and establish acceptance criteria and verification methodologies.
• Develop commissioning processes, validation roadmaps, and repeatable deployment procedures.
• Drive root-cause analysis and technical problem resolution using structured experiments and data-driven methods.
• Build and improve test infrastructure, automation, laboratory instrumentation, and engineering documentation.
• Lead system installation, operational readiness, execution reporting, and technical training of engineering and operations staff.
• Provide technical leadership to influence system architecture for improved testability, manufacturability, reliability, and serviceability.
• Mentor and develop engineers and technicians; promote cross-functional collaboration and engineering excellence.

Requirements

Must-have technical skills and demonstrated experience.

• Extensive experience integrating, validating, and deploying complex optical, photonic, or electro-optical systems, including selection and application of laboratory instrumentation and optical test equipment.
• Proven ability to develop system-level test strategies, verification methodologies, acceptance criteria, and experimental approaches for integrated systems.
• Strong understanding of optical technologies: lasers, fiber optics, photonic components, optical instrumentation, and measurement techniques.
• Proven troubleshooting skills for multidisciplinary optical systems using structured experimental methods and quantitative data analysis.
• Experience developing automated test and instrumentation-control software (Python or similar) and applying Design of Experiments (DOE) and statistical analysis.
• Strong analytical, written, and verbal communication skills and demonstrated cross-functional collaboration in fast-paced engineering environments.
• Proven experience leading technical investigations and implementing corrective actions to improve system reliability and deployability.
• Nice-to-have: experience with cryogenic systems or prior work in quantum technologies.

Education Requirements

M.S. or Ph.D. in Optical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Photonics, Physics, or a related technical field with 5+ years of relevant industry experience; or a B.S. with 10+ years of equivalent practical experience.

About the Company

Company: PsiQuantum

Headquarters: Palo Alto, CA, United States

PsiQuantum develops silicon-photonic quantum computers aimed at building million-qubit, fault-tolerant systems. Founded in 2016, the company combines semiconductor manufacturing processes, photonic hardware, and quantum software to scale quantum systems for commercial and government applications.