Optical Engineer, Photonic Integrated Circuit (PIC) Design and Analysis

Our Customer’s mission is to give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together. Through their family of apps and services, they are building a different kind of company that connects billions of people around the world, gives them ways to share what matters most to them, and helps bring people closer together.

We are seeking an Optical Engineer III on a contract basis to help support our customer’s business needs. This role is on-site in Redmond, WA.

This role focuses on delivering state-of-the-art near-to-eye display system technologies. The ideal candidate will have expertise in novel integrated photonics device design and metrology, gained through a Ph.D. or industry experience

Responsibilities

• Design and develop complete Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs) from fundamental component blocks to full-circuit implementations with emphasis on active device integration
• Generate, verify, and prepare fabrication-ready layout files compliant with foundry Process Design Kits (PDKs)
• Conduct systematic design analysis, including optimization, parametric studies, and sensitivity analysis
• Support the full design-to-fabrication lifecycle from concept development through tapeout
• Coordinate closely with cross-functional teams and external fabrication partners
• Collaborate with program leadership, Technical Program Managers, and research teams to align PIC designs with program objectives
• Perform electromagnetic and photonic device simulations at both component and circuit levels
• Integrate fabrication constraints into design decisions to optimize performance and manufacturability
  
  

Skills And Qualifications

• MS or Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Optical Sciences, Physics, or a closely related field
• 3 years of hands-on experience designing, simulating, and laying out PICs for visible or infrared wavelengths on platforms such as Si, SiN, LiNbO, or BTO
• 3 years of experience using photonic device simulation and electromagnetic modeling tools such as Lumerical FDTD/MODE/DEVICE, Ansys Photonics, Synopsys RSoft, or COMSOL Multiphysics
• 2 years of experience using PIC layout tools and generating GDSII files, including tools such as KLayout, Cadence Virtuoso, gdsfactory, or equivalent
• Experience integrating foundry PDKs and performing design rule verification
• 2 years of experience with scientific programming in Python or MATLAB for scripting, automation, and analysis
• 1 year of experience supporting or executing PIC tapeouts at commercial semiconductor foundries
• Understanding of fabrication process constraints, including propagation losses, sidewall roughness, etch non-idealities, and process variability
  
  

Preferred Qualifications

• 3 years of experience in active PIC design, fabrication, and validation, particularly for visible wavelengths on LiNbO or BTO platforms
• 3 years of experience in design space exploration, statistical performance analysis, and yield modeling for photonic circuits
• 2 years of experience with photonic circuit-level simulation tools such as Lumerical Interconnect, Synopsys OptSim, or VPIphotonics
• 2 years of experience in photonic device characterization and testing, including optical and electro-optic measurements
• Experience with fiber optics, free-space optics, PIC packaging, and comprehensive device characterization
• Experience with semiconductor fabrication processes and incorporation of process limitations into design optimization strategies
  
  

We offer a competitive salary range for this position. Most candidates who join our team are hired at the median of this range, ensuring fair and equitable compensation based on experience and qualifications.

Contractor benefits are available through our 3rd Party Employer of Record (Available upon completion of waiting period for eligible engagements)

• Health Benefits: Medical, Dental, Vision, 401k, FSA.
• Accrued PTO: Up to 15 days per 12 months on assignment
  
  

An Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.