Senior Design Automation Engineer

About the Role

We’re looking for a Senior Design Automation Engineer to join the PhotonForge team. This role sits at a unique intersection of physics and applications, software engineering, and AI. You’ll work across all three to extend our end-to-end platform for photonic integrated circuit (PIC) design.

PhotonForge unifies component simulation, circuit simulation, compact modeling, layout generation, PDK integration, and foundry handoff into a single platform backed by Flexcompute’s GPU-accelerated Tidy3D multi-physics solvers. You’ll build EDA tool integrations, develop physics-driven application workflows, and leverage AI to make photonic design faster and more accessible.

This is a remote position. Preference may be given to candidates based in the Boston area who are open to in-person or hybrid work.

What You’ll Do

• Build Interfaces & Connectors to EDA Tools
  • Develop and maintain integrations between PhotonForge and industry-standard EDA tools for layout, DRC, LVS, and schematic-driven design.
  • Enable seamless round-trip workflows between EDA environments, PhotonForge, and Tidy3D simulation.
  • Build Python-based APIs and automation scripts that connect PhotonForge to existing toolchains.
• Drive Physics & Application Workflows
  • Work with end users on real-world design challenges in quantum photonics, RF photonics, co-packaged optics, or silicon photonics.
  • Develop application workflows and reference designs across component simulation, circuit simulation, compact modeling, and layout.
  • Leverage Flexcompute’s GPU-accelerated Tidy3D multi-physics solvers (tackling optical, RF, charge, and thermal physics) to build fabrication-aware simulation pipelines.
• Qualifications & Experience
  • Strong physics or engineering foundation. Degree (MS or PhD preferred) in electrical engineering, applied physics, photonics, or a related field. Working knowledge of Maxwell’s equations, waveguide theory, and semiconductor device physics.
  • A few years of industry experience. You’ve worked in photonic chip design, EDA tool development, semiconductor process integration, or a related role.
  • Proficient in Python. Comfortable building APIs, automation scripts, and data pipelines. Experience with C++ is welcome but not required.
  • Familiar with EDA and PIC design tools. Experience with industry-standard EDA platforms and photonic design tools. You understand GDSII, DRC, LVS, PDKs, and compact models.
  • AI-forward. You actively use AI tools and are excited about building AI-powered features into engineering products.
  • A builder at heart. You’d rather build a working prototype than write a specification, and you thrive with ownership over problems that span physics, software, and product.

Nice to Have

• Domain expertise in quantum photonics, RF/microwave photonics, co-packaged optics, or optical interconnects for AI datacenters
• Experience building connectors or plugins for EDA platforms
• Background in compact model generation, S-parameter extraction, or circuit-level photonic simulation
• Experience with agentic AI frameworks, LLM-based automation tools, or AI product development
• Contributions to open-source photonics or EDA tooling

What We Offer

• A front-row seat at the intersection of AI and photonics, two of the fastest-moving fields in tech
• The chance to shape how an entire generation of engineers learns to work with AI-driven simulation
• A collaborative, technically deep team that values curiosity and initiative
• Competitive compensation with equity of a fast-growing startup.
• Medical, dental, and vision health insurance.
• 401(k) Contribution.
• Gym allowance.
• Friendly, thoughtful, and intelligent coworkers.