Senior Photonics Engineer

Experience Required

8 - 20 years

Minimum Education Required

Bachelor Degree

Compensation

$175,332.00 - $184,920.00 / Yearly

Hours Per Week

40

Number Of Positions

1

Shift

First Shift (Day)

Job Description

Basic Qualifications

Education Requirements:

Requires a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, or a related Science, Engineering, Technology or Mathematics field. Also requires 8+ years of job-related experience, or a Master's degree plus 6 years of job-related experience.

Clearance Requirements:

Ability to obtain a Department of Defense TS/SCI security clearance is required at time of hire. Applicants selected will be subject to a U.S. Government security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information. Due to the nature of work performed within our facilities, U.S. citizenship is required.

Responsibilities for this Position

General Dynamics Mission Systems designs, prototypes, packages, and tests custom photonic integrated circuit (PIC) and photonic subsystem solutions for mission-critical defense and intelligence applications.

We are seeking a Senior Photonics Engineer to lead photonic design execution across multiple programs and technology platforms. You will tackle a wide breadth of photonic and optoelectronic design challenges - from integrated photonic circuits to optical communication systems to more complex and advanced systems.

Core Responsibilities:

Lead the full PIC design cycle process: requirements analysis, component and circuit design, simulation, layout, foundry tape-out, post-fabrication test, and design iteration

Design PIC circuits and components using foundry PDKs and first-principles approaches as needed

Execute PIC layout using Luceda IPKISS or equivalent tools

Perform photonic simulation using Lumerical, Tidy3D, Photonforge, or equivalent tools

Manage tape-out with domestic foundries including design rule checks, foundry interface, and run coordination

Lead testing and characterization activities for fabricated PIC devices - optical and electrical measurements on bare die and packaged parts

Design PICs with packaging in mind - fiber coupling, electrical fanout (wirebond and flip-chip), thermal, and mechanical constraints

Contribute to optical system and link-level design and trade studies where programs extend beyond the chip level

Mentor junior engineers and team members

Contribute to IRAD projects and technology development

Participate in customer-facing technical discussions and design reviews

Contribute to technical and cost proposals

We encourage you to apply if you have these skills and experiences:

Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Photonics, Applied Physics or other relevant field plus a minimum of 8 years of relevant experience OR Master's degree plus a minimum of 6 years of relevant experience OR PhD degree plus a minimum of 3 years of relevant experience

Experience with full-lifecycle PIC design: concept modeling tape-out test

PIC layout tools (Luceda IPKISS, Photonforge, or equivalent)

Photonic simulation tools (Lumerical, Tidy3D, or equivalent)

Foundry tape-out experience at a commercial photonics foundry.

Experience on at least one major photonics platform: silicon, silicon nitride, lithium niobate

Working knowledge of core PIC building blocks: waveguides, couplers, ring resonators, AWGs, MZIs, modulators, photodetectors

PIC test and characterization - fiber-coupled and probe-based measurements

Technical leadership or mentorship of small engineering teams

Python or scripting for design automation or test

Nice to have:

Post-fabrication packaging experience: fiber array attach, wirebond or flip-chip integration, optical alignment, or managing external packaging vendors

Multi-platform PIC experience across two or more of: silicon photonics, silicon nitride, III-V (InP), thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN)

Optical system-level design or systems engineering for communication or sensing systems

Familiarity with active photonic devices (lasers and amplifiers) and their integration into PIC-based systems

RF photonics or analog photonic link design

Nonlinear photonics (microresonator frequency combs, four-wave mixing, stimulated Brillouin scattering)

What sets you apart:

A track record of taking a PIC from concept through tape-out to packaged, tested hardware - the complete journey, not just simulation or layout

Multi-platform adaptability across different material systems and foundry processes

Experience specifying packaging requirements and managing external assembly vendors to deliver integrated photonic modules

Technical leadership on small design teams - defining approach, distributing work, and delivering as a team

Combined depth in PIC design and breadth in optical or RF system-level engineering - you design the chip and understand the system it lives in

Adjacent domain experience in free-space optical (FSO) communication systems, fiber-optic telecom systems, or RF systems.

Ability to think creatively, multi-task, and communicate with internal and external stakeholders

Identifies opportunities to apply AI for continuous improvement and innovation

#LI-JH1

#LI-Hybrid

Target salary range: USD $175,332.00/Yr. - USD $184,920.00/Yr. This estimate represents the typical salary range for this position based on experience and other factors (geographic location, etc.). Actual pay may vary. This job posting will remain open until the position is filled.

Company Overview

General Dynamics Mission Systems (GDMS) engineers a diverse portfolio of high technology solutions, products and services that enable customers to successfully execute missions across all domains of operation. With a global team of 12,000+ top professionals, we partner with the best in industry to expand the bounds of innovation in the defense and scientific arenas. Given the nature of our work and who we are, we value trust, honesty, alignment and transparency. We offer highly competitive benefits and pride ourselves in being a great place to work with a shared sense of purpose. You will also enjoy a flexible work environment where contributions are recognized and rewarded. If who we are and what we do resonates with you, we invite you to join our high-performance team!

Equal Opportunity Employer / Individuals with Disabilities / Protected Veterans

General Dynamics is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer that is committed to hiring a diverse and talented workforce. EOE/Disability/Veteran

Place of Work

On-site

Requisition ID

2026-73243

Job Type

Full Time