Director of Photonics Engineering | Silicon Photonics, PIC Design & Optical Systems

Director of Photonics Engineering | Silicon Photonics, PIC Design & Optical Systems

Location: Mountain View, CA (Hybrid)

Employment Type: Full-Time

Industry: Silicon Photonics / Optical Interconnects / AI Infrastructure

IC Resources is partnering with an innovative silicon photonics company developing next-generation optical technologies for AI infrastructure, high-performance computing, and advanced sensing applications.

As part of continued growth, they are seeking a Director of Photonics Engineering to lead the development of cutting-edge silicon photonics products from concept through tapeout, characterization, qualification, and production.

Role Overview

This is a highly visible technical leadership position responsible for driving photonics device development, managing design priorities, and ensuring successful delivery of photonic integrated circuits (PICs) across multiple product lines.

The successful candidate will work closely with architecture, fabrication, packaging, test, and systems teams to bring advanced photonic technologies into commercial deployment.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead photonics engineering teams delivering silicon photonics products across multiple application areas including:
• AI infrastructure
• Optical interconnects
• Datacenter networking
• Automotive sensing
• Industrial automation
• Drive product development from architecture through: Design / Tapeout / Characterization / Reliability qualification / Production release
• Define tapeout strategy and development roadmaps to balance product schedules and technical milestones.
• Work closely with architecture, fabrication, packaging, and systems teams to ensure successful product execution.
• Own DFMEA activities for photonic devices and systems.
• Develop reliability and qualification plans for new photonic technologies.
• Drive design-for-manufacturing and design-process interaction reviews with foundry partners.
• Define characterization methodologies and work closely with test engineering teams to validate new devices.
• Support technical decision making across photonics, packaging, and product development organizations.

Required Experience

• 5+ years leading engineering teams delivering commercial photonics products.
• Strong background in silicon photonics device design and development.
• Proven experience working directly with photonics foundries and fabrication processes.
• Experience delivering complex photonic integrated circuits while balancing system-level requirements and constraints.
• Multiple successful design, tapeout, characterization, and product qualification cycles.
• Strong understanding of:
• Optical loss mechanisms
• Back-reflection management
• Stray light mitigation
• Device reliability
• Experience using optical simulation tools to evaluate and optimize photonic designs.
• Experience qualifying photonic devices for high-volume manufacturing environments.

Preferred Experience

• Optical interconnects and co-packaged optics (CPO)
• Photonic integrated circuits (PICs)
• Datacom and telecom transceivers
• Silicon photonics foundry processes
• Optical I/O architectures
• High-performance computing and AI infrastructure
• Advanced packaging for photonic systems

What's On Offer

• Opportunity to lead the development of next-generation silicon photonics products.
• Work alongside industry-leading experts in photonics, packaging, and semiconductor technology.
• Competitive compensation package.
• Comprehensive benefits package.
• Significant opportunity for technical and organizational impact within a rapidly growing technology business.

Salary: $220,000 – $290,000