Lightmatter · 14 hours ago
Photonic Hardware Validation Engineer
Mountain View, CA
Full-time
Hybrid
Senior Level, Lead/Staff
$177K/yr - $240K/yr
8+ years expLightmatter is leading the revolution in AI data center infrastructure, enabling the next giant leaps in human progress. In this role, you will design, develop, and build photonic test systems that are critical to the characterization and validation of our products, collaborating closely with various engineering teams.
AI InfrastructureArtificial Intelligence (AI)Data CenterMachine LearningSemiconductorSoftware
Responsibilities
You will need to understand our chip specifications well so that you can take responsibility for chip bring-up, testing, and validation of our next-generation Optical Interconnect products. This includes supporting the development of chip validation plans aligned to product specifications, xDVT, and interoperability testing
You will be required to contribute to test plan development, test bench configuration planning, setup of lab test equipment, and troubleshooting of validation setups to enable successful chip bring-up and testing
You will work within the product validation team on electro-optic, link-level testing in our lab using industry-standard practices and equipment
Qualification
Required
Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Physics, or a related field with a minimum of 12 years of relevant experience, or a Master's degree with a minimum of 8 years of relevant experience
Experience in the data communications field, specifically in electro-optic link-level testing and characterization in a lab environment
Familiarity with PCB design, including hardware testing and debugging of electro-optic circuits
Ability to work closely with Design Engineers, Software Engineers, and broader cross-functional teams to quickly gain knowledge of Lightmatter products and drive execution of chip bring-up and validation in our lab
Hands-on experience with standard bench test equipment for data communications, including electro-optic link testing and characterization
Basic scripting skills for automation of lab tests including analysis of results and report generation
Solid understanding of electrical and optical blocks in transmitters and receivers to enable efficient chip bring-up and link testing
Ability to troubleshoot and debug the electrical optical building blocks in a transceiver to triage bugs and root-cause performance gaps
Candidates should have capacity to comply with the federally mandated requirements of U.S. export control laws
Preferred
PhD is a plus
Experience with high-speed data communication systems, including NRZ and PAM4 signaling
Familiarity with industry standards such as IEEE, OIF-CEI, or similar for data communication systems
Proficiency in Python, MATLAB, or similar tools for scripting and automation
Strong documentation skills to develop clear test plans, reports, and technical presentations
Prior experience in leading or mentoring junior engineers in lab validation and testing workflows
Benefits
Comprehensive Health Care Plan (Medical, Dental & Vision)
Retirement Savings Matching Program
Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary & AD&D)
Generous Time Off (Vacation, Sick & Public Holidays)
Paid Family Leave
Short Term & Long Term Disability
Training & Development
Commuter Benefits
Flexible, hybrid workplace model
Equity grants (applicable to full-time employees)
Company
Lightmatter
Lightmatter develops photonic chips that enable data processing and communication using light instead of electricity.
201-500 employees
H1B Sponsorship
Lightmatter has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (21)
2024 (12)
2023 (5)
2022 (4)
2021 (4)
2020 (4)
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageTotal Funding
$822MKey Investors
T. Rowe PriceViking Global InvestorsGoogle Ventures
2024-10-16Series D· $400M
2023-12-19Series C· $155M
2023-05-31Series C· $154M
Leadership Team
Nicholas Harris
Founder, CEO
B
Bob Turner
Sr. VP Sales & Solution Architecture
Recent News
2025-11-23
2025-10-09
Company data provided by crunchbase