PIC Architect

Our client is seeking a PIC Architect to design, implement, and deliver photonic integrated circuits (PICs) for applications including data center communications, LiDAR, optical computing, and sensing.

This role will play a critical part in bringing new products to market, working across customers, business development, component design, layout, test, and reliability engineering. The PIC Architect will help translate customer requirements into photonic solutions while driving the definition, design, simulation, layout, and testing of silicon photonic circuits.

The ideal candidate will bring strong PIC design and architecture experience, technical depth across photonic components and systems, and the ability to serve as a customer-facing technical leader across multiple programs.

This is a technical individual contributor opportunity within an advanced photonics environment focused on custom photonic application-specific integrated circuits. The technology combines lasers, modulators, receivers, and other photonic components onto silicon-based platforms for high-performance applications.

The role will work closely with customers and cross-functional engineering teams to move products from initial requirements and feasibility through design, testing, and manufacturing. The PIC Architect will report to the PIC Design Director of Engineering and will initially have no direct reports, with the potential to develop direct reports in the future.

The position is based in Goleta or Santa Clara, California
, with no regular travel and very limited international travel.

• Design, implement, and deliver photonics integrated circuits with optical gain and lasers on a proprietary heterogeneous silicon-III-V photonic platform.
• Drive the definition, design, simulation, layout, and testing of silicon photonic circuits.
• Work directly with customers to understand product requirements and map those requirements onto the photonic platform.
• Perform initial feasibility studies and define program timelines and deliverables.
• Work cross-functionally with customers, business development, component design, layout, test, and reliability engineering teams.
• Use industry standards and technology trends to establish requirements for reference PIC designs.
• Use commercial and custom-built tools to design and model custom PICs.
• Present technical results to customers and internal stakeholders.
• Coordinate packaging, chip interface requirements, and fabrication requirements with packaging, layout, and process teams.
• Define test requirements, review test plans, and analyze test data.
• Identify, specify, and prioritize new components for the PDK roadmap.
• Work with component designers to ensure new components meet required specifications.
• Support the development of products for data center communications, LiDAR, optical computing, and sensing applications.
• Serve as a technical lead or focal point across customer programs.
• Help transition products from development into production by understanding manufacturing requirements and challenges.

• PIC designs that meet customer requirements and expected application performance.
• Successful translation of customer requirements into practical photonic architectures.
• Strong technical alignment across customers and internal engineering teams.
• New PIC designs successfully progressing through design, simulation, layout, testing, and manufacturing.
• Clear program timelines, deliverables, and technical requirements established early in development.
• Effective identification and prioritization of new components for the PDK roadmap.
• Strong collaboration between PIC architecture, component design, layout, packaging, process, test, and reliability teams.
• Technical challenges…