Senior Silicon Photonics Engineer

Senior Silicon Photonics Engineer – Voyant Photonics

Voyant Photonics, based in the heart of New York City, is transforming machine perception with a new class of LiDAR devices that are compact enough to fit in the palm of your hand and powerful enough to measure range, velocity, and reflectivity with unparalleled accuracy. By leveraging cutting‑edge silicon photonic chips smaller than your fingertip, we deliver sensors that are revolutionary in performance and affordable enough to integrate into any system.

Our technology disrupts the status‑quo of bulky, expensive, and power‑hungry LiDAR systems, making high‑precision sensing accessible for widespread adoption in robotics, autonomous vehicles, drones, industrial automation, and beyond. With Voyant, the next generation of machines can see, understand, and navigate the world like never before.

As a Senior Silicon Photonics Engineer, you’ll play a key role in defining photonic architecture and developing new passive and active components. In your first year, you’ll own simulations, design system PICs, working hands‑on from concept through implementation. You’ll join a small, fast‑growing team that collaborates tightly across photonics, systems, packaging, and electronics. The role offers both deep technical ownership and real growth potential — from leading component design to eventually overseeing full tape‑out efforts across disciplines.

• Design and simulate photonic components and system‑level functionality and performance
• Design schematics, draw layout, and work with layout engineers to create photonic systems and component test structures
• Own and drive complex tape‑outs to completion on time
• Work closely with external manufacturing partners to inform component design, process integration, and performance monitoring
• Develop component and system‑level optical testing plans and collaborate with the test team to develop optoelectronic testing setups, perform hands‑on photonic component and optical system‑level testing
• Work with the product team to transition/scale testing for performance evaluation
• Collaborate with cross‑functional teams to integrate our photonic chips into the LIDAR system and evaluate their performance
• Contribute to the expansion of our IP portfolio through patent filing

• Ph.D. with research in silicon photonics with 2+ years’ experience
• Proven track record leading one or more successful silicon photonics foundry tape‑outs
• Strong understanding of planar waveguide optics, both passive components such as wave guides, multiplexers/demultiplexers, tapers, couplers and active such as waveguide detectors, lasers and optical amplifiers
• Strong understanding of photonic system‑level design concerns
• Strong understanding of photonic component‑level design concerns
• Experience in photonic fabrication
• Good understanding of CMOS manufacturing process steps and constraints on the design of photonic devices
• Proficient with mainstream photonic components and systems simulation packages such as Lumerical, Tidy3D and COMSOL
• Proficient with complex optoelectronic lab testing techniques and equipment, necessary to validate designs, including high speed detectors, oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers, precision positioning setups
• Collaborative in a multi‑disciplinary startup environment, ability to work both with local and remote team members as well as with our manufacturing partners
• Independent, analytical thinker, comfortable in a fast‑paced dynamic frontier technology environment

• Competitive base salary and meaningful equity package
• Comprehensive health benefits (Medical, Dental, Vision)
• Unlimited PTO and paid company holidays
• Team events and company meetups
• Complimentary lunch provided daily at our NYC office

Voyant Photonics is an equal opportunity employer committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, pregnancy, marital or partnership status, age, national origin, citizenship, veteran or military status, disability, medical condition, genetic information, caregiver status, or any other characteristic protected by law.