Senior Photonic Designer

Senior Photonic Designer Design, optimize, and validate high-performance photonic components for LOQC at scale

Location:

Palo Alto, California, United States

Compensation: $160, USD / year

Psi Quantum's mission is to build the first useful quantum computers—machines capable of delivering the breakthroughs the field has long promised. Since our founding in 2016, our singular focus has been to build and deploy million-qubit, fault-tolerant quantum systems.

Quantum computers harness the laws of quantum mechanics to solve problems that even the most advanced supercomputers or AI systems will never reach. Their impact will span energy, pharmaceuticals, finance, agriculture, transportation, materials, and other foundational industries.

Our architecture and approach is based on silicon photonics. By leveraging the advanced semiconductor manufacturing industry—including partners like Global Foundries—we use the same high-volume processes that already produce billions of chips for telecom and consumer electronics. Photonics offers natural advantages for scale: photons don't feel heat, are immune to electromagnetic interference, and integrate with existing cryogenic cooling and standard fiber‑optic infrastructure.

In 2024, Psi Quantum announced government‑funded projects to support the build‑out of our first utility‑scale quantum computers in Brisbane, Australia, and Chicago, Illinois. These initiatives reflect a growing recognition that quantum computing will be strategically and economically defining—and that now is the time to scale.

Psi Quantum also develops the algorithms and software needed to make these systems commercially valuable. Our application, software, and industry teams work directly with leading Fortune 500 companies—including Lockheed Martin, Mercedes‑Benz, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Mitsubishi Chemical—to prepare quantum solutions for real‑world impact.

Quantum computing is not an extension of classical computing. It represents a fundamental shift—and a path to mastering challenges that cannot be solved any other way. The potential is enormous, and we have a clear path to make it real.

Come join us.

We are looking for an energetic, highly motivated Photonic Designer who will be responsible for the design, optimization, integration, and validation of novel photonic structures, devices, and subsystems for a linear optic quantum computer (LOQC). We are looking for a creative and innovative individual with strong fundamentals in the design, optimization, layout, and fabrication of integrated optical devices. This role is focused on pushing the boundaries of high‑performance integrated photonic components and circuits.

The role requires excellent python skills, experience with commercial electro‑magnetic simulation packages, and experience with python‑based layout tools and foundry tape outs.

• Interacts with device, hardware, and software design teams to assist in overall development of Photonics and Quantum Optics photonic systems and devices.
• Supports foundry tape outs with photonic device design, design of experiments, layout, device validation, data analysis, failure mode analysis, and troubleshooting.
• Develops simulation automation techniques and infrastructure to support photonic device design, model development, and performance validation.
• Provides multi‑disciplinary support to component and systems teams by resolving technical issues associated with components, parts, products, or systems.
• Applies quantitative analysis in determining root cause of highly technical problems and proposes, develops, and implements solutions for corrective action.

Education

• PhD or equivalent in Electrical, Computer Engineering, Material Science, Physics.

Experience

• 5 years of relevant work or academic research experience in integrated photonics.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Strong fundamentals of the design and characterization of photonic devices and circuits.
• Proven proficiency in Python programming for numerical analysis, data manipulation, automation and photonic circuit layout.
• Experience with silicon photonic manufacturing processes and foundry…