Photonics Account Manager

Photonics Account Manager

Are you passionate about turning complex customer engagements into seamless, high‑trust partnerships? At Lightium, we’re pioneering next‑generation photonic integrated circuits (PICs) built on thin‑film lithium niobate (TFLN), and we’re looking for a Photonics Account Manager to serve as the backbone of our customer relationships, from purchase order entry through interfacing with our R&D team to long‑term production agreements.

The role is part of our Commercial Team and reports to the CRO. You will own the entire customer journey—from project onboarding, through delivery, and after‑sales expansion. You’ll run structured touchpoints, coordinate cross‑functional teams, ensure every MPW run is delivered on time, and keep customers consistently informed about their project status. Your work bridges Lightium’s technical execution and our customers’ confidence in Lightium as their prime photonics foundry partner.

• Customer Journey Ownership:
  Lead major customer engagements with Lightium’s foundry services, from kick‑off and design submission to DRC report, regular update meetings, shipment, invoicing, and after‑sales support.
• Run Management & Internal Coordination:
  Track deliverables across multiple simultaneous runs, serve as the single customer‑facing point of contact for run status, route technical questions to the appropriate internal resource, and close the loop with the customer.
• Process Building & Continuous Improvement:
  Design, document, and optimise Lightium’s internal business processes that make our customer journey scalable, creating SOPs across CRM, Customer Portal, PLM, ERP, etc.
• Customer Portal Ownership:
  Shape, develop, and maintain Lightium’s customer portal in collaboration with Dev Ops to ensure fully traceable data sharing (PDK, technical updates, presentations, shipments, delivery notes, etc.).
• Industry & Relationship Development:
  Build trusted relationships with program managers, heads of photonics, and engineering leads; represent Lightium at trade shows, conferences, and customer visits. Regular international travel is required.

• Educational Background:
  Advanced degree (Master or PhD) in Photonics, Engineering, Physics, or related technical field; business or project management training is a plus.
• Experience:
  
  3–7 years in technical sales, account management, customer project or program management, or customer success in a semiconductor or photonics environment. A foundry or contract manufacturing background is a strong advantage.
• Technical
  
  Skills:
  
  Sufficient photonics or semiconductor literacy to engage with a customer’s engineering team; understanding of DRC violations, insertion loss specs, and fabrication yield figures.
• Organization:
  Exceptional organisational discipline to track open items, follow up, and maintain up‑to‑date information as a professional standard.
• Communication:
  Strong customer‑centric communication, translating complex internal status into clear, concise, and professional customer‑facing language.
• Collaboration:
  
  Ability to get things done by coordinating with process engineers, ops teams, and external partners across cultural differences.
• Adaptability:
  Thrive in a fast‑paced startup environment, demonstrating flexibility, ownership, and resilience in the face of change.
• Language
  
  Skills:
  
  Fluency in English required;
  German, French, Mandarin, or another Asian language is a plus.

• Work location: 8952 Schlieren (ZH)
• Workload: 100%
• Employment start: Immediately
• Employment duration: Permanent

• Competitive compensation and benefits package, including an employee stock option plan (ESOP), fully‑covered Pillar Two, and generous vacation.
• A unique opportunity to lead a cutting‑edge manufacturing initiative in the rapidly growing field of photonics.
• A collaborative and innovative work environment where your contributions will shape the future of telecommunications, datacom, and beyond.

Lightium is an equal‑opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.