{"id":3189694,"url":"https://alion.io/job/k2-space-senior-photonics-test-automation-engineer","title":"Senior Photonics Test & Automation Engineer","company":{"id":171840,"name":"K2 Space","domain":"k2space.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/k2-space","size_band":"501-1000","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Greenhouse","truth_index":{"grade":"B","score":84,"open_postings":204,"ghost_share":0.176,"stale_share":0,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":86,"computed_at":"2026-10-27T05:46:45Z"}},"role":"QA","role_family":"QA","seniority":"senior","employment_type":null,"work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Los Angeles, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":150000,"max":220000,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":220000},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":5,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"Python","optional":false},{"name":"Statistical Process Control","optional":false},{"name":"C","optional":true},{"name":"MPI","optional":true},{"name":"SQL","optional":true}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-10-23T21:27:31Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-10-23","last_verified_at":"2026-10-27T23:59:47Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":4,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":0,"flags":["company_stale"],"days_open":3},"description":"K2 is building the largest and highest-power satellites ever flown, unlocking performance levels previously out of reach across every orbit. Backed by over $1 billion in total funding from leading investors including Altimeter Capital, ICONIQ, Kleiner Perkins, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Redpoint Ventures, and T. Rowe Price - and with over $1 billion in signed contracts across commercial and US government customers, we're mass-producing the highest-power satellite platforms ever built for missions from LEO to deep space.\nThe rise of heavy-lift launch vehicles is shifting the industry from an era of mass constraint to one of mass abundance, and we believe this new era demands a fundamentally different class of spacecraft. Engineered to survive the harshest radiation environments and to fully capitalize on today's and tomorrow's massive rockets, K2 satellites deliver unmatched capability at constellation scale and across multiple orbits.\nWith multiple launches in 2027 and plans to scale to 100 satellites a year, we're Building Bigger - helping develop the solar system and build toward a Kardashev Type II (K2) civilization. If you are a motivated individual who thrives in a fast-paced environment and you're excited about contributing to the success of a high-growth Series D-funded company, we'd love for you to apply.\nThe Role \nK2's ambitions extend beyond the satellite bus. By designing and operating our own spacecraft and regularly manifesting hardware to orbit, K2 is uniquely positioned to develop, test, and deploy ambitious, “limit-of-physics” optical and photonic payloads across MEO, GEO, cislunar, and deep space on unprecedented timelines. The satellite bus is the platform - the payloads are the mission. \nAs the first Photonics Test & Automation Engineer on K2's founding photonics team, your role is to define how K2 tests photonics: you will build the lab and the software that turn photonic integrated circuits (PICs), from wafers and die to packaged modules, into data the team trusts and uses to improve future product generations. You will own photonic test from first-silicon bring-up through production screening, working alongside PIC designers, packaging engineers, and K2's ASIC and post-silicon validation teams. Our photonics are tested on the bench and through free space, so you will also connect PIC test stations to custom free-space optical testbeds and channel emulators so device and channel measurements run in one framework. In your first year, you will stand up an automated PIC test station from the ground up and set the standard every photonic part K2 builds is characterized against. \nResponsibilities \nDesign, build, and own automated wafer-, die-, and module-level PIC test stations, including optical and RF probing, fiber-array alignment, and swept-laser measurements. \nDevelop modular, reusable test automation software and instrument drivers in Python, with version control, CI, and AI-assisted tooling, and a shared data pipeline used by design, packaging, and reliability engineers. \nInterface PIC test stations with custom free-space optical testbeds (beam delivery and steering, spatial light modulators and phase screens, cameras and wavefront sensors) through shared instrument control, synchronization, and data. \nCharacterize passive and active photonic devices (waveguides, couplers, filters, modulators, photodetectors, and heaters) including high-speed electro-optic measurements. \nOwn design-for-test standards (test-structure library, probe and fiber-array conventions); correlate measurements with simulation, feed them into the team's design automation and modeling flow, and maintain statistical process control and gauge R&R. \nBuild portable, automated setups for in-situ measurements during radiation, thermal-vacuum, and burn-in campaigns with K2's reliability and radiation-effects engineers. \nScale test from one device to many (parallel test, test-time reduction, and operator procedures) and hand off to production at constellation volume. \nMentor engineers and technicians, and set lab standards for safety, calibration, and documentation. \nQualifications \nBachelor's degree in electrical engineering, physics, optics, or a related technical field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience. \n5+ years of hands-on experience testing photonic integrated circuits or optoelectronic components (probing, fiber alignment, and optical test equipment). \nBuilt automated test stations from scratch, with Python for instrument control, test frameworks, and data analysis. \nHands-on free-space optics (alignment, beam characterization, cameras or wavefront sensors). \nNice to Have \nAdvanced degree (MS or PhD) in a related field. \nIntegrating free-space optical setups into automated test, and writing test plans and defining test structures with designers. \nAtmospheric turbulence, adaptive optics, or free-space optical communications, especially turbulence emulation with spatial light modulators or phase screens, or outdoor and field optical testing. \nHigh-speed electro-optic characterization to 50+ GHz (lightwave component analyzers, VNAs, BERTs, sampling oscilloscopes). \nExperience with commercial photonic probers and automated test equipment (e.g., FormFactor, MPI, ficonTEC). \nPolarization-diverse and phase-sensitive optical measurements. \nEnvironmental, thermal-vacuum, burn-in, or radiation testing of space hardware. \nProduction test, manufacturing execution systems, or SQL test databases. \nCompensation and Benefits: \nBase salary range for this role is $150,000 - $220,000 + equity in the company \nSalary will be based on several factors including, but not limited to: knowledge and skills, education, and experience level \nComprehensive benefits package including paid time off, medical/dental/vision coverage, life insurance, paid parental leave, and many other perks \nIf you don’t meet 100% of the preferred skills and experience, we encourage you to still apply! Building a spacecraft unlike any other requires a team unlike any other and non-traditional career twists and turns are encouraged!\nIf you need a reasonable accommodation as part of your application for employment or interviews with us, please let us know.\nExport Compliance\nAs defined in the ITAR, “U.S. Persons” include U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents (i.e., Green Card holders), and certain protected individuals (e.g., refugees/asylees, American Samoans). Please consult with a knowledgeable advisor if you are unsure whether you are a “U.S. Person.”\nThe person hired for this role will have access to information and items controlled by U.S. export control regulations, including the export control regulations outlined in the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR). The person hired for this role must therefore either be a “U.S. person” as defined by 22 C.F.R. § 120.15 or otherwise eligible for a federally issued export control license.\nEqual Opportunity\nK2 Space is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with K2 Space is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.","description_format":"text","description_chars":7361,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":5,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":false},"security_clearance":true,"languages":[]},"benefits":["Equity","Life insurance","Parental leave"],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"United States","iso":"US","kind":"country"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Optical Communications","Satellite Manufacturing"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-10-24T01:22:16Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":90,"band":"hot","label":"Hiring now","p_open":1,"p_active":0.903,"p_room":1,"age_days":3,"expected_fill_days":86,"reasons":["conf:0","velocity","win:early","comp:brand"],"computed_at":"2026-10-27T05:46:45Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":220000,"is_top_pay":true},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/k2-space-senior-photonics-test-automation-engineer","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/k2-space-senior-photonics-test-automation-engineer.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-28T04:48:29Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":6230,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-10-29T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":171840},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=171840"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fk2-space-senior-photonics-test-automation-engineer"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fk2-space-senior-photonics-test-automation-engineer"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fk2-space-senior-photonics-test-automation-engineer"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/k2-space-senior-photonics-test-automation-engineer\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fk2-space-senior-photonics-test-automation-engineer"}]}