{"id":774481,"url":"https://alion.io/job/lightmatter-embedded-software-engineer-lasers","title":"Embedded Software Engineer, Lasers","company":{"id":16141,"name":"Lightmatter","domain":"lightmatter.co","url":"https://alion.io/company/lightmatter-co","size_band":"1001-5000","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Greenhouse","truth_index":{"grade":"B","score":83,"open_postings":55,"ghost_share":0.291,"stale_share":0,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":43,"computed_at":"2026-10-30T05:48:23Z"}},"role":"Hardware","role_family":"Hardware","seniority":"senior","employment_type":null,"work_mode":"hybrid","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Boston, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":140000,"max":165000,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":165000},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":5,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":true,"technologies":[{"name":"C++","optional":false},{"name":"CMake","optional":false},{"name":"FreeRTOS","optional":false},{"name":"Git","optional":false},{"name":"HPC","optional":false},{"name":"Python","optional":false},{"name":"RTOS","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-09-11T19:44:06Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-09-23","last_verified_at":"2026-10-31T02:55:49Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":49,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":0,"flags":["company_stale"],"days_open":47},"description":"Lightmatter is leading the revolution in AI data center infrastructure, enabling the next giant leaps in human progress. The company invented the world’s first 3D-stacked photonics engine, Passage™, capable of connecting thousands to millions of processors at the speed of light in extreme-scale data centers for the most advanced AI and HPC workloads.\nLightmatter raised $400 million in its Series D round, reaching a valuation of $4.4 billion. We will continue to accelerate the development of data center photonics and grow every department at Lightmatter!\nIf you're passionate about tackling complex challenges, making an impact, and being an expert in your craft, join our team of brilliant scientists, engineers, and accomplished industry leaders.\nLightmatter is (re)inventing the future of computing with light!\nAbout the role \nLightmatter builds chips that enable extreme-scale artificial intelligence computing clusters. Join a multidisciplinary team to pioneer the future of computing by building the world's most advanced communications lasers. In this role you will help build the control plane and diagnostics software behind next-generation photonic interconnect products - implementing laser control and stabilization routines, the telemetry and monitoring firmware that keeps them healthy in the field, and the tooling that brings new hardware to life. You will work shoulder-to-shoulder with photonic, analog, digital, and systems engineers, own well-defined pieces of the stack end to end, and grow your depth in a domain where very few engineers have experience. Your work will be visible in every product we ship.\nResponsibilities\nImplement and tune active laser control and stabilization algorithms on embedded targets, working from architecture and control approaches defined with the cross-functional design team.\nOwn delivery of well-scoped firmware components for photonic transceiver diagnostics, telemetry, and monitoring; from requirements through bring-up, test, and release.\nContribute to control plane and diagnostics architecture discussions across a multidisciplinary team of photonic, analog, digital, systems, and network engineers.\nIntegrate transceiver management and telemetry with data center administration interfaces such as CMIS, OpenBMC, and DMTF standards.\nBring up new hardware alongside hardware engineers, and debug embedded systems using GDB, JTAG, logic analyzers, and oscilloscopes.\nCharacterize and debug laser behavior using optical test and measurement equipment, and build the automated test and data collection scripts that make that work repeatable.\nAdapt existing practices where they fit and devise new approaches where precedent is limited, working independently with review at critical checkpoints.\nWrite clear documentation and share findings with engineers outside your specialty, adapting how you communicate to the audience.\nQualifications\nBS and 5+ years of experience, MS and 3+ years of experience, or a PhD; equivalent practical experience also considered.\nDegree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Robotics, or a related technical field.\nExperience contributing embedded software to a product that shipped to customers, or to hardware that reached production or field deployment.\nProficiency in C or C++, and comfort with Python for tooling, test, and analysis.\nSolid understanding of hardware-software integration, including common embedded peripherals and buses (I2C, SPI, UART, GPIO).\nExperience developing firmware in resource constrained environments; experience in both bare-metal and RTOS systems preferred. FreeRTOS, Zephyr or other modern RTOS experience preferred.\nHands-on lab experience debugging embedded systems with GDB, JTAG, logic analyzers, or oscilloscopes.\nWorking knowledge of Git, and experience with CMake or a comparable build system.\nDemonstrated ability to take ownership of a defined problem, work through ambiguity, and deliver on commitments in a fast-moving environment.\nPreferred Qualifications\nCoursework, research, or industry experience in closed-loop control: designing, simulating, or deploying control algorithms on real systems.\nExperience developing firmware for optical transceivers, photonic systems, or other precision analog/mixed-signal hardware.\nFamiliarity with CMIS, OpenBMC, DMTF/Redfish, or similar platform management environments.\nExposure to optical communication systems, laser physics, or thermal and wavelength stabilization techniques.\nFamiliarity with optical test and measurement, and with methodologies for characterizing optical components and systems.\nExperience building test automation, hardware-in-the-loop test benches, or CI for firmware.\nA track record of learning unfamiliar technical domains quickly and becoming the person teammates come to with questions.\nWe offer competitive compensation. The base salary range for this role determined based on location, experience, educational background, and market data.\nSalary Range: total compensation goes beyond base salary, it also includes a new hire equity grant, annual performance-based equity, and other rewards that recognize your impact and contribution.\n$140,000—$165,000 USD\nBenefits\nComprehensive Health Care Plan (Medical, Dental & Vision)\nRetirement Savings Matching Program\nLife Insurance (Basic, Voluntary & AD&D)\nGenerous Time Off (Vacation, Sick & Public Holidays)\nPaid Family Leave\nShort Term & Long Term Disability\nTraining & Development\nCommuter Benefits\nFlexible, hybrid workplace model\nEquity grants (applicable to full-time employees)\nBenefits eligibility may vary depending on your employment status and location. Lightmatter recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, veteran status, and other protected status as required by applicable law.\nExport Control\nCandidates should have capacity to comply with the federally mandated requirements of U.S. export control laws.","description_format":"text","description_chars":5972,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":5,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"phd","optional":false},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":["Equity","Life insurance","Parental leave"],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"United States","iso":"US","kind":"country"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["AI Chips & Accelerators","Optics & Photonic Components"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-09-11T22:28:31Z"}],"visa":[{"country":"US","licensed_sponsor":true,"evidence":"H-1B filings in 12 months: 27 · green card filings: 1","filings_12m":27,"filings_prev_12m":14,"green_card_filings_12m":1,"median_offered_wage_usd":177679,"route":null,"cap_exempt":false,"checked_at":"2026-10-29T16:27:21+00:00","sources":["US Department of Labor: LCA disclosure data (H-1B, H-1B1, E-3)","US Department of Labor: PERM disclosure data (green cards)"],"filings_for_role_12m":7}],"liveness":{"score":45,"band":"ok","label":"Likely open","p_open":1,"p_active":0.815,"p_room":0.55,"age_days":48,"expected_fill_days":43,"reasons":["conf:0","velocity","win:tail"],"computed_at":"2026-10-30T05:48:23Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":165000,"is_top_pay":false},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/lightmatter-embedded-software-engineer-lasers","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/lightmatter-embedded-software-engineer-lasers.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-31T05:27:20Z","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":7849,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-11-01T00:00:00Z"}},"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":16141},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=16141"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Flightmatter-embedded-software-engineer-lasers"},{"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%2Flightmatter-embedded-software-engineer-lasers"},{"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%2Flightmatter-embedded-software-engineer-lasers"},{"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/lightmatter-embedded-software-engineer-lasers\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Flightmatter-embedded-software-engineer-lasers"}],"agent":{"mcp":"https://alion.io/mcp/jobs","mcp_open":"https://alion.io/mcp/open","next":[{"tool":"get_job","arguments":{"id":774481}},{"tool":"search_jobs","arguments":{"company":"lightmatter.co","detail":"compact"}},{"tool":"match_people","arguments":{"job_id":774481},"note":"people open to offers who fit this vacancy"}],"note":"The same data through MCP tools: https://alion.io/mcp/open needs no sign-in (compact searches, postings, people); https://alion.io/mcp with an Alion account has everything. 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