{"id":706176,"url":"https://alion.io/job/lightmatter-sr-staffprincipal-laser-design-engineer-2","title":"Sr Staff Integrated Photonics Laser Systems Architect","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":82,"open_postings":54,"ghost_share":0.296,"stale_share":0,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":43,"computed_at":"2026-10-31T05:58:55Z"}},"role":"Hardware","role_family":"Hardware","seniority":"staff","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","Mountain View, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":212000,"max":320000,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":320000},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":8,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":true,"technologies":[{"name":"HPC","optional":false},{"name":"Python","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-09-11T01:14:15Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-10-19","last_verified_at":"2026-10-31T21:14:14Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":50,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":1,"flags":["company_stale"],"days_open":50},"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!\nWe are hiring a Senior Staff Laser Architect to join our Laser System Architecture & Engineering (LSAE) team. In this role, you will define the architecture of Guide™, Lightmatter's laser platform that supplies multi-wavelength optical power to photonic interconnects for AI infrastructure, and of Data-SOA, the semiconductor optical amplifier that boosts modulated data signals in the optical link. You will turn product and customer requirements into these architectures. For Guide, that means laser source technology, channel count and wavelength grid, wavelength locking and control, optical power splitting and monitoring, and the optical, electrical, thermal and mechanical interfaces of the Guide module. For Data-SOA, it means gain and placement in the link, multi-wavelength amplification, and bias and gain control. You will then write the specifications that our design and systems engineering teams build against. You will be the technical owner of the trade-offs in both product architectures. You will join a small architecture team that sets the technical direction for the Guide and Data-SOA roadmaps. The architecture you define becomes the reference that future generations build on, and you will have direct influence on which laser and amplifier technologies the company commits to. You will work alongside device, circuit, packaging, controls and systems engineers who will carry your architecture into silicon and into production.\nResponsibilities\nDefine and own the Guide laser architecture, from concept through high-volume production\nDefine and own the Data-SOA architecture in Lightmatter’s optical links\nDeliver laser module architecture specifications and work closely with hardware and software teams to define functionality, interfaces, and documentation\nActively collaborate with Lightmatter Passage team to drive alignment between Guide and Passage product architectures\nEngage in problem-solving to develop innovative high-performance laser solutions\nActively collaborate across disciplines-with electronics, photonics, mechanical, and thermal engineering teams-to design systems, control algorithms, PICs, and PMICs that meet performance, power, and production requirements\nEngage with the engineering, product, sales, and architecture teams to define requirements for subsystems, device characterization, debug, and validation\nValidate architectures, models, and specifications via hands-on testing of dies, prototype assemblies, and packaged modules\nCollaborate with test engineers and technicians to define production test and validation protocols, as well as to analyze and debug test results\nWork with external vendors to ensure timely development and delivery of key processes and components\nContribute to the roadmap of laser development, improving performance, scalability, power consumption, and cost\nPublish and present novel ideas, and participate in premier photonics conferences\nRequired Qualifications\nPhD in Photonics, Electrical Engineering, Applied Physics, or a related technical field\n8+ years of hands-on experience in optical devices, PICs, and semiconductor physics, with a track record of architecting laser or optical transceiver solutions from concept to volume manufacturing\nExpertise in mathematical modeling and simulation utilizing Python for link budget modeling, corner evaluation, and Monte Carlo simulations\nExceptional oral and written communication skills to articulate complex engineering concepts to multidisciplinary teams and executive leadership\nStrong analytical problem-solving skills with a proven capacity to tackle ambiguous, open-ended engineering challenges\nSelf-driven initiative with a rapid learning curve and a collaborative, roll-up-your-sleeves mindset\nPreferred Qualifications\nExperience architecting lasers for datacom applications, such as external or integrated laser sources feeding CPO or optical I/O engines\nExperience with semiconductor optical amplifiers in datacom links: gain, noise figure, saturation, pattern effects and cross-gain modulation in WDM, and III-V/silicon heterogeneous SOA integration\nSolid foundation in semiconductor laser physics (comb sources, DFB, ECLs, RIN, linewidth, and thermal/wavelength locking) alongside silicon photonics integrated circuits\nExperience with wavelength locking, thermal tuning and power-control loops, co-simulated against physical models\nExperience with silicon photonics circuit simulations\nExperience taking products into a high-volume manufacturing environment, including laser reliability and eye-safety qualification\nDemonstrated technical leadership of a cross-functional team\nContributions to optical standards bodies (OIF, IEEE 802.3, MSAs), publications and patents\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$212,000—$320,000 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":6704,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":8,"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":["Optical Communications","AI Chips & Accelerators","Optics & Photonic Components"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-09-11T03:57:24Z"},{"event":"close","at":"2026-10-07T21:34:52Z"},{"event":"reopen","at":"2026-10-20T01:15:12Z"}],"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":46,"band":"ok","label":"Likely open","p_open":1,"p_active":0.844,"p_room":0.55,"age_days":50,"expected_fill_days":43,"reasons":["conf:3","velocity","win:tail"],"computed_at":"2026-10-31T05:58:55Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":320000,"is_top_pay":true},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/lightmatter-sr-staffprincipal-laser-design-engineer-2","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/lightmatter-sr-staffprincipal-laser-design-engineer-2.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-31T23:15:13Z","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":36307,"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-sr-staffprincipal-laser-design-engineer-2"},{"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-sr-staffprincipal-laser-design-engineer-2"},{"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-sr-staffprincipal-laser-design-engineer-2"},{"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-sr-staffprincipal-laser-design-engineer-2\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Flightmatter-sr-staffprincipal-laser-design-engineer-2"}],"agent":{"mcp":"https://alion.io/mcp/jobs","mcp_open":"https://alion.io/mcp/open","next":[{"tool":"get_job","arguments":{"id":706176}},{"tool":"search_jobs","arguments":{"company":"lightmatter.co","detail":"compact"}},{"tool":"match_people","arguments":{"job_id":706176},"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. Docs: https://alion.io/developers"}}