{"id":621917,"url":"https://alion.io/job/lumilens-principal-engineer-silicon-photonics","title":"Principal Engineer Silicon Photonics","company":{"id":678172,"name":"Lumilens","domain":"lumilens.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/lumilens","size_band":"201-500","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Ashby","truth_index":{"grade":"A","score":89,"open_postings":149,"ghost_share":0.094,"stale_share":0,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":118,"computed_at":"2026-10-29T05:49:05Z"}},"role":"Hardware","role_family":"Hardware","seniority":"lead","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["San Jose, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":null,"salary_estimate":{"min_usd":150000,"max_usd":278000,"period":"year","method":"role_seniority_country_remote_cell","sample_n":656},"experience_years_min":null,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"Python","optional":true}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-06-25T00:16:25Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-06-25","last_verified_at":"2026-10-29T17:27:28Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":126,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":0,"flags":["company_stale"],"days_open":126},"description":"ABOUT LUMILENS\nAt Lumilens we are building the critical photonics infrastructure that powers tomorrow’s AI supercomputing. From chip-to-chip optical interconnects to scalable photonic engines, Lumilens is unlocking a new era of computing, faster, cooler, and massively more efficient.\nLumilens is a well-funded startup backed by Mayfield and led by veterans who’ve built and scaled some of the most transformative technologies in the industry. This isn’t incremental innovation, it’s a ground-floor opportunity to rethink the optical layer from the silicon up. You’ll work alongside a team of world-class engineers solving some of the hardest challenges in optics, systems, and scale. Every line of code, every design decision, every breakthrough you help deliver will shape the infrastructure of tomorrow. \nIf you're looking for mission, momentum, and the chance to make an outsized impact jump on the rocket ship. We’re just getting started.\nPOSITION OVERVIEW\nWe are seeking a Principal Engineer, Silicon Photonics to join our rapidly growing team. This is a high-impact leadership role for someone who can shape product direction, translate customer needs into clear technical requirements, and drive cross-functional execution from concept through validation. The ideal candidate brings deep experience with packaged silicon photonics, including optical engine integration, assembly flows, and manufacturing considerations for next-generation optical interconnect products. The successful candidate will work closely with customers, contract manufacturers, suppliers, and internal development teams to meet product objectives while instilling a culture of quality, accountability, and continuous improvement.\nWhat You'll Do:\nLead Product Definition: Own and drive product requirements for next-generation optical interconnects, balancing performance, manufacturability, cost, power, and time-to-market.\n\nBe the Customer and Product Voice: Serve as the primary technical interface with customers, foundry partners, and suppliers, ensuring product decisions are grounded in real-world use cases, market needs, and execution realities.\n\nDrive Cross-Functional Alignment: Create and own clear product requirements, aligning internal engineering teams, external partners, and key stakeholders around priorities, trade-offs, milestones, and deliverables for packaged optics solutions.\n\nAnalyze and Optimize: Perform critical link analysis, using simulation and modeling to assess impairments like noise and distortion, ensuring our products deliver robust performance in real-world systems.\n\nTranslate System Goals into Execution: Convert top-level product objectives into actionable requirements for silicon photonics, electronics, firmware, software, validation, and manufacturing partners.\n\nLead Packaged Optics Execution: Guide the development of packaged silicon photonics solutions, including co-packaged optics and optical I/O approaches, with attention to assembly tolerances, fiber attach, thermal constraints, test strategy, reliability, and scale-up readiness.\n\nValidate: Define the complete testing strategy, from engineering verification and product validation to system integration. You will define test methodologies, select equipment, and be hands-on in the lab to bring our products to life.\n\nWho You Are:\nA seasoned technical leader with deep hands-on expertise in silicon photonics and packaged optics, with a strong track record of bringing complex products from concept to production.\n\nA natural collaborator who thrives in a multi-disciplinary, geographically diverse team environment.\n\nA strategic product thinker who can synthesize customer requirements, technical constraints, and business priorities into clear decisions and execution plans.\n\nA leader who is just as comfortable presenting a technical roadmap to executives as you are setting up an experiment in the lab.\n\nKey Qualifications:\nProven experience in a principal-level technical leadership role developing and delivering photonics-based products.\n\nDeep expertise in silicon photonics design, performance characteristics, and trade-offs.\n\nDirect experience with packaged silicon photonics or optical engine development, including packaging trade-offs, integration constraints, and manufacturing considerations.\n\nDemonstrated ability to perform optical link budget analysis using simulation and modeling.\n\nExperience defining product requirements and driving execution across hardware, firmware, software, validation, and manufacturing teams.\n\nExperience defining test plans (EVT, DVT, SVT) and test methodologies for optical systems.\n\nAbility to work effectively and drive decisions within a fast-paced, startup environment.\n\nMust be hands-on in a lab environment.\n\nPreferred Experience:\nExperience with test automation frameworks and scripting (e.g., Python).\n\nDirect experience working with hyperscale data center customers or suppliers on packaged optics, co-packaged optics, or optical I/O solutions.\n\nExperience with fiber attach technologies, optical assembly processes, and package-level integration challenges for silicon photonics products.\n\nWhy Join Us?\nThis is more than a job. It's a chance to get in on the ground floor of a well-funded company set to disrupt a multi-billion dollar market. You will have the autonomy to make a massive impact, the resources to execute your vision, and a significant stake in the company you help build.\nWhat we offer\nCompetitive salary commensurate with experience\n\nComprehensive benefits package including health insurance\n\nProfessional development opportunities and certification support\n\nAccess to cutting-edge technology and cloud platforms\n\nCollaborative work environment with cross-functional teams\n\n*Lumilens is an equal opportunity employer. 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