{"id":1014443,"url":"https://alion.io/job/monarch-quantum-senior-principal-opto-electronics-test-engineer","title":"Senior Principal Opto-Electronics Test Engineer","company":{"id":678365,"name":"Monarch Quantum","domain":"monarchquantum.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/monarchquantum","size_band":"501-1000","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Workable","truth_index":{"grade":"A","score":100,"open_postings":37,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":0,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":54,"computed_at":"2026-11-10T06:52:35Z"}},"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 Diego, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":180000,"max":260000,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":260000},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":null,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"Python","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-09-17T21:51:10Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-09-17","last_verified_at":"2026-11-10T06:27:57Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":53,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":53},"description":"Join our fast-paced and passionate team as a Senior Principal Opto-Electronics Test Engineer. As we scale, you will be instrumental in building our foundation from the ground up. This is a dynamic, hands-on role for a self-starter who thrives in a fluid startup environment. You'll have the opportunity to work on cutting edge technologies, work closely with leadership, and develop and implement engineering practices that support our mission and growth. This is a senior individual contributor role with broad technical scope - spanning device-level characterization through system-level validation - and direct influence over how opto-electronic hardware is qualified and released across the organization.\nThe ideal candidate brings deep experience from the opto-electronics industry - telecom, datacom, optical interconnect, or high-power laser applications - and a track record of building test infrastructure that is rigorous, repeatable, and scalable.\nThis role requires sustained laboratory execution combined with the systems thinking to design validation frameworks that serve both development and production environments. Your key responsibilities are as follows:\nTest Infrastructure & Automation\nArchitect, develop, and maintain automated test systems for opto-electronic device and subsystem characterization, including hardware control layers, data acquisition pipelines, and reporting frameworks. \nDefine and implement standardized test methodologies across device, module, and system levels; establish traceability from test results to product specifications. \nDrive the selection, procurement, and qualification of test equipment - optical spectrum analyzers, power meters, lock-in amplifiers, network analyzers, oscilloscopes, and custom instrumentation. \nDevelop software-controlled test sequences using Python, LabVIEW, or equivalent environments; integrate instrument control with data management and analysis workflows. \nMaintain calibration records and measurement uncertainty budgets for critical test assets. \nDevice & Component Characterization\nExecute and oversee L-I-V characterization, spectral analysis, beam quality (M², beam profile), and noise/linewidth measurements on laser sources and opto-electronic components. \nDevelop fiber and free-space optical test benches for insertion loss, return loss, polarization-dependent loss, and connector/fiber end-face qualification. \nCharacterize electro-optic and acousto-optic components under application-relevant drive conditions; document performance against specification. \nCharacterize magneto-optic Faraday rotators and isolators under application-relevant drive conditions; document performance against specification. \nSupport LIDT (laser-induced damage threshold) and fiber damage threshold testing protocols for high-power optical systems. \nSystem-Level Validation\nLead system-level validation campaigns for integrated opto-electronic assemblies; define test plans, acceptance criteria, and failure mode coverage. \nDevelop environmental and reliability test protocols - thermal cycling, vibration, humidity, burn-in - in alignment with applicable industry standards. \nExecute and coordinate laser safety testing and classification in accordance with IEC 60825-1; support regulatory submissions and compliance documentation. \nCollaborate with systems engineers and physicists to validate opto-electronic system performance against AMO experimental requirements. \nConduct root cause analysis on test failures and drive corrective action through verified resolution. \nStandards, Documentation & Cross-Functional Leadership\nAuthor and maintain test plans, procedures, characterization reports, and validation summaries to an engineering documentation standard. \nServe as the internal technical authority on opto-electronic test methodology; provide guidance to junior engineers and review test-related work products. \nInterface with external vendors, contract test labs, and standards bodies as required. \nContribute to design reviews with test coverage assessments and design-for-testability recommendations. \nRequirements\nPlease note: This position requires access to export-controlled information. Employment is contingent upon the applicant being a U.S. person as defined by 8 U.S.C. § 1324b(a)(3).\nExperience:\nB.S. or M.S. in Optical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics, or a related field; Ph.D. a plus but not required. \n10+ years of hands-on opto-electronic test and characterization experience in an industrial or R&D environment - telecom, datacom, optical interconnect, or laser systems strongly preferred. \nSkills:\nDemonstrated experience designing and deploying automated test systems for opto-electronic devices or modules. \nStrong proficiency with optical measurement instrumentation and the underlying measurement physics. \nProficiency in Python, LabVIEW, or equivalent for instrument control and test automation; familiarity with data management and statistical analysis tools. \nWorking knowledge of relevant standards: IEC 60825-1, IEC 61300-series (fiber optic interconnects), Telcordia/GR-series reliability standards, or equivalent. \nExperience authoring formal test documentation: test plans, procedures, validation reports, and traceability matrices. \nLaser safety training (LSO certification or equivalent) preferred. \n\nStartup Mindse t:\nYou're creative, flexible, and eager to wear multiple hats. \nYou're passionate about building systems from the ground up and comfortable with ambiguity and change.\nThis is a laboratory-dominant role with substantial system engineering, design, and analysis responsibilities. The Staff Opto-electronics Test Engineer will divide their time between hands-on test execution and the development of the infrastructure, methodology, and documentation that makes that work repeatable and scalable. The position carries broad technical ownership and is expected to set the standard for opto-electronic test practice across the organization.\nBenefits\nThe expected annual salary range for this position is $180,000-$260,000.\nAs a full-time employee, you will be eligible for Monarch’s comprehensive benefits package, which includes:\nMedical, Dental, and Vision insurance\nFidelity 401(k) plan with 4% employer matching\n20 paid time off (PTO) days per year\n13 paid company holidays\n9/80 work schedule (every other Friday off)\nMonarch is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, citizenship status, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, age, religion, creed, physical or mental disability, medical condition, marital status, veteran status or any other characteristics protected under applicable federal, state and local laws.","description_format":"text","description_chars":6734,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":null,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":false},"security_clearance":true,"languages":[]},"benefits":["Vision insurance"],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"United States","iso":"US","kind":"country"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Quantum Computing Hardware","Optics & Photonic Components"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-09-17T21:51:10Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":61,"band":"ok","label":"Likely open","p_open":1,"p_active":0.818,"p_room":0.75,"age_days":53,"expected_fill_days":54,"reasons":["conf:0","velocity","win:late"],"computed_at":"2026-11-10T06:52:35Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":260000,"is_top_pay":true},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/monarch-quantum-senior-principal-opto-electronics-test-engineer","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/monarch-quantum-senior-principal-opto-electronics-test-engineer.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-11-10T09:20:36Z","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":21754,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-11-11T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.1,"usd":0.01,"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":678365},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=678365"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fmonarch-quantum-senior-principal-opto-electronics-test-engineer"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":2,"usd":0.2},"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%2Fmonarch-quantum-senior-principal-opto-electronics-test-engineer"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.1,"usd":0.01},"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%2Fmonarch-quantum-senior-principal-opto-electronics-test-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/monarch-quantum-senior-principal-opto-electronics-test-engineer\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fmonarch-quantum-senior-principal-opto-electronics-test-engineer"}],"agent":{"mcp":"https://alion.io/mcp/jobs","mcp_open":"https://alion.io/mcp/open","next":[{"tool":"get_job","arguments":{"id":1014443}},{"tool":"search_jobs","arguments":{"company":"monarchquantum.com","detail":"compact"}},{"tool":"match_people","arguments":{"job_id":1014443},"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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