Photonics Layout Lead

About us

Salience Labs is building the optical infrastructure that will power the next generation of AI. Our photonic switching technology delivers the high-speed, ultra-low latency networking fabrics AI datacenters need and can’t get anywhere else. We’re a multi-disciplinary team of physicists, engineers, and machine learning specialists on a mission to remove the bottlenecks holding AI infrastructure back.

Job Overview

We are looking for a Photonics Layout Lead to join our Photonics team and lead our Layout team, taking technical and people leadership of the physical design, verification and development of advanced integrated photonic devices.

You will work closely with engineers across photonic design, layout and testing, setting the direction for how device and circuit requirements are translated into robust, fabrication-ready layouts. The role combines hands-on physical layout, design verification, programming and ownership of our internal design workflows, along with leading, developing and managing the layout engineers on your team and raising the standard of layout work across the company.

This is a hands-on leadership role for someone who enjoys working at the intersection of integrated photonics, semiconductor design and software. You should be comfortable leading the resolution of complex layout challenges, interpreting and challenging design requirements, and using programming to improve the speed, quality and repeatability of engineering work, while building a team that can do the same.

We are particularly interested in people who have led or significantly shaped integrated photonics or semiconductor IC layout work, and who have experience leading engineers, whether in industry, research or a strong academic environment.

What you’ll be doing

• Lead the Layout team, setting priorities, allocating work and ensuring the team delivers high-quality, on-time results

• Line manage layout engineers, including coaching, performance reviews, career development and objective setting

• Support hiring and onboarding of new layout engineers as the team grows

• Lead the development of physical layouts for integrated photonic components, structures and large-scale photonic designs

• Translate photonic device and circuit requirements into fabrication-ready layouts, and help shape those requirements with the photonic design team

• Own design verification, including DRC and LVS, and drive designs through the full layout and verification process to tape-out

• Define, develop and improve software-based workflows for photonic layout and design automation

• Use Python and relevant semiconductor or photonic design tools to create, manipulate and verify layouts, and set best practice for the team to do the same

• Own and evolve our internal component and design libraries

• Define and support the development of appropriate test and characterisation structures

• Lead layout reviews for design integrity, fabrication constraints and potential sources of failure

• Act as a technical point of contact for foundry and fabrication partners on design rules, process constraints and verification issues

• Plan and prioritise layout work across projects, balancing schedule, quality, risk and team capacity

• Collaborate closely with photonic design, testing and wider engineering teams, and represent the Layout team in planning and design discussions

• Drive improvements in layout methodology, tooling and verification processes

• Make photonic design workflows increasingly repeatable, reliable and efficient

You will own the Layout team’s technical direction and delivery, from individual components through to complex, full-chip integrated photonic designs and their verification.

What we’re looking for

• A Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in Physics, Photonics, Electrical Engineering, Optical Engineering, or another closely related technical discipline

• Typically 6+ years of relevant experience in integrated photonics, photonic IC layout, semiconductor IC layout or design verification, including experience leading or owning layout work on complete designs

• Experience leading, managing or mentoring engineers, and a track record of developing people and building effective teams

• Extensive hands-on experience creating physical IC or photonic layouts using Python or other layout and EDA software

• Strong programming capability, ideally in Python or another relevant language, with experience building and maintaining layout automation

• The ability to explain and discuss software or coding projects you have worked on in detail

• A strong understanding of integrated photonics or the broader semiconductor IC industry

• Working knowledge of photonic IC design and fabrication flows, including experience taking designs through tape-out

• A deep understanding of how physical layout decisions interact with device design, fabrication and performance

• Experience with DRC and LVS verification, and with resolving complex verification issues

• Experience planning and prioritising work across multiple projects and engineers

• A collaborative approach and the ability to work effectively and influence across multidisciplinary engineering teams

• Strong critical thinking and attention to detail, particularly when reviewing layouts and resolving verification issues

• Clear communication skills and the ability to explain technical decisions and trade-offs to both technical and non-technical stakeholders

Candidates with particularly strong academic, research or project experience may also be considered where they can demonstrate the required practical capability and leadership.

Even better if you

• Have a Master’s degree or PhD in integrated photonics, photonics, electrical engineering, physics or a related discipline

• Have led Python-based layout automation or framework development

• Have experience with photonic or semiconductor EDA tools

• Are familiar with common integrated photonic devices and structures

• Have knowledge of semiconductor manufacturing processes and fabrication technologies

• Have developed or maintained component or PDK libraries

• Have been involved in multiple photonic or semiconductor design cycles

• Have experience working within a commercial product development environment

• Have a background in photonic device design or semiconductor process development

• Have experience building or scaling a layout team or function, including hiring

Relevant backgrounds could include integrated photonics design and layout teams, silicon photonics research groups, university or research institute environments, or semiconductor IC layout and verification teams.

This is an opportunity to work on genuinely challenging problems across photonics, semiconductor engineering and software, with meaningful ownership over the quality and effectiveness of physical design. You will join a highly collaborative engineering environment where you can shape not just individual designs, but also the methods, tools, processes and people behind our advanced photonic hardware.

The role is based in the UK on a hybrid basis, with four days per week on site and one day working from home.