Senior Photonics Design Engineer

Location: Raleigh, NC | Full-Time

About the Role

We are seeking a Senior Photonics Design Engineer to help develop next-generation photonic integrated circuits (PICs) and nonlinear optical systems for advanced sensing, quantum, and optical technology applications.

This is a hands-on role for an experienced engineer who thrives in a fast-paced R&D environment and enjoys taking ownership of challenging photonic design problems from concept through validation.

What You’ll Do

• Design and model integrated photonic components including waveguides, resonators, modulators, gratings, and couplers.
• Develop and optimize nonlinear optical systems and photonic link budgets.
• Design electro-optic, thermo-optic, and other tuning/control mechanisms.
• Collaborate with fabrication and test teams on device layouts, experiments, and performance analysis.
• Drive new PIC designs from concept through testing and validation.
• Contribute to innovative photonic architectures, IP development, and product roadmap activities.

What We’re Looking For

• Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Physics, Optics, Materials Science, or a related field.
• 6+ years of industry experience in PIC design, photonic component design, or nonlinear optics.
• Expertise with photonic simulation tools such as COMSOL, FDTD, EME, RSoft, Synopsys, or similar.
• Experience with photonic layout tools such as GDSFactory, PHIDL, or Cadence.
• Strong analytical skills and proficiency with Python, MATLAB, or similar tools.
• Experience working with optical systems, lasers, fibers, or free-space optics.

Preferred

• Experience with silicon photonics, silicon nitride, TFLN, or other PIC platforms.
• Startup or advanced R&D experience.
• Knowledge of semiconductor lasers, RF electronics, or UV/visible photonic systems.

Why Join Us?

• Work on cutting-edge photonic technologies.
• Significant technical ownership and impact.
• Collaborative, multidisciplinary team environment.
• Competitive compensation, benefits, and equity opportunity.

Darwin Recruitment is acting as an Employment Agency in relation to this vacancy.

Nozipho Mbatha