Silicon Photonics Test Engineering Manager

About the Company

An innovative semiconductor design company specializing in advanced silicon photonics and photonic integrated circuits (PICs) for optical communications. The company develops high-performance, application-specific photonic and electronic solutions designed to enable faster, more efficient data transmission.

The organization offers the opportunity to work on cutting-edge photonic technologies in a collaborative, fast-paced and innovation-driven environment, with a strong focus on technical excellence and solving complex engineering challenges.

Role Description

The Silicon Photonics Test Engineering Manager will lead the test engineering team, overseeing the development, implementation and optimization of test strategies and procedures for photonic integrated circuits.

The ideal candidate will bring extensive experience in testing complex semiconductor and/or photonic products, developing validation methodologies, analyzing test results and coordinating cross-functional engineering activities. This role will be instrumental in ensuring products meet performance, reliability and manufacturability requirements and are delivered in line with development schedules.

Key Responsibilities

• Define test strategies, validation methodologies and qualification plans for photonic and semiconductor products.

• Develop and maintain test schedules, milestones and execution plans aligned with product development and tapeout timelines.

• Lead and execute optical, electrical and system-level testing of photonic integrated circuits and related products.

• Develop detailed test plans, procedures and acceptance criteria.

• Coordinate test and characterization activities across engineering teams to ensure programs remain on schedule.

• Define test coverage, performance metrics, qualification requirements and product release criteria.

• Analyze test results, identify root causes and drive corrective actions.

• Support the development of automated test infrastructure, data analysis tools and test methodologies.

• Collaborate with photonics, ASIC, hardware, packaging and manufacturing teams to ensure successful product qualification and release.

• Coordinate testing with foundries, packaging vendors, manufacturing partners and external laboratories.

• Generate test reports, qualification documentation and readiness assessments for management and customers.

• Support manufacturing readiness and production test development.

• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to test and characterization engineers.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s, Master’s or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Optical Engineering, Physics or a related field.

• 8+ years of experience in test engineering, validation, characterization or qualification of semiconductor and/or photonic products.

• Experience qualifying photonic integrated circuits (PICs) according to Telcordia GR-468 or similar standards.

• Understanding of PIC testing requirements for optical transceivers.

• Experience developing test plans, validation strategies and qualification methodologies.

• Experience leading complex test programs and managing execution against schedules and milestones.

• Strong hands-on experience in optical and electrical laboratory environments.

• Experience with wafer-level, die-level and packaged-device testing.

• Ability to manage both small-volume internal testing and high-volume external testing.

• Experience qualifying semiconductor or photonic products for reliability and production release.

• Experience developing automated test platforms and production test methodologies.

• Familiarity with optical and electrical test equipment, automated test systems and data acquisition platforms.

• Experience with wafer-level optical fibre coupling to photonic integrated circuits.

• Proficiency in MATLAB, Python or similar tools for test automation and data analysis.

• Strong analytical and troubleshooting skills, with the ability to identify root causes and drive resolution.

• Excellent communication, organizational and project management skills.

• Ability to coordinate activities across multiple engineering disciplines and external partners.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working with external foundries, packaging vendors and manufacturing partners.

• Experience mentoring engineers and providing technical leadership on test and validation programs.

• Familiarity with high-speed optical communications, coherent optics, networking or AI infrastructure technologies.

• Understanding of silicon photonics fabrication, packaging and manufacturing processes.

Compensation & Benefits

This is a full-time, salaried position offering competitive compensation and a comprehensive benefits package, including:

• Competitive base salary and equity/stock options.

• Health, dental and vision insurance.

• 401(k) with company matching.

• Paid holidays and flexible paid time off.

The employer is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to fostering an inclusive workplace that values diversity and welcomes applications from all qualified individuals.

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

Sindi Ngubane