Senior Photonics Module Engineer
Mountain View, CAJob$155–210K/yrPosted 5 days agoStill listed 4 days ago
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Job overview
The Senior Photonics Module Engineer joins Aeva’s photonics module engineering team to develop advanced optical modules for the optical connectivity market. The role works cross-functionally on prototype designs, performance demonstrations, validation platforms, and system performance modeling. It also supports test requirements for assembled modules and performs failure analysis and debugging on early prototypes.
Skills & qualifications
Skills
Qualifications
Benefits
Full job description
About us: Aeva’s mission is building the next generation of products for sensing, perception for autonomous vehicles, and AI data centers. With its unique ability to measure instantaneous velocity for each pixel, long-range performance at high resolutions, while being free from LiDAR or sunlight interference, Aeva’s 4D LiDAR is built from the ground up at silicon photonics scale for mass-market applications. Aeva’s Optical Connectivity leverages the Company’s proprietary high-power optical sources and silicon photonics technologies that have been developed and industrialized for demanding automotive and industrial applications. Role Overview: As a Senior Photonics Module Engineer you will be joining the photonics module engineering team at Aeva and developing advanced optical modules for the optical connectivity market. You will be working cross-functionally to drive the bring up and deliver performance demonstrations of new optical modules.
What you'll be doing:
- Work closely with a cross functional team to drive performance demonstrations and provide technical guidance for full module prototype designs
- Manage core technical details of early photonics prototypes to ensure key results from concept phase translate through to full system demonstration
- Develop a validation platform for silicon photonics based optical modules to demonstrate performance meeting product requirements
- Work with CMs to set up test requirements to ensure assembled modules meet product specifications
- Develop and maintain link budgets and system performance models
- Perform FA and debugging for early prototypes
What you have:
- 2+ years of post-PhD hands-on experience with fiber-coupled photonic systems, components, subassemblies, and/or modules
- Excellent understanding of lasers, electrical components, and thermal/mechanical interfaces
- Experience with laser characterization (e.g. LIV, SMSR, RIN, LW) and benchtop characterization equipment
- Familiarity with system level modeling of optical links
- PhD in electrical engineering, physics, or other photonics related field
- Strong organizational and interpersonal skills with an ability to learn on the fly
- Experience using python, MATLAB, JMP, R, or similar for modelling and data analysis
Aeva is an Equal Opportunity Employer including protected Veterans and individuals with disabilities.
154900 - 209600 USD a year
Salary pay ranges are determined by role, level, and location. Within the range, the successful candidate’s starting base pay will be determined based on factors including job-related skills, experience, certifications, qualifications, relevant education or training, and market conditions. These ranges are subject to change in the future. Depending on the position offered, equity, bonus, and other forms of compensation may be provided as part of a total compensation package, in addition to comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, pre-tax commuter and health care/dependent care accounts, 401k plan, life and disability benefits, flexible time off, paid parental leave, and 11 paid holidays annually.
How this job compares
Set against the 434 open Optical Engineer jobs on Olive Jobs, counted November 10, 2026.
- Pay
- This posting$155–210K/yr
- California median$140–203K/yr84 salary ranges
- US median$115–201K/yr384 salary ranges
This range's midpoint, $182K, is 8% above the California median midpoint ($169K) — in the middle half of Optical Engineer salary ranges in California.
- Openings
- Olive Jobs lists 104 open Optical Engineer jobs in California and 434 across the US. Under 1% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
- Experience
- This posting asks for at least 2 years of experience — less than three in four Optical Engineer postings that state a minimum ask for (median 5 years, across 377 postings).
- Education
- This posting asks for a doctorate or professional degree; 6 of the 434 open Optical Engineer jobs (1%) ask for a doctorate or professional degree.
Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on November 10, 2026. Pay medians are the middle values of the low ends and of the high ends of postings that list both ends of a range in the same cadence (a yearly salary or an hourly rate); a range's midpoint is halfway between its ends. Pay and experience figures resting on fewer than 20 postings are left out.
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