Application Engineer

NewPhotonics is disrupting data center processing with novel photonic engines that solve power and performance challenges. We are looking for an Application Engineer to join our dynamic team and play a key role in shaping the technological landscape of our organization. The successful candidate for this position should have a track record of strength and aptitude relevant to the following areas:

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide in-depth technical application support to customers and ecosystem partners throughout the entire product lifecycle, from initial evaluation and design-in to final qualification and production ramp-up.
• Ensure customers hardware and software design aspects align with application benchmarks by reviewing solution architecture, logical interfaces, schematics of high-speed electrical interfaces, PCB layout best practices, and power delivery for the SiPh chip.
• Enable application optimization of optical link performance, including fiber coupling, optical alignment, power budget analysis, and thermal management of the optical engine.
• Provide support for low-level software and firmware integration, helping customers implement control, calibration, and monitoring features via API interfaces and ensuring compliance with industry standards.
• Develop and present technical training materials, application notes, and reference designs to accelerate customer learning and adoption.
• Debug and troubleshoot complex system-level issues that may involve interaction between the SiPh chip, the customer's host board, and transceiver firmware/hardware.
• Collaborate closely with internal R&D, Product Management, and Sales teams to relay customer feedback, influence future product development, and ensure a seamless customer experience.
• Travel may be required to customer sites for on-site workshops, training, and troubleshooting.

Requirements:

Required Qualifications and Skills:

• Education: Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Optics/Photonics, or a related technical field.

Experience:

• 5 years of experience in Application Engineering, Field Applications Engineering (FAE), or R&D role within the optical communications industry.
• Hardware Expertise: Strong understanding of high-speed digital and analog circuits, PCB design fundamentals, Signal Integrity (SI), and Power Integrity (PI).
• Exceptional problem-solving and diagnostic skills to handle multi-domain technical challenges.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills to convey complex technical information clearly to customers and internal teams.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities and projects simultaneously in a fast-paced environment.
• Tools: Hands-on proficiency with lab equipment such as oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers, network analyzers, and optical test sets.
• Fluent English spoken and written must
• Travel: up to ~20%

Preferred Requirements:

• Software/Firmware proficiency in debugging embedded systems and experience with industry-standard communication protocols and transceiver management interfaces.
• Experience with C/C++ for embedded applications is a plus.
• Direct experience working with or designing high-speed pluggable optical transceivers (e.g., OSFP, QSFP-DD) is highly preferred.
• Photonics Expertise: Solid knowledge of optical components (lasers, modulators, detectors), fiber optics, link budgets, and optical testing methodologies (e.g., BERT, OSA).
• Experience with Silicon Photonics (SiPh) is a significant advantage.