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Lightmatter

Staff Photonics Design & PDK Modeling Engineer

Lightmatter · Mountain View, CA

Posted about 3 months ago

or apply directly on Lightmatter's site. We never take the application ourselves.

Is this posting real?

This role has been open
81 days
Lightmatter's roles stay open a median of 82 days
Reposted
No
Salary listed
No
10% of Lightmatter's roles list one
Ghost-job risk at Lightmatter
high
63 stale, 0 reposted of 63 open
Hiring momentum
85 roles opened in the last 90 days
↑ up vs. the prior 90 days
Last confirmed on the employer's board
2026-10-24

Measured from postings appearing on and disappearing from Lightmatter's own greenhouse board since 2026-08-03. Full hiring picture for Lightmatter.

About this role

As a Staff Photonics Design Engineer at Lightmatter, you will lead the development of the internal Process Design Kit (PDK) and create robust compact models for photonic components. Your daily tasks will involve developing a library of pcells using Python, validating simulation models against lab measurements, and implementing automated workflows for circuit-level simulation. You will also ensure synchronization between physical layouts and logical netlists while managing the logic for netlist extraction.

Our read on this posting2.8out of 5
benefits
5/5
freshness
1/5
career value
4/5
role clarity
4/5
pay transparency
0/5

Scored from the posting itself — how clearly the role is described, how much it says about pay and benefits, and how recently it was listed. Not a judgement of Lightmatter as an employer.

What you need

  • Master’s +5 years experience or PhD +3 years experience in Electrical Engineering, Photonics, Physics, or related field
  • Deep understanding of photonic device physics and experience in device simulation
  • Experience building behavioral models for circuit simulators (e.g., Lumerical INTERCONNECT, Cadence, Synopsys OptSim, or custom Python solvers)
  • Experienced in Python for modeling, automation, and data analysis
  • Python based layout experience

Nice to have

  • Familiarity with GDSFactory, OptoCompiler or KLayout Python scripting
  • Experience with Python-native circuit simulation ecosystems (e.g., SAX, Photontorch, Simphony)
  • Experience with Git version control, unit testing (pytest), and CI/CD workflows
  • Prior experience in performing physical layout using foundry-provided process design kits (PDKs)
  • Experience in taping out and testing large-scale photonic integrated circuits

What you get

  • Comprehensive Health Care Plan (Medical, Dental & Vision)
  • Retirement Savings Matching Program
  • Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary & AD&D)
  • Generous Time Off (Vacation, Sick & Public Holidays)
  • Paid Family Leave
  • Short Term & Long Term Disability

Worth weighing

  • No specific mention of team size or structure, which may impact collaboration dynamics
  • Salary range provided, but total compensation details are broad and may vary significantly based on individual negotiations
  • The role requires a strong background in both photonics and software engineering, which may limit the candidate pool
  • Candidates must comply with U.S. export control laws, which may affect eligibility for some applicants

Summarised from Lightmatter's posting. Read the full original.

Listed by Lightmatter on their greenhouse job board, last confirmed open on 2026-10-24. PitchMeAI is not the employer.

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