Photonics System Engineer

Job Overview

As a Photonics System Engineer at Salience Labs, you will play a key role in designing, modelling, and optimising optical communication links for cutting-edge electro-optic systems. Your expertise in optical signal integrity, impairment mitigation, and system-level modelling will drive architectural decisions for high-performance photonic solutions. You will develop analytical models, simulation tools, and methodologies to predict system performance, assess design trade-offs, and contribute to the evolution of photonic integration. Collaborating closely with hardware and photonics teams, you will ensure that optical link architectures are scalable, efficient, and aligned with cutting-edge technological advancements.

What you'll be doing

• Developing and maintaining models and analysis algorithms to predict performance and evaluate design trade-offs in complex photonic links, including those with active amplification.
• Assessing and implementing advanced techniques for modelling and simulating optical transmission systems.
• Proposing and refining strategies for model development and integration with broader toolsets to enhance system design workflows.
• Defining and exploring the design space for novel integrated electro-optic systems.
• Translating analytical insights into architectural decisions, technical requirements, and implementation guidelines in collaboration with hardware and photonics teams.
• Contributing to the development of a unified design and verification methodology for integrated electro-optical designs to ensure a shared understanding across engineering teams.
• Staying up to date with industry trends and emerging modelling techniques to enhance system performance and efficiency.

What we're looking for

• Strong knowledge of optical signal propagation and silicon photonic device physics.
• Proficiency in one or more programming languages such as Python, MATLAB, or C, with Python being a strong advantage.
• Experience with optical simulation frameworks such as Lumerical, OptSim, or VPIPhotonics.
• Familiarity with optical signal impairment mitigation techniques, including signal equalization, SNR computation in amplified signal chains, microwave network theory, and system theory.
• Experience working with serial transmission links or similar systems in a laboratory setting.
• Strong analytical skills with expertise in performance modelling and power optimisation at the system level.
• Ability to collaborate across disciplines and contribute to a team-oriented environment.
• Effective written and verbal communication skills to convey complex technical concepts to a broad audience.
• Curiosity, innovative thinking, and a drive to push the boundaries of electro-optic system design.

Even better if you

• Have experience working with high-speed optical communication systems and their integration into larger networks.
• Are familiar with DSP techniques for optical communications, including equalisation and compensation algorithms.
• Have hands-on experience with experimental characterisation and validation of electro-optic components and systems.
• Have experience in designing or optimising power-efficient photonic systems.
• Understand photonic packaging challenges and their impact on system performance.

This role offers an exciting opportunity to work at the forefront of photonic system architecture, contributing to groundbreaking innovations in electro-optic integration. If you're passionate about system modelling, simulation, and next-generation photonics, we’d love to hear from you.