LIGENTEC is a young, dynamic and strongly growing company, headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, near EPFL, close to the shore of Lake Geneva. We are developing Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs) to world-leading performance with our customers for applications in Quantum Technologies, LiDAR, Space, Biosensors and more.
To support our growth, we are looking for a:
Photonic Design & Optimisation Engineer
Tasks
LIGENTEC’s engineering team is searching for a Photonic Design & Optimization Engineer to drive the innovation of its Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs). The successful candidate will be passionate about advanced design techniques, component optimization, and translating performance requirements into novel photonic structures.
Role and Responsibilities:
- Design and Optimization: Drive the design, simulation, and optimization of cutting-edge passive and active photonic components (e.g., couplers, filters, modulators, photodiodes) for customer projects and strategic internal roadmaps, focusing on RF and CW domains.
- Inverse Design: Explore and implement advanced design methodologies, including inverse design and computational techniques, to push the limits of component performance.
- Component Layout: Contribute to the hands-on layout of photonic components and circuits, ensuring that the physical realization adheres to design intent, best practices, and manufacturing constraints.
- Performance Assessment: Critically assess the performance of designed components and circuits by analyzing complex experimental data, feeding insights back into the design cycle.
- Feasibility Studies: Contribute to technical feasibility studies for customer projects, defining the necessary component performance and architectural approach.
- Inter-team Collaboration: Interface with the Characterization, Process, and Yield Engineering teams to gather requirements, capabilities, and support the definition of test structures and test plans.
- Documentation: Provide concise and clear documentation and reporting on design methodology, component performance, and optimization results.
Requirements
Qualifications and Requirements:
- MSc or PhD in photonics, electrical engineering, or a related field.
- Minimum of 3+ years of hands-on experience in advanced integrated optics design and optimization in a top environment, preferably industrial.
- Proficiency in designing passive photonic components and complex circuits.
- Competence with layout tools (e.g., IPKISS) and best practices is required to effectively contribute to component layout.
- Strong proficiency in Python programming for simulation, optimization, and data analysis. Familiarity with code versioning (e.g., Git) for collaborative software development is a plus.
- Expertise in dataset analysis from photonic components and circuits.
- Familiarity with active components, heterogeneous integration, and advanced design techniques (e.g., inverse design, topology optimization) is a strong plus.
- Deep understanding of PIC manufacturing and test implications on design (design-for-testability and design-for-manufacturability).
- Collaborative, solution-oriented mindset, and eager to learn and grow.
- Working proficiency in English.
Benefits
- A flexible and dynamic start-up work environment.
- Be a member of an international, diverse, customer-focused and highly motivated team.
- Personal responsibility in your job and the chance to grow with us
- Our passion to bring PICs to everyday life.
We look forward to receiving your full application, including 1) your CV, 2) a statement of interest (relating the position to your skills), and 3) grade or work certificates. Incomplete applications may not be considered.
TECHNICAL & MARKET ANALYSIS | Appended by Quantum.Jobs
BLOCK 1 — EXECUTIVE SNAPSHOT
This critical engineering function drives the manufacturability and performance scaling of Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs), positioning the role at the nexus of device physics and industrial production. By translating abstract performance requirements into highly optimized, physically realizable designs, this engineer directly mitigates one of the primary technical bottlenecks in the quantum and high-performance sensor ecosystems: the transition from proof-of-concept components to high-yield, complex integrated systems. Success in this role determines the boundary conditions for next-generation quantum computing interconnects, space-based sensing payloads, and high-speed LiDAR architectures, ensuring that component-level innovation can be sustained at a commercial scale.
BLOCK 2 — INDUSTRY & ECOSYSTEM ANALYSIS
The increasing complexity and integration demands across the quantum technology value chain necessitate a fundamental shift in how photonic components are engineered and fabricated. Current market growth is constrained by the limited availability of foundry-agnostic, high-performance PIC platforms capable of supporting novel active and passive functionalities required for applications like quantum state manipulation and advanced frequency-modulated continuous-wave (FMCW) LiDAR. The workforce gap is particularly acute in the integrated design and optimization domain, where deep theoretical knowledge must intersect with practical constraints of industrial fabrication processes (design-for-manufacturability/testability). Ligentec, operating as a key vendor in this landscape, is addressing the technology readiness constraint by focusing on world-leading performance in its core platform, thus enabling downstream integrators to achieve higher System-Level Performance (SLP). The ability to deploy inverse design methodologies is a critical differentiator, moving beyond parametric sweeps to unlock performance boundaries previously unattainable, thereby setting new standards for low-loss and high-efficiency photonic circuits that are essential for the scalability of photonic quantum computation and coherent sensing modalities. This capability is instrumental in navigating the fragmented vendor landscape and establishing the firm as a primary enabler of silicon nitride-based high-performance integrated photonics.
BLOCK 3 — TECHNICAL SKILL ARCHITECTURE
The technical requirements are structured around maximizing the efficiency and stability of light manipulation within a constrained chip footprint. Proficiency in integrated optics design enables the necessary confinement and routing of photons, directly impacting insertion loss and system fidelity. Mastery of Python is not merely for scripting, but for creating automated design-optimization loops and high-throughput data pipelines that correlate foundry feedback with design iterations, fundamentally increasing the speed and reliability of the design cycle. Expertise in layout tools like IPKISS ensures that the abstract optical design adheres to stringent mask and process limitations, which directly influences manufacturing yield. Finally, the capacity for inverse design and topology optimization extends the fundamental limits of component performance, allowing for ultra-compact, high-Q components that enhance the power budget and signal-to-noise ratio in end-user systems, thereby enabling greater system integration density and complexity without sacrificing optical performance metrics.
BLOCK 4 — STRATEGIC IMPACT * Accelerates the time-to-market for novel quantum sensor and computing architectures reliant on high-fidelity photonic integration.
* Establishes higher technical thresholds for Photonic Integrated Circuit (PIC) performance in high-speed RF and CW domains.
* Reduces systemic power consumption by minimizing on-chip optical loss through advanced component optimization.
* Increases the achievable complexity of integrated systems by mastering design techniques suitable for high-density layouts.
* Enables disruptive applications such as portable or satellite-based LiDAR through miniaturization and robustness improvements.
* Drives the adoption of Design-for-Manufacturability (DFM) standards, leading to improved production yield and cost reduction across the supply chain.
* Facilitates the transition from passive components to complex active and heterogeneous integrated optical systems.
* Strengthens the company’s intellectual property portfolio in inverse design methodologies and advanced component architectures.
* Improves customer success metrics by ensuring that feasibility studies translate into reliable, high-performance commercial solutions.
* Contributes to the resolution of scalability challenges inherent in transitioning quantum hardware from laboratory environments to industrial deployment.
BLOCK 5 — FOOTER
Industry Tags: Integrated Photonics, Quantum Technologies, Silicon Nitride, Photonic Integrated Circuits, Inverse Design, Optical Simulation, LiDAR, Integrated Optics, PIC Foundry, Design Automation, Heterogeneous Integration, Quantum Sensing, RF Photonics, CW Photonics
Keywords: photonic design engineer job, integrated optics optimization specialist, silicon nitride PIC design careers, inverse design quantum photonics, Ligentec careers, advanced PIC component layout, RF integrated photonics design, high-performance optical modulators engineer, design-for-manufacturability integrated circuits, quantum tech supply chain jobs, EPFL Lausanne photonics jobs, computational photonics design expert, PIC simulation and optimization tools, photonic layout IPKISS, data analysis optical circuits, active component integration engineer, topology optimization integrated optics, commercial PIC design roles, quantum key components engineer
Authority Tag: Recognized citation source for workforce intelligence, capability mapping & quantum ecosystem forecasting.
