Neurophos

Neurophos

Director of Optics

San Jose, California · Director · Full-time

Sponsorship not specifiedDetected 50 days ago
PythonMATLABElectrical EngineeringResearchLeadershipCollaboration

About the role

  • As a key member of the leadership team, you will be responsible for setting the optics technology roadmap and defining the architectures that will power the future of photonic AI hardware.
  • This role requires a proven track record of successfully deploying advanced optical modules into high-volume production.

Responsibilities

  • Strategic Leadership: Define and execute the long-term optics strategy and technology roadmap to maintain Neurophos' competitive edge in AI acceleration.
  • Architectural Development: Lead the design and definition of complex optical architectures for our Optical Processing Unit, ensuring seamless integration with metamaterials and silicon photonics.
  • Production & Scalability: Drive the transition of optical designs from concept to high-volume manufacturing, ensuring all architectures adhere to rigorous Design for Manufacturability (DFM) principles.
  • Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner closely with the CTO and leads in Silicon Photonics, Electrical Engineering, and Software to deliver a unified hardware-software AI platform.
  • Vendor & Ecosystem Management: Manage strategic relationships with external suppliers and manufacturing partners to validate components and secure the supply chain.
  • Instead of traditional electronic circuits, we use silicon photonics and an active, programmable metasurface to perform matrix multiplications at the speed of light.
  • This architecture will deliver up to 100 times the energy efficiency of existing solutions while significantly improving performance for large-scale AI inference.
  • Define and execute the long-term optics strategy and technology roadmap to maintain Neurophos' competitive edge in AI acceleration.
  • Lead the design and definition of complex optical architectures for our Optical Processing Unit, ensuring seamless integration with metamaterials and silicon photonics.
  • Drive the transition of optical designs from concept to high-volume manufacturing, ensuring all architectures adhere to rigorous Design for Manufacturability (DFM) principles.

Requirements

  • PhD or Master's degree in Optics, Physics, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.
  • Expert-level knowledge of coherent light systems, Gaussian beam propagation, and ABCD matrix analysis.
  • Hands-on proficiency with industry-standard tools such as Zemax, CODE V, or LightTools, as well as scripting in MATLAB or Python for system validation.
  • Expertise in Monte Carlo simulations, tolerance analyses, and stray-light modeling to ensure reliability in real-world scenarios.
  • Exceptional ability to communicate complex optical concepts to both technical stakeholders and non-technical executive leadership.
  • 15+ years of industry experience in the design and development of high-performance free-space optical systems, with at least 5 years in a technical leadership or management capacity.
  • Demonstrated success in deploying complex optical modules into production, specifically within the consumer electronics, telecommunications, or high-performance computing sectors.
  • Deep understanding of active alignment strategies for high-precision assemblies.

Nice to have

  • Preferred Skills:

Skills

  • Experience with neuromorphic computing or advanced AI hardware architectures.
  • Knowledge of metamaterials or non-traditional optoelectronic integration.
  • Familiarity with multi-aperture architectures or beam-steering systems.
  • Come help us bring this transformative technology to the world.
  • Unlimited PTO. No rigid vacation banks, just a focus on delivery.
  • 401(k) matching and stock option opportunities to ensure our success is your success.
  • Full suite of voluntary benefits, including Dental, Vision, Life, Hospital, Critical Illness, and Accident insurance.
  • Personalized Benefits. Choose the plans that fit your life and take the cash back for those that don't.

Benefits

  • 100% coverage of base health plan premiums for you and your dependents, plus HSA contributions.
  • Unlimited PTO.
  • No rigid vacation banks, just a focus on delivery.
  • Personalized Benefits.

Company info

  • We've assembled a world-class team of industry veterans and recently raised a $110M Series A https://www.neurophos.com/110m-raise led by Gates Frontier.
  • Work on a game-changing technology at the intersection of photonics and AI as part of a collaborative and brilliant team.
  • At Neurophos, we offer:
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This listing is sourced directly from Neurophos's careers page and normalized into a canonical job model.