Senior Photonics Engineer

Basic Qualifications Education Requirements: Requires a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, or a related Science, Engineering, Technology or Mathematics field. Also requires 8+ years of job-related experience, or a Master's degree plus 6 years of job-related experience.

Clearance Requirements: Ability to obtain a Department of Defense TS/SCI security clearance is required at time of hire. Applicants selected will be subject to a U.S. Government security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information. Due to the nature of work performed within our facilities, U.S. citizenship is required. Responsibilities for this Position General Dynamics Mission Systems designs, prototypes, packages, and tests custom photonic integrated circuit (PIC) and photonic subsystem solutions for mission-critical defense and intelligence applications.

We are seeking a Senior Photonics Engineer to lead photonic design execution across multiple programs and technology platforms. You will tackle a wide breadth of photonic and optoelectronic design challenges — from integrated photonic circuits to optical communication systems to more complex and advanced systems.

Lead the full PIC design cycle process: requirements analysis, component and circuit design, simulation, layout, foundry tape-out, post-fabrication test, and design iteration Design PIC circuits and components using foundry PDKs and first-principles approaches as needed Execute PIC layout using Luceda IPKISS or equivalent tools Perform photonic simulation using Lumerical, Tidy3D, Photonforge, or equivalent tools Manage tape-out with domestic foundries including design rule checks, foundry interface, and run coordination Lead testing and characterization activities for fabricated PIC devices — optical and electrical measurements on bare die and packaged parts Design PICs with packaging in mind — fiber coupling, electrical fanout (wirebond and flip-chip), thermal, and mechanical constraints Contribute to optical system and link-level design and trade studies where programs extend beyond the chip level Mentor junior engineers and team members Contribute to IRAD projects and technology development Participate in customer-facing technical discussions and design reviews Contribute to technical and cost proposals

We encourage you to apply if you have these skills and experiences:

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Photonics, Applied Physics or other relevant field plus a minimum of 8 years of relevant experience OR Master's degree plus a minimum of 6 years of relevant experience OR PhD degree plus a minimum of 3 years of relevant experience Experience with full-lifecycle PIC design: concept → modeling → tape-out → test PIC layout tools (Luceda IPKISS, Photonforge, or equivalent) Photonic simulation tools (Lumerical, Tidy3D, or equivalent) Foundry tape-out experience at a commercial photonics foundry. Experience on at least one major photonics platform: silicon, silicon nitride, lithium niobate Working knowledge of core PIC building blocks: waveguides, couplers, ring resonators, AWGs, MZIs, modulators, photodetectors PIC test and characterization — fiber-coupled and probe-based measurements Technical leadership or mentorship of small engineering teams Python or scripting for design automation or test

Post-fabrication packaging experience: fiber array attach, wirebond or flip-chip integration, optical alignment, or managing external packaging vendors Multi-platform PIC experience across two or more of: silicon photonics, silicon nitride, III-V (InP), thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) Optical system-level design or systems engineering for communication or sensing systems Familiarity with active photonic devices (lasers and amplifiers) and their integration into PIC-based systems RF photonics or analog photonic link design