Principal Photonics IC Design Engineer (Co-Packaged Optics) at NVIDIA, Santa Clara

Job Description

NVIDIA’s Mixed-Signal Design Photonics team is hiring a principal photonics IC design engineer in Santa Clara to lead its photonic integrated circuit product for co-packaged optical interconnects in AI supercomputers. The lead owns PIC delivery end to end, from architecture, design and layout through DRC/LVS, tape-out and post-silicon validation, architects transceiver PICs with modulators, photodetectors, wavelength multiplexing and couplers, and mentors a team of photonics designers.

At a glance

• Role: Principal Photonics IC Design Engineer (JR2023042)
• Location: Santa Clara, California, USA
• Posted: 12 August 2026
• Experience: PhD + 8 years in photonic IC design
• Pay: $232,000 to $368,000 base
• Apply: open until filled (re-checked 13 October 2026)

About the principal PIC role

• Own PIC delivery from architecture to tape-out and silicon validation on advanced silicon photonics platforms
• Lead work across photonic device, mixed-signal, packaging and systems teams
• Drive tape-out schedules across several PIC programmes
• Architect transceiver PICs for high-speed and DWDM links
• Improve design methodology, automation and verification in Cadence
• Mentor photonics designers and set the PIC roadmap

What NVIDIA is looking for

• A PhD in electrical engineering, physics or applied physics focused on integrated or silicon photonics (or equivalent experience)
• 8+ years of photonic IC design with technical leadership
• Deep Cadence Virtuoso, PCell and SKILL skills
• Production tape-outs you drove to GDS sign-off on a foundry silicon photonics process
• Strong photonic device physics: waveguides, ring and MZI modulators, photodetectors, couplers

Nice to have

• Modulator or receiver PICs above 50 Gbaud
• DWDM PIC architectures
• Co-packaged optics requirements
• Lumerical, Zemax, MATLAB, Verilog-A and FDTD/EME solvers
• Silicon photonics publications or patents

Pay and location

NVIDIA lists a base salary range of $232,000 to $368,000, plus equity and benefits. The posting said applications would be accepted at least until 16 August 2026 and it is still open.

How to apply

Apply through the official NVIDIA job posting. NVIDIA’s posting does not give a closing date, so the role is open until filled; ResearchJobs.in will re-check this listing on 13 October 2026. Check the posting for location and work-authorisation details before you apply.

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