Job Title: Photonic Product Validation & Characterization Engineer
Company: Inpho
Location: Ottawa, ON
Job Type: Full-Time, On Site
Reports to: Senior Principal Optical Engineer
About Inpho
Inpho is a fast-growing startup, focused on developing cutting-edge optoelectronic solutions for next-generation communications, and photonic systems. Our multidisciplinary team is pushing the boundaries of innovation in integrated photonics and semiconductor packaging.
Inpho’s new class of monolithically integrated electro-photonic chips is poised to revolutionize and disrupt the optical interconnect market. Utilizing this new class of chips enables existing optical interconnect systems to be built at much lower cost; new architectures to be deployed that provide significantly higher price/performance; and a whole new generation of higher speed interconnect to be built that to date have been impossible.
About the Role
We are seeking a Photonic Product Validation & Characterization Engineer who is an autonomous problem solver and a proactive doer. While the Test Engineer focuses on lab execution, you will take ownership of the "why" and the "what" - determining the necessary test coverage to validate our photonic components and ensuring the results are technically sound. We need a team player who can take a project from the test bench all the way to a finished DVT report with minimal oversight. Success in this role means delivering clear, defensible EVT/DVT reports that enable confident product release decisions.
Key Responsibilities
- Project Ownership: Own EVT/DVT planning, execution, and technical sign-off, including defining test coverage and acceptance criteria for high-speed InP EMLs and photodetectors, ensuring all performance benchmarks are met.
- Analytical Problem Solving: Go beyond data collection to extract key parameters (e.g., bandwidth, RIN, extinction ratio); interpreting results in the context of device physics and identifying trends or anomalies and root causes of performance limitations.
- Report Leadership: Take full responsibility for analyzing datasets and writing clear, professional validation reports for internal and external stakeholders.
- Data Pipelines: Utilize Python to build and improve data visualization and analysis tools, making complex performance data easy for the team to digest.
- Collaborative Bridge: Work closely with both the design and test teams to refine characterization methods and troubleshoot device-level issues.
Qualifications
- Education: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree (PhD also welcome) in Electrical Engineering, Physics, or a related field.
- Years of Experience: 3–7 years of practical experience in photonic or semiconductor device validation.
- Technical Knowledge: Solid understanding of InP semiconductor physics (lasers, modulators, detectors) and high-speed (PAM4) testing concepts.
- Specific Experience: Proven experience with high-speed test equipment and Python-based data analysis (Pandas, Plotly, or similar).
Soft Skills
- Experience working in a fast-paced environment, independently and as part of a team
- High level attention to detail, strong analytical skills and coachability
- Exceptional leadership, communication, interpersonal and organizational skills
- Strong cross-functional communication and technical decision-making ability
- Preferred Additional Experience
- Experience working in a startup environment
- Experience working in a high-tech hardware design and manufacturing company
Why Join Inpho?
- Be part of a mission-driven startup shaping the future of photonics.
- Competitive salary, full health benefits and equity packages, flexible work environment, and career growth opportunities.
Come work with a dynamic, high-talent team to build and commercialize the highest performance photonics chips in the world!
