Integrated Photonics Technical Leader - Acacia (Hybrid)

This is a hybrid role with three days per week at our Holmdel, NJ office. Meet the Team Acacia, part of Cisco, is a market leader in high-speed coherent optical transceivers and a pioneer in coherent pluggable technology. Acacia’s coherent products are deployed by leading hyperscale cloud providers to connect data centers over distances ranging from a few kilometers to thousands of kilometers, including subsea networks. The rapid growth of artificial intelligence infrastructure is substantially increasing demand for high-capacity optical interconnects. Acacia’s coherent technology is also being developed for space-based applications and, as interconnect speeds continue to increase, for emerging applications within data centers. In parallel, Acacia is expanding into the PAM4 client-optics market, including the development of 1.6 Tb/s PAM4 DSP solutions. The Photonic Integrated Circuit, or PIC, team develops advanced photonic chips for optical communication products. The team works across silicon photonics, thin-film lithium niobate, or TFLN, and III–V material platforms, taking products from initial concepts through design, fabrication, characterization, qualification, and volume production.

As a member of the PIC team, you will design, simulate, lay out, and characterize integrated photonic components and circuits for high-speed optical communication systems. You will collaborate closely with engineers working in silicon photonics, TFLN, and III–V technologies. Your responsibilities will span numerical modeling, foundry process development, production tapeouts, PIC characterization, failure analysis, design improvement, and production support. This role provides exposure to the complete commercial PIC development cycle—from device concepts and first prototypes to product qualification and high-volume manufacturing. You will also collaborate with millimeter-wave circuit designers, packaging engineers, module hardware and software teams, and optical test engineers to develop complete optical communication products. Design passive and active integrated photonic components and circuits, including high-speed optoelectronic devices. Develop and validate numerical models using electromagnetic, optical, electrical, thermal, and multiphysics simulation methods. Create parameterized and script-based GDS layouts for photonic components, integrated circuits, and full product chips. Support photonic design reviews, foundry process development, mask preparation, design-rule verification, and production tapeouts. Plan and perform hands-on characterization of photonic components and circuits at the die, wafer, and assembled-device levels. Analyze measurement data and correlate experimental results with device models, process variations, packaging effects, and system-level performance. Work with cross-functional teams to transition PIC designs from prototype development into qualified commercial products. Provide technical support during product integration, qualification, manufacturing ramp, and volume production.

Bachelors + 8 years of related experience, or Masters + 6 years of related experience, or PhD + 3 years of related work experience, or equivalent related work experience. Experience in solid-state physics, integrated photonics, optoelectronics, and electromagnetic theory. Experience with the principles and practical application of numerical methods for photonic-device simulation. Experience using simulation tools such as FDTD, HFSS, COMSOL Multiphysics, or equivalent electromagnetic and multiphysics platforms. Experience with photonic-device fabrication processes and the relationship between fabrication tolerances and device performance. Experience with photonic-device layout, GDS generation, design-rule compliance, and tapeout.

PhD with at least 5 years of relevant industry or applied research experience. Experience executing large-scale photonic