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Senior Optical Validation Engineer Location: London (Hybrid) Salary: £60,000 – £80,000 + Benefits
Visa & Relocation: Support available for qualified candidates
This is an exciting and new opportunity to join a start-up involved with the research, development and design of optical / photonic technologies. Their technologies are designed to radically improve network speed and energy efficiency of AI / ML applications.
This role involves the test, prototyping, characterization and validation of their ultra-fast optical hardware products.
As a Senior Optical Engineer, you’ll take an active, hands-on role in lab-based experimentation, hardware integration, and system-level validation. Working closely with multidisciplinary design teams, you’ll bring together advanced electronics (SoC / high speed boards) and optical technologies, helping to move products from prototype to production readiness.
Typical involvements - Senior Optical Engineer / Hardware Validation Engineer
* Integrate and test very high-speed optical and electronic hardware systems
* Assess optical transmission and network performance for short-reach AI Networked Systems
* Develop and execute test plans for high-speed optical transceivers across the full product lifecycle (prototype, validation, production).
* Perform electrical and optical characterisation of transceivers, specifically in burst-mode Tx/Rx testing.
* Analyse test data to identify performance margins, failure modes, and opportunities for design/manufacturing improvements.
* Optimise receiver performance through equalisation tuning (CTLE, DFE, FFE) and characterise link margins.
* Design and execute automated test and characterisation routines for prototypes and NPI systems.
* Analyse and optimise system-level performance across electrical and optical domains.
Candidates should be collaborative, analytical, and hands-on approach to solving complex engineering challenges
Skills / Knowledge Required: Senior Optical Engineer / Hardware Validation Engineer
* MSc or PhD degree in optical communications, photonics, physics, electronics engineering or other relevant areas
* Proven experience working in industry on similar high-speed electronics / optical systems (e.g. >50 Ghz : >10Gbps)
* Strong background in optical / photonic or high-speed electronic system testing, validation, or integration.
* Understanding of signal integrity, high-speed PCB design considerations, and packaging impacts on performance.
* Experience with fibre-optic communication systems testing (OLT, ONT, PON) and integration.
* Expertise in burst-mode transceiver characterisation.
* Solid understanding of equalisation techniques (CTLE, FFE, DFE) for improving high-speed link performance.
* Proficiency in using high-speed measurement instruments (e.g., sampling oscilloscopes, BERTs, burst-mode analysers).
* Familiarity with optical components (lasers, photodiodes, burst-mode APDs/TIAs, modulators) and transceiver architectures.
Others (beneficial):
* Strong hands-on experience in optical / photonic communication systems development and testing, ideally at 100Gbps and above.
* Experience with automated test systems and scripting (e.g., Python, Matlab, C++, C#).
* A strong and demonstrable interest in sustainable technologies, AI, ML and / or HPC would be preferred.
This is a great opportunity to join a highly technical team driving innovation in next-generation AI / ML networking hardware.
The Senior Optical Engineer opening is based in central London (hybrid). Assistance can be granted to obtain working visas
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Looking for your next career move? Join a top company hiring Senior Optical engineer job near me in London! This is your chance to work on exciting projects, grow professionally, and enjoy a rewarding career with competitive pay and excellent benefits. Whether you're an experienced professional or looking to take the next step, this role offers the perfect opportunity to enhance your skills and make an impact. Don’t miss out—apply today via Vita CV and take your career to the next level!
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