Photonic Design Engineer

Flexcompute is the physics company. We tackle multi-scale, multi-physics problems with simulators that combine numerical methods and AI models. We are GPU-native and support agentic workflows for the fastest path to physics insight. We scale first-principles physics into foundational physics models to eliminate the latency to physical insights. Our platforms help teams design and optimize products from electric aircraft and wind turbines to photonic chips and quantum hardware. Built by engineers from Stanford University and MIT and backed by top VC firms, we are growing fast across aerospace, automotive, semiconductors, photonics, and beyond.

About the Role

We're looking for an Agentic Photonic Design Engineer to join the PhotonForge team. This is a software development role at the intersection of photonic design automation, EDA integration, and agentic AI. You'll extend our end-to-end platform for photonic integrated circuit (PIC) design, working in Python and navigating a C++ codebase to ship production integrations and AI-native workflows.

PhotonForge unifies component simulation, circuit simulation, compact modeling, layout generation, PDK integration, and foundry handoff into a single platform backed by Flexcompute's GPU-accelerated Tidy3D multi-physics solvers. You'll build EDA tool integrations, develop physics-driven application workflows, and design agentic tools that make photonic design faster and more accessible.

This is a remote position. Preference may be given to candidates based in the Boston area who are open to in-person or hybrid work.

What You’ll Do

Build Interfaces & Connectors to EDA Tools

• Develop and maintain integrations between PhotonForge and industry-standard EDA tools for layout, DRC, LVS, and schematic-driven design.

• Enable seamless round-trip workflows between EDA environments, PhotonForge, and Tidy3D simulation.

• Build Python-based APIs and automation scripts that connect PhotonForge to existing toolchains; read, debug, and extend C++ components where integrations touch the core platform.

Design Agentic & AI-Native Workflows

• Build agentic tools and automation that help engineers set up layout, simulation, and verification with less manual friction.

• Prototype and ship AI-powered features inside PhotonForge and adjacent developer experiences (e.g., scripted flows, assistants, workflow agents).

Drive Physics & Application Workflows

• Work with end users on real-world design challenges in quantum photonics, RF photonics, co-packaged optics, or silicon photonics.

• Develop application workflows and reference designs across component simulation, circuit simulation, compact modeling, and layout.

• Leverage Flexcompute’s GPU-accelerated Tidy3D multi-physics solvers (tackling optical, RF, charge, and thermal physics) to build fabrication-aware simulation pipelines.