Monarch Quantum

Designs and manufactures quantum photonic subsystems

Senior Photonics Process Development Engineer Packaging and Tooling

Manufacturing EngineeringConfirmed live in the last 24 hours

Full-timeSan Diego, CA, USA

About the Job

Requirements

The position requires access to export-controlled information, and employment is contingent upon the applicant being a U.S. person as defined by 8 U.S.C. § 1324b(a)(3).
A BS or MS in Optical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, or a related field is required.
At least 8 years of relevant experience in photonics or optoelectronic process development is required.
Five to ten years of experience using manufacturing process equipment such as die bonders, wire bonders, vacuum reflow systems, active alignment platforms, or laser welding systems is required.
The candidate must be comfortable operating in an evolving environment with changing priorities.
The candidate must be motivated by building new capabilities and infrastructure from the ground up.
The candidate must be willing to take ownership across multiple technical domains.
The candidate must be hands-on and resourceful, with a strong bias toward execution.

Responsibilities

Participate in end-to-end development of photonic assembly processes from concept through production release.
Create and execute the process development roadmap aligned with product and manufacturing goals.
Design statistically rigorous experiments (DOE) to optimize process windows, robustness, and yield.
Determine process control limits, qualification criteria, and acceptance metrics.
Transition processes from research and development to pilot and full manufacturing scale.
Transfer processes to production, including equipment qualification (IQ, OQ, PQ).
Work on yield improvement initiatives and root-cause investigations for failures and reliability issues.
Participate in establishing engineering standards, documentation, and best practices.
Create process flows, work instructions, travelers, and training materials.
Apply Design for Manufacturability (DFM) principles and perform tolerance analysis.
Analyze and improve process capability (Cp/Cpk).
Support qualification, reliability testing, and failure analysis, including FMEA.
Develop precision fixtures, tooling, and mechanisms to enable repeatable assembly and alignment.
Collaborate with mechanical engineers and equipment vendors to develop manufacturable solutions and automation.
Ensure adherence to cleanroom protocols and contamination control practices.
Perform other related duties as required.

Desired Qualifications

Experience with laser diodes, photonic integrated circuits (PICs), modulators, detectors, or optical transceivers.
Familiarity with hermetic packaging, including butterfly, TO, or micro-optical packages.
Experience with active alignment systems.
Reliability testing experience, including thermal cycling, HTOL, and damp heat.
Knowledge of statistical process control (SPC) and manufacturing metrics.
Experience supporting low- to medium-volume production environments.
Fixture and mechanism design experience in precision systems.

Senior Photonics Process Development Engineer Packaging and Tooling

Monarch Quantum · San Diego, United States · Full-time · Posted 2026-09-18

Salary: USD 125,000–175,000

Workplace: on_site

Department: Engineering

Description

Join our fast-paced and passionate team as a Senior Photonics Process Development Engineer focused on advanced packaging and tooling. As we scale, you will be instrumental in building our manufacturing foundation from the ground up. This is a dynamic, hands-on role for a highly self-directed engineer who thrives in an ambiguous, fast-moving environment.

You will play a critical role in establishing scalable photonic manufacturing processes that directly enable product performance, reliability, and cost targets. Your work will contribute to how our technology transitions from prototype to production.

You will collaborate closely with device, optical, electrical, mechanical, and manufacturing engineers to transform delicate photonic designs into robust, manufacturable, high-yield products.

Impact:

Determine core assembly and packaging processes that enable company growth
Create manufacturing strategies that scale from R&D to production
Improve yield, reliability, and cost through process innovation and optimization
Build tooling, fixtures, and automation approaches that enable repeatability

Key Technical Areas:

Vacuum reflow soldering (AuSn, SAC, Indium, and related materials)
Wire bonding (Au and Al; ball and wedge)
Die bonding (epoxy, eutectic, and solder attach)
Optical assembly and active alignment (lenses, isolators, fiber arrays)
Fiber splicing and precision fiber handling (including PM alignment)
Hermetic sealing (laser welding, parallel seam sealing)
Adhesives and material characterization
Process metrology and inspection (shear/pull testing, vision systems, interferometry, hermeticity testing)
Automation and semi-automation development

Responsibilities:

Participates in end-to-end development of photonic assembly processes from concept through production release
Create and execute the process development roadmap aligned with product and manufacturing goals
Design statistically rigorous experiments (DOE) to optimize process windows, robustness, and yield
Determine process control limits, qualification criteria, and acceptance metrics
Transition processes from R&D to pilot and full manufacturing scale
Process transfer to production, including equipment qualification (IQ, OQ, PQ)
Work on yield improvement initiatives and root-cause investigations for failures and reliability issues
Participate in establishing engineering standards, documentation, and best practices
Create process flows, work instructions, travelers, and training materials
Apply Design for Manufacturability (DFM) principles and perform tolerance analysis
Analyze and improve process capability (Cp/Cpk)
Support qualification, reliability testing, and failure analysis (including FMEA)
Perform precision fixtures, tooling, and mechanisms to enable repeatable assembly and alignment
Collaborate with mechanical engineers and equipment vendors to develop manufacturable solutions and automation
Ensure adherence to cleanroom protocols and contamination control practices
Perform other related duties as required.

Requirements

This position requires access to export-controlled information. Employment is contingent upon the applicant being a U.S. person as defined by 8 U.S.C. § 1324b(a)(3).

Experience:

BS or MS in Optical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, or a related field.
8+ years of relevant experience in photonics or optoelectronic process development.
5-10 years of experience using manufacturing process equipment such as die bonders, wire bonders, vacuum reflow systems, active alignment platforms, or laser welding systems

Preferred Qualifications:

Experience with laser diodes, PICs, modulators, detectors, or optical transceivers
Familiarity with hermetic packaging (butterfly, TO, or micro-optical packages)
Experience with active alignment systems
Reliability testing experience (thermal cycling, HTOL, damp heat)
Knowledge of statistical process control (SPC) and manufacturing metrics
Experience supporting low- to medium-volume production environments
Fixture and mechanism design experience in precision systems

Startup Mindset:

Comfortable operating in an evolving environment with changing priorities
Motivated by building new capabilities and infrastructure from the ground up
Willing to take ownership across multiple technical domains
Hands-on and resourceful, with a strong bias toward execution

Benefits

The expected annual salary range for this position is $125,000.00 to $175,000.00.

As a full-time employee, you will be eligible for Monarch’s comprehensive benefits package, which includes:

Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance
Fidelity 401(k) plan with 4% employer matching
20 paid time off (PTO) days per year
13 paid company holidays
9/80 work schedule (every other Friday off)

Monarch Quantum is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, citizenship status, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, age, religion, creed, physical or mental disability, medical condition, marital status, veteran status or any other characteristics protected under applicable federal, state and local laws.

Apply

Apply at Monarch Quantum

About the Company

Monarch Quantum

Designs and manufactures quantum photonic subsystems

Monarch Quantum designs and manufactures Quantum Light Engines, integrated photonic subsystems that replace large laser systems with compact, factory-aligned modules. These modules handle state preparation, cooling, trapping, manipulation, and coherent control to prepare and measure quantum states for computing, sensing, and communications. They operate with a vertically integrated model in San Diego, combining in-house systems engineering, hybrid optical packaging, robotic assembly, and AI-driven manufacturing to enable design-to-volume production under one roof, reducing size, complexity, and integration risk. The company differentiates itself by offering ready-to-integrate modular photonic subsystems for architectures such as trapped-ion, neutral-atom, and photonics-based platforms, targeting hardware developers, system integrators, and OEMs to streamline quantum hardware development and scaling.

Company size: 51-200
Company stage: Early VC
Total funding: $55M
Headquarters: San Diego, CA
Founded: 2025

Recently Posted Jobs

Explore more opportunities at Monarch Quantum

See more jobs