Hardware Engineer - Bring-up, Test & Demos

At NcodiN, we are redefining the future of AI computing. Our breakthrough optical interposer shatters the limits of system integration, enabling the next generation of AI processors to scale beyond the copper wall. With the world’s smallest laser integrated on silicon, we unleash the full potential of AI, setting a new industry standard for performance and efficiency.

Joining NcodiN today means becoming part of a bold, fast-growing company backed by industry leaders. We offer a dynamic environment where autonomy, creativity and innovation thrive. Here, respect, meritocracy, and team spirit drive success, ensuring that every individual grows while we push technology forward together.

As we scale rapidly, we are looking for visionary, adaptable minds ready to pioneer new solutions and shape the future of AI. If you thrive in a fast-paced, high-impact environment, join us and be part of the revolution.

Job description:

Location: Palaiseau

Start date: ASAP

We are seeking an experienced, hands-on hardware engineer with strong high-speed electrical skills and a working knowledge of optics to turn our components into working die-to-die demonstrations, and to bring up and test our first product units.

Working in the product team, you will collaborate closely with R&D, which develops our photonic devices. You will receive assemblies, integrate them into complete demo and test setups, bring them up and debug them. You will then run demonstrations with customers and partners, and the first functional tests of our product units in-house. As customer projects progress, you will also compare measurements with our simulation models. The demos you build are how customers and partners will judge what our technology can do, making this a key role at the interface with chip architects, packaging and signal integrity specialists on the customer side. It calls for an understanding of the whole system, from the photonic devices to the electrical interfaces and the package, a high degree of autonomy, and the rigor to make every result you present defensible.

Key Responsibilities

• Build NcodiN technology demonstrations: integrate assemblies into complete demo and test setups, combining electronic boards, optical instruments, fibers, cabling and mechanical supports.
• Bring up and debug the first assemblies: power-up, link establishment and root-cause analysis of failures, with clear feedback to R&D.
• Run the first functional tests of product units in-house: write the test procedures, run pass/fail tests and debug failing units.
• Measure link performance: bit error rate, eye diagrams, jitter, optical power budget and laser behavior.
• Automate tests and data processing so results are repeatable and fast to produce.
• Run demonstrations for customers and partners, on site and at their facilities, and answer their technical questions.
• Report results clearly, with their limits and test conditions, and feed customer feedback back to the product team and R&D.

Profile & Requirements

• Engineering degree or PhD in electrical engineering, physics or a related field, with at least 5 years in hardware bring-up, high-speed interface validation or optical transceiver testing.
• Proven experience bringing up and debugging complete hardware setups, from electronics and measurement instruments to optics and mechanics.
• Hands-on measurement of high-speed serial links: BER testers, PRBS patterns, eye diagrams, jitter analysis and bathtub curves, using high-speed oscilloscopes, S-parameter measurement and de-embedding on test fixtures.
• Solid understanding of SerDes and PHY concepts: NRZ and PAM4, equalization, link budget, crosstalk, power integrity effects on BER.
• Lab practice with RF probing, cabling and test fixtures, and the ability to tell a measurement artifact from a real hardware issue.
• Good knowledge of RF and signal integrity issues: impedance matching, reflections, insertion and return loss, S-parameters, resonances and losses at high frequency
• Test automation and data analysis in Python or equivalent, and clear reporting of results with their measurement uncertainty and test conditions.
• Able to explain measurements live to chip architects and packaging engineers, and to say when an answer needs follow-up; fluent in English, French is a plus.

Nice to Have

• Experience running demos at trade shows or customer sites.
• Understanding silicon photonics or integrated optical devices.
• Exposure to chiplets, advanced packaging or die-to-die interfaces.
• Ability to design or adapt simple mechanical supports and fixtures for a test setup.
• Experience with clocking, control interfaces such as I2C or SPI, and FPGA programming.

You don’t check all the boxes? Please submit an application anyway, we’ll be happy to consider it.

Benefits

• Stock Options
• Attractive bonus scheme
• Bonus Meal allowance (Swile): €13.82 per working day, split 50/50 between NcodiN and the employee 
• Private health insurance (mutuelle): 70% covered
• Public transport (Navigo): 75% covered
• Gym & wellness membership (WellPass): access to a network of gyms and fitness facilities from €11/month
• Hybrid schedule and remote-working allowance

Actual pay will be based on several factors including work experience and diploma.

We strongly value a heterogeneous environment to bring perspective, experience and skills to the table, leading to innovation and creativity.