Principal Field Application Engineer
Lightmatter
Listing collected from Lightmatter's career site. NextChapter is independent of Lightmatter.
Mountain View, CA · $250k–$300k a year · Posted August 12, 2026
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About the job
Lightmatter is leading the revolution in AI data center infrastructure, enabling the next giant leaps in human progress. The company invented the world’s first 3D-stacked photonics engine, Passage™, capable of connecting thousands to millions of processors at the speed of light in extreme-scale data centers for the most advanced AI and HPC workloads.
Lightmatter raised $400 million in its Series D round, reaching a valuation of $4.4 billion. We will continue to accelerate the development of data center photonics and grow every department at Lightmatter!
If you're passionate about tackling complex challenges, making an impact, and being an expert in your craft, join our team of brilliant scientists, engineers, and accomplished industry leaders.
Lightmatter is (re)inventing the future of computing with light!
We are now looking for an outstanding Field Application Engineer - High-speed I/O Specialist to join our team. The role’s primary responsibility is to work collaboratively with customers in architecting the next generation of devices enabled by Lightmatter’s photonic interconnect technology Passage. In this role, you will work closely with Tier 1 Semiconductor companies that are defining the next generation of silicon in the data center. You will be working cross functionally within Lightmatter as you define an optimal technical solution. Additionally, you will be collaborating with customers who are domain experts in high-speed serial links (SerDes) and protocols. You should be comfortable supporting deep technical discussions focused on high-speed serial I/O design. Excellent interpersonal skills and the ability to work independently are essential to being successful in the role.
Responsibilities
Provide the full technical support of the customer HSIO design, including the early technical assessment, design scheme discussion, hardware design review, hardware debug support and other critical trouble shootings
Develop and deliver technical proposals to customers, based on customer’s technical requirements and system architecture
Work as the field expert on HSIO area, to provide the in-depth training and guidance of the HSIO design to the FAE team, to create and share the related technical articles and reference designs
Work collaboratively with Lightmatter Engineering in supporting customer design wins and communicating progress updates to customer engineering leads
Requirements
BS or MS in Engineering, Mathematics, Physics, or Computer Science (or equivalent experience)
10+ years of work related experience in a high-tech electronics industry with high-speed serial I/O design, including transceiver architecture, CDR, DFE or other
In-depth knowledge of the signal integrity, power integrity simulation and the related hardware design. Be familiar with the SI/PI EDA simulation tools and models, eg. Keysight ADS
Customer facing skill-set and background as well as the ability to communicate effectively with customers
Action-oriented with strong analytical and problem-solving skills
Previous experience developing and delivering technical presentations to both executive management and cross-functional engineering teams and external clients
Built trusted working relationships across teams, improving coordination and execution speed
Experience working with silicon photonics and/or optical transceiver
In-depth knowledge of semiconductor and laser technology
Domestic and International travel required
Preferred Qualifications
Familiar with the digital signal processing theory and the related tools, like Matlab Simulink
Analog signal and mixed signal design, ADC, DAC design experience
C, C++ and other software experience
Experience working in customer facing role acting as the domain expert for silicon photonics/optics
Experience deploying or supporting customers who are deploying optics in a data center environment at scale
We offer competitive compensation. On target earnings range is listed below. The final compensation will be determined based on location, experience, educational background, and market data.
Sales Compensation $250,000 — $300,000 USD
Benefits
Comprehensive Health Care Plan (Medical, Dental & Vision)
Retirement Savings Matching Program
Life Insurance (Basic, Voluntary & AD&D)
Generous Time Off (Vacation, Sick & Public Holidays)
Paid Family Leave
Short Term & Long Term Disability
Training & Development
Commuter Benefits
Flexible, hybrid workplace model
Equity grants (applicable to full-time employees)
Benefits eligibility may vary depending on your employment status and location. Lightmatter recruits, employs, trains, compensates, and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, veteran status, and other protected status as required by applicable law.
Export Control
Candidates should have capacity to comply with the federally mandated requirements of U.S. export control laws.