Photonics Engineer - Systems Integration

About Xanadu:

Xanadu’s mission is to build quantum computers that are useful and available to people everywhere. 

At Xanadu, we are learners, innovators, researchers, collaborators and problem solvers. We are creating something that has never been built before. What we are doing is extremely hard, the classic moon shot. Few people in their life will be able to be a part of something like this, where if we are successful, the technologies we develop will solve some of the world’s most challenging problems and literally change the world. And that is something to be excited about! 

Your role and responsibilities:

We are looking for a hands-on, analytical, and driven Photonics Engineer to join our hardware team and accelerate the development of our Fault-Tolerant Quantum Computing (FTQC) systems. If you thrive in a lab environment, love bridging the gap between physical hardware and mathematical modeling, and want to solve critical loss and performance challenges, we want to hear from you! 

This role is critical to the optimization and evolution of our core phase and polarization locking technologies. You will rapidly onboard onto our proprietary testing frameworks, transition into independently running advanced characterization experiments, and ultimately leverage your insights to plan, order, and validate next-generation of devices. You will be the bridge between empirical lab data and the predictive models that drive our hardware roadmap. 

● Optical Experimentation & Automation: Plan, build, and execute sophisticated phase and polarization actuation experiments. Program custom Python scripts to automate lab testing, streamline data gathering, and process complex datasets independently. 

● Advanced characterization: Utilize internal tools and python based frameworks to independently test, characterize, and benchmark incoming hardware. 

● Iterative Design & Ordering: Translate baseline characterization data into actionable insights to help plan, specify, and order brand-new, optimized designs. 

● Physical & Mathematical Modeling: Build upon and refine our existing analytical and numerical models to unlock a deeper, company-wide understanding of the physical processes driving optical loss and system performance. 

● Validation & Optimization: Propose innovative solutions to minimize loss, test them rigorously in the lab, and validate performance improvements on your own custom-planned designs. 

● Environmental Mitigation: Factor critical real-world variables—specifically thermal management and vibration isolation—into experimental setups to protect sensitive optical performance. 

Basic qualifications and experience:

● Optics Expertise: Strong, demonstrable background in optics with the ability to independently build, service, align, and troubleshoot complex optical experiments in a laboratory setting. 

● Modeling & Analytical Skills: Proven ability to build mathematical models of physical systems utilizing both analytical and numerical tools. 

● Environmental Physics: Clear understanding of thermal management and vibration dynamics, including how these environmental factors impact optical system stability. 

● Programming Aptitude: Basic proficiency in Python programming, with a strong willingness and aptitude to quickly learn lab automation and instrument control. 

● Technical Adaptability: Ability to rapidly absorb complex, proprietary architectures and master new experimental frameworks. 

● Education: A Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Physics, Photonics, Optical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical discipline. 

● Autonomy & Drive: A self-starter mindset with a proven track record of gathering, processing, and drawing conclusions from data independently to push a project forward. 

Preferred qualifications and experience:

● Advanced Automation: Experience writing Python scripts for instrument control, hardware interfacing, and automated data acquisition. 

● Quantum Architectures: Prior experience or familiarity with quantum optics, integrated photonics, or co-packaged optical systems. 

● Advanced Education: A Ph.D. focused on experimental optics, photonics, or laser characterization. 

This is for a new position. Your base salary will be determined based on your location, experience, and internal benchmarks. The base salary range is 110,000 - 140,000 CAD. You will also be eligible for equity and benefits.