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!
If you want to do your career’s most impactful work, consider joining the product team at Lightmatter! We are charting the path for the future of AI infrastructure. We are looking for an exceptional product leader with a track record of tackling challenging problems and driving results while prioritizing the team over their own interests.
As Principal Product Manager, Photonics, you will lead product definition, positioning, and execution for some of Lightmatter's most strategic products, including photonics computing. You will drive design wins with leading AI XPU companies, cloud providers, and AI infrastructure builders, positioning Lightmatter at the center of the next generation of AI compute and networking.
Reporting directly to the VP of Product Management, you will work closely with engineering, sales, solution architects, operations, finance, and the executive team to accelerate Lightmatter product adoption in this fast-growing market.
Responsibilities:
- Lead product definition, SKU strategy, and market positioning & messaging for Lightmatter's products, including full MRD/PRD ownership.
- Define and own the product roadmap for Lightmatter’s photonic computing platform, grounded in a deep understanding of ML workloads, model architecture, and hardware & software co-design trade-offs.
- Engage directly with AI/ML experts, cloud architects, and compute platform teams to validate product-market fit and shape the technical roadmap around real customer needs.
- Translate ML workload-level requirements into photonics computing product requirements in collaboration with engineering.
- Drive rollout to lead customers and manage full product lifecycle from early development through production and EOL.
- Develop pricing guidelines, margin analysis, and revenue forecasts establishing competitiveness and profitability in support of corporate financial goals.
- Represent Lightmatter at key industry forums and speaking events as a product leader and subject matter expert.
- Produce high-quality outbound technical and marketing collateral in conjunction with product marketing and documentation teams.
- Brief top industry press, analysts, and investors on Lightmatter product strategies, competitive advantages, and market positioning.
Qualifications
- Strong, hands-on understanding of the AI/ML systems architecture — including ML model fundamentals, training and inference workload characteristics, XPU and accelerator architectures, and datacenter-scale system design.
- 15+ years of related industry experience with 10+ years in product management, product marketing, applications engineering, or business development roles driving high-complexity semiconductor or systems products to market.
- Bachelor's in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field.
- Proven ability to drive products through the full development cycle: business case → definition → development → design-in → production → EOL
- Experience with datacenter products and technologies, including compute infrastructure, optical networking, provisioning, and operations at scale..
- Strong end-to-end understanding of semiconductor chip development and the AI hardware ecosystem.
- Data-driven decision-maker with strong ability to synthesize technical and market data into product strategy.
- Effective cross-functional communicator who can bridge engineering depth and executive-level clarity.
Preferred Qualifications
- Advanced degrees in optics/photonics or computer architecture.
- Deep technical knowledge of silicon photonics and/or optical interconnect technologies.
- Broad professional network across photonics, AI/ML, semiconductor, and cloud infrastructure segments.
- Self-starter with strong bias for action in a fast-paced, high-ambiguity environment — comfortable managing competing priorities and driving to results quickly.
- "No task too big or small" attitude with a genuine willingness to roll up sleeves wherever needed.
We offer competitive compensation. The base salary range for this role determined based on location, experience, educational background, and market data.
- 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.
Skills Required
- 15+ years of related industry experience
- 10+ years in product management, product marketing, applications engineering, or business development roles driving complex semiconductor or systems products to market
- Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field
- Hands-on understanding of AI/ML systems architecture, including ML fundamentals, training and inference workloads, XPU and accelerator architectures, and data-center-scale system design
- Experience driving products through the full development cycle from business case through EOL
- Experience with data-center products and technologies, including compute infrastructure, optical networking, provisioning, and operations at scale
- End-to-end understanding of semiconductor chip development and the AI hardware ecosystem
- Data-driven decision-making and ability to synthesize technical and market data into product strategy
- Strong cross-functional communication skills bridging engineering depth and executive-level clarity
- Advanced degree in optics, photonics, or computer architecture
- Deep technical knowledge of silicon photonics and/or optical interconnect technologies
- Professional network across photonics, AI/ML, semiconductor, and cloud infrastructure segments
- Self-starter with a bias for action in a fast-paced, high-ambiguity environment
- Willingness to handle tasks of varying size and scope
Lightmatter Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Lightmatter and has not been reviewed or approved by Lightmatter.
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Fair & Transparent Compensation — Pay is considered competitive for specialized photonics and AI‑hardware roles, with posted ranges and third‑party totals aligning to strong market levels. Compensation for niche roles is framed as consistent with top‑tier hardware/photonics expectations.
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Healthcare Strength — Healthcare is described as comprehensive, covering medical, dental, and vision in current postings. Additional protections like life insurance and disability are also called out.
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Equity Value & Accessibility — Equity grants for full‑time employees are commonly included alongside base pay. Some postings also mention performance‑based equity components.
Lightmatter Insights
What We Do
Lightmatter is a startup photonics company that has pioneered a new paradigm in processor chip architecture that uses photons instead of electrons. Now the leader in the photonic AI compute “space race,” this new class of high performance semiconductors is the foundation of Lightmatter’s mission to enable the growth of computing, reduce harmful emissions associated with this growth, and democratize computing for all. Lightmatter's technology accelerates critical operations in deep neural networks, using an array of programmable photonic elements fabricated alongside transistors in conventional computer chip fabrication processes. Our close-knit team of engineers has created an integrated photonics chip and ultra-high performance interconnect that is faster, more efficient, and cooler than anything else on earth (or anything ever experienced before) to power the next giant leaps in human progress.
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