The demand for new data centers and AI compute is rapidly outpacing the planet's energy capacity. Digital solutions are hitting a power wall as we approach the physical limits of traditional silicon. Conquering this bottleneck means rethinking the fundamental architecture of inference compute. The industry's current path can't meet the need, so we're taking a different approach.
Instead of traditional electronic circuits, we use silicon photonics and an active, programmable metasurface to perform matrix multiplications at the speed of light. Our optical cells are 10,000x smaller than traditional photonic components, enabling unprecedented density. By using photonics instead of electricity, our chips become more efficient as they scale. This architecture will deliver up to 100 times the energy efficiency of existing solutions while significantly improving performance for large-scale AI inference.
We’ve assembled a world-class team of industry veterans and recently raised a $110M Series A led by Gates Frontier. Participants include M12 (Microsoft’s Venture Fund), Carbon Direct Capital, Aramco Ventures, Bosch Ventures, Tectonic Ventures, Space Capital, and others.
Join us and shape the future of computing!
Position OverviewWe are seeking a Technical Program Manager to own execution across our software organization. At Neurophos, software leads hardware. Firmware, compilers, runtime, and tooling must be ready before the silicon and optics they target arrive, built against virtual platforms, simulators, and emulation. That is how we de-risk every hardware milestone. This job is about protecting and extending that lead. The more lead software builds, the more room the program has to run on an agile cadence. You will run the ceremonies that keep teams moving sprint to sprint and produce the forward-looking forecasts that chief engineers and executive management plan against. You will make the case, with data, for shifting the hybrid further toward an agile model. TPMs here are not scorekeepers. You will own real programs, surface risks, drive them to closure, and see your judgment reflected directly in product decisions.
LocationAustin, TX. Full-time onsite position.
Key ResponsibilitiesProgram Execution
Operate SCRUM inside a hybrid scrum-fall program structure, keeping software delivery ahead of hardware availability rather than gated by it.
Build and maintain forward-looking completion forecasts with explicit confidence levels and stated assumptions, rather than status snapshots of work already done.
Run agile ceremonies for software teams and keep them useful rather than ritualistic.
Track and report how far ahead software is running relative to hardware, and treat any erosion of that lead as a first-order program risk.
Identify, quantify, and escalate schedule and technical risk early, and drive it to resolution with named owners and dates.
Maintain program-level planning artifacts and reporting that engineers trust and leadership can act on.
Cross-Functional Coordination
Manage cross-team dependencies across software, hardware, and cloud, and make the critical path visible to everyone on it.
Work directly with chief engineers and executive management to ensure commitments are grounded in what teams can actually deliver.
Drive scope and sequencing decisions when hardware milestones shift, and clearly communicate the downstream impact.
Advocate for shifting the hybrid further toward agile wherever software's lead makes it possible, and build the evidence that makes the case.
Bachelor's degree in an engineering or scientific discipline. Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or Electrical Engineering preferred.
8–10 years of professional experience in technical program management.
Demonstrated experience deploying SCRUM in a hybrid scrum-fall environment, where agile software delivery must align to waterfall hardware or program milestones
Proven track record running agile ceremonies and generating forward-looking forecasts of completion and risk
Hands-on proficiency with modern engineering planning and tracking tools (Jira, Linear, or equivalent), including configuring workflows and building reporting that engineers trust and actually use
Ability to engage credibly with engineers on technical detail, and to translate that detail into program-level decisions
Proven ability to absorb complex architectures and designs quickly. Able to establish domain-specific understanding in a design review across unfamiliar technical areas.
Program management experience at a hardware accelerator, photonics, or systems company where software ships alongside physical product (strongly preferred).
Experience managing programs through tape-out, bring-up, or comparable hard-date engineering milestones (strongly preferred).
Experience leveraging AI to manage very large and complex programs, including planning, dependency analysis, forecasting, and risk surfacing at a scale that defeats manual tracking (strongly preferred).
Master's degree in an engineering or scientific discipline, or an MBA (preferred).
Formal certification or training in Scrum, SAFe, or an equivalent framework (preferred).
Familiarity with compiler, runtime, firmware, or cloud infrastructure development programs (preferred).
Familiarity with LLM architectures and their computational requirements (preferred).
This is an opportunity to play a pivotal role in an innovative startup redefining the future of AI hardware. Work on game-changing technology at the intersection of photonics and AI as part of a collaborative, brilliant team. You’ll contribute to a platform that redefines computational performance and accelerates the future of artificial intelligence. Come help us bring this transformative technology to the world.
Join a team that invests in your future and your well-being. At Neurophos, we offer:
100% coverage of base health plan premiums for you and your dependents, plus HSA contributions.
Unlimited PTO. No rigid vacation banks, just a focus on delivery.
401(k) matching and stock option opportunities to ensure our success is your success.
Full suite of voluntary benefits, including Dental, Vision, Life, Hospital, Critical Illness, and Accident insurance.
Personalized Benefits. Choose the plans that fit your life and take the cash back for those that don’t.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in an engineering or scientific discipline (Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or Electrical Engineering preferred).
- 8-10 years of professional experience in technical program management.
- Demonstrated experience deploying SCRUM in a hybrid scrum-fall environment aligning agile software delivery to waterfall hardware milestones.
- Proven track record running agile ceremonies and generating forward-looking forecasts of completion and risk.
- Hands-on proficiency with modern engineering planning and tracking tools (Jira, Linear, or equivalent), including configuring workflows and building reporting.
- Ability to engage credibly with engineers on technical detail and translate that detail into program-level decisions.
- Proven ability to absorb complex architectures and designs quickly and establish domain-specific understanding across unfamiliar technical areas.
- Program management experience at a hardware accelerator, photonics, or systems company where software ships alongside physical product.
- Experience managing programs through tape-out, bring-up, or comparable hard-date engineering milestones.
- Experience leveraging AI to manage very large and complex programs, including planning, dependency analysis, forecasting, and risk surfacing.
- Master's degree in an engineering or scientific discipline, or an MBA.
- Formal certification or training in Scrum, SAFe, or an equivalent framework.
- Familiarity with compiler, runtime, firmware, or cloud infrastructure development programs.
- Familiarity with LLM architectures and their computational requirements.
Neurophos Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Neurophos and has not been reviewed or approved by Neurophos.
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Healthcare Strength — Job postings indicate the company covers 100% of base health plan premiums for employees and dependents and contributes to HSAs. Listings also reference dental, vision, and other voluntary coverages.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Unlimited PTO is advertised with an emphasis on delivery rather than accruals. Notes in postings suggest clarifying typical usage and any minimums.
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Retirement Support — A 401(k) with employer matching is listed alongside stock option opportunities. This pairing signals structured retirement support in addition to equity participation.
Neurophos Insights
What We Do
Neurophos is an Austin-based semiconductor company developing high-performance, energy-efficient photonic AI inference chips. Instead of traditional electronic circuits, we use silicon photonics and an active, programmable metasurface to perform matrix multiplications at the speed of light. Our optical cells are 10,000x smaller than traditional photonic components, enabling unprecedented density for an optical system. As AI adoption accelerates, data centers face significant power and scalability challenges. Traditional solutions are struggling to keep up, leading to rapidly rising energy consumption and costs. We’re solving both problems with an OPU that integrates over one million micron-scale optical processing components on a single chip. This architecture will deliver up to 100 times the energy efficiency of existing solutions while significantly improving large-scale AI inference performance. We’ve assembled a world-class team of industry veterans and recently raised a $110M Series A led by Gates Frontier. Participants include M12 (Microsoft’s Venture Fund), Carbon Direct Capital, Aramco Ventures, Bosch Ventures, Tectonic Ventures, Space Capital, and others. We have also been recognized on the EE Times Silicon 100 list for several consecutive years. Join us and shape the future of optical computing!
Why Work With Us
This is an opportunity to work on a game-changing technology at the intersection of photonics and AI. You’ll contribute to a platform that redefines computational performance and accelerates the future of artificial intelligence.

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