Senior Automation Engineer, Optical Packaging

PsiQuantum · Milpitas, CA

Level: Senior
Team: Controls
Degree: Required
Experience asked: 8+ years
Industry: Industrial
Posted: 30+ days ago

The role in 30 seconds

A senior controls role at PsiQuantum (industrial) in Milpitas, CA. In this role, you will play a pivotal part in enabling automated control of high-precision optical alignment systems, including those using nano-positioners to accelerate R&D, manufacturing, and testing processes.

They ask for: 8+ years · degree required
Tools it names: Validation (IQ/OQ/PQ), Robotics, Automation

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At a glance

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About the role

Job Summary

We are seeking a highly experienced and motivated Senior Automation Engineer, Optical Packaging to lead the design, development, and deployment of automation solutions across our precision systems. In this role, you will play a pivotal part in enabling automated control of high-precision optical alignment systems, including those using nano-positioners to accelerate R&D, manufacturing, and testing processes.

This is a key technical position within a multidisciplinary team that bridges software engineering, optics, hardware, and robotics.

Responsibilities

◆Architect and implement automation software for real-time control of precision hardware, including opto-mechanical alignment systems and nano-positioning stages.
◆Develop algorithms and motion sequences for sub-micron optical alignment, calibration, and measurement routines.
◆Integrate motion control systems (e.g., piezoelectric nano-positioners) with cameras, sensors, and software platforms to automate complex alignment workflows.
◆Design and maintain scalable automation frameworks for functional testing, system validation, and performance monitoring.
◆Collaborate with mechanical, optical, and systems engineers to define software interfaces for precision hardware.
◆Guide junior team members and lead code reviews, architecture discussions, and technical decision-making.
◆Ensure high standards of software quality, reliability, and repeatability in both lab and production environments

Required Qualifications

✓Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Mechatronics, Electrical Engineering, or related fields.
✓8+ years of experience in automation software engineering with a focus on motion control or hardware integration.
✓Strong programming skills in Python, C++, or C#, with a focus on real-time systems or hardware interfacing.
✓Hands-on experience working with nano-positioning systems (e.g., PI, Aerotech, Newport), motion controllers, or precision actuators.
✓Deep understanding of control systems, sensor integration, and closed-loop feedback.
✓Familiarity with optical laboratory instrumentation and high-precision metrology.
✓Experience developing and integrating with software tools for data acquisition, automation (e.g., LabVIEW, MATLAB, or custom platforms), and visualization.

Preferred Qualifications

✓Experience with image processing and computer vision.
✓Experience with optical alignment techniques (active/passive), beam steering, or interferometry.
✓Familiarity with image processing libraries (e.g., OpenCV) for vision-guided alignment.
✓Knowledge of automation frameworks for system-level testing and validation.
✓Experience with high-vacuum or cleanroom-compatible automation systems.
✓Strong debugging, documentation, and cross-disciplinary communication skills.
✓Experience with Jira for project and task tracking.
✓Experience with Arena PLM.

Note: PsiQuantum will only reach out to you using an official PsiQuantum email address and will never ask you for bank account information as part of the interview process. Please report any suspicious activity to recruiting@psiquantum.com .

We are not accepting unsolicited resumes from employment agencies.

Show full description ↓

PsiQuantum’s mission is to build the first useful quantum computers—machines capable of delivering the breakthroughs the field has long promised. Since our founding in 2016, our singular focus has been to build and deploy million-qubit, fault-tolerant quantum systems.

Quantum computers harness the laws of quantum mechanics to solve problems that even the most advanced supercomputers or AI systems will never reach. Their impact will span energy, pharmaceuticals, finance, agriculture, transportation, materials, and other foundational industries.

Our architecture and approach is based on silicon photonics. By leveraging the advanced semiconductor manufacturing industry—including partners like GlobalFoundries—we use the same high-volume processes that already produce billions of chips for telecom and consumer electronics. Photonics offers natural advantages for scale: photons don’t feel heat, are immune to electromagnetic interference, and integrate with existing cryogenic cooling and standard fiber-optic infrastructure.

In 2024, PsiQuantum announced government-funded projects to support the build-out of our first utility-scale quantum computers in Brisbane, Australia, and Chicago, Illinois. These initiatives reflect a growing recognition that quantum computing will be strategically and economically defining—and that now is the time to scale.

PsiQuantum also develops the algorithms and software needed to make these systems commercially valuable. Our application, software, and industry teams work directly with leading Fortune 500 companies—including Lockheed Martin, Mercedes-Benz, Boehringer Ingelheim, and Mitsubishi Chemical—to prepare quantum solutions for real-world impact.

Quantum computing is not an extension of classical computing. It represents a fundamental shift—and a path to mastering challenges that cannot be solved any other way. The potential is enormous, and we have a clear path to make it real.

Come join us.