Senior Firmware Engineer - Optical Transceivers

HyperLight

is at the forefront of the commercialization of thin-film lithium niobate (TFLN) integrated photonics - a material and process technology that is enabling high-performance, scalable optical components across AI/datacom infrastructure, hyperscale computing, quantum computing, sensing, and beyond. Founded in 2018 and backed by leading venture capital, we’ve built a team and a platform focused on real-world mass deployment of TFLN photonics technology.

At the core of our work is the TFLN Chiplet™ platform — a modular, integrated architecture designed for scalability, manufacturability, and seamless integration into complex systems. It offers a rare combination of extraordinary performance and industrial readiness, enabling system developers across applications to deploy the technology fast and ready. We partner with our customers and suppliers from conceptualization, design, and prototyping phases, all the way through mass production to ensure smooth and rapid deployment of TFLN photonic technology.

We believe our platform is the key, in the golden age of integrated photonics, to empower humanity to the next level. We assembled a world class team covering engineering, business, and operations. We believe in the power of integrity, innovation, collaboration, and pragmatic solutions. Our diverse team thrives on challenges and is united by a shared commitment to excellence. We take pride in tackling complex challenges with curiosity, humility, and a deep sense of care for one another.

Our growing team is looking for a hands‑on Firmware Engineer to develop and optimize firmware for cutting‑edge optical transceiver reference designs. You’ll work closely with hardware, DSP, and photonics teams to bring up and scale high‑performance systems from early prototypes to production‑ready.

As part of your responsibilities, you will be:

Own firmware for optical transceiver reference designs built around TFLN modulators

Design, develop, and maintain embedded firmware for both IMDD and coherent optical transceivers (QSFP, OSFP, etc.)

Implement and optimize CMIS‑compliant firmware stacks

Develop drivers and communication stacks for I2C and I3C interfaces

Interface with DSPs for signal processing, control, tuning and monitoring

Support high‑speed optical modules > 1.6T

Bring up hardware and debug issues

Collaborate closely with hardware, optical, and system teams

Develop internal tools (CLI/GUI) for diagnostics and configuration

Ensure firmware reliability, performance, and standards compliance

Contribute to system architecture and next‑gen platform development

Qualifications

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field

5 to 10+ years of relevant firmware/optical transceiver experience.

Strong experience in embedded firmware development (C/C++ and others

Hands‑on experience with CMIS, I2C/I3C protocols

Experience with QSFP, OSFP, or similar form factors

Experience working with DSP‑based systems

Solid understanding of high‑speed communication systems (>400G+)

Strong debugging skills in lab environments

Preferred Qualifications

Experience with TFLN or advanced modulator technologies

Background in coherent optics or PAM4 systems

Experience building reference designs

Experience developing GUI tools (Python, Qt, etc.)

Familiarity with MDIO, SPI, or similar interfaces

Experience with manufacturing test or automation

Key Skills

Embedded systems & low‑level programming

High‑speed interface protocols (I2C/I3C, CMIS)

Optical transceiver systems (QSFP/OSFP)

DSP integration

Debugging & system bring‑up

Tooling / GUI development

What Success Looks Like

You take early hardware and make it stable, reliable, and production‑ready

Firmware becomes a reference platform others build on

You solve complex cross‑domain problems quickly (firmware + hardware + optics)

You help push system performance beyond conventional solutions

Competitive market‑based compensation and benefits

Professional growth and mentorship opportunities

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