Pic Design Engineer H/F - Quandela

Quandela is a European start up that provides photonic quantum computers that are modular, scalable, energy-efficient and accessible both on the cloud and on premise.

Our team of 85 employees, specialises in the development of both software and hardware solutions for a variety of quantum applications. We offer a wide range of services, from developing the most efficient and brightest single photons sources, to creating algorithms for quantum computers and providing cloud quantum computing solutions.

Quandela plays a pivotal role as a strategic partner in the quantum transformation of industrial sectors such as energy, finance, pharmaceuticals, and transportation. Furthermore, we are esteemed collaborators within the academic and research community.

- Following a successful €50 million fundraising in 2023, we are now scaling up our commercial ventures alongside our ongoing research endeavors.
- Quandela has been chosen to participate in the French Tech 2030 program, which aims to bolster French companies pioneering groundbreaking innovations.AboutQuandela:

Quandelais a Europeandeeptechscale-up building modular, scalable and energy-efficientphotonicquantum computers.

With more than 140 people, we develop our own hardware technologies - from single-photon sources to photonic integrated circuits (PICs) - and make them accessible via cloud andon-premisesystems.

At the core of our processors are Photonic Integrated Circuits (PICs): compact optical chips that route and manipulate single photons to perform quantum operations at scale.

About this position:

You will join the Integrated Photonics team in Massy, composed of senior engineers, PhDs, and research interns working acrossdesign, characterization, and packaging of our PICs.

The team owns the full design cycle of our photonic circuits - from simulation and layout to foundry collaboration and performance feedback. Fabrication is outsourced, but simulation depth, architectural choices, and design-for-manufacturing decisions are fully internal.

You will design andoptimizekey building blocks of our PIC platform, translating system requirements into robust and manufacturable layouts that support the evolution of our processors.Working closely with characterization, you will iteratively refine your designs based on fabrication variability and experimental feedback.

The coming year is strongly design-driven, with a focus on improving robustness against fabrication variability, increasing integration density, and preparing architectural evolutions for future scalable quantum processors.

Why this role matters:

What you design today directly shapes the scalability, stability, and performance of tomorrow's photonic quantum processors.

Your work directlyimpactshow efficiently our circuits scale, how resilient theyremainunder fabrication variability, and how quickly research concepts become reliable hardware.

AsQuandelagrows, this role helps shape not only components, but also the design methodologies and standards that will support larger-scale andfault-tolerantquantumarchitectures.

Benefits

Indicative salary range:
- €53-58K gross-Intermediate profile (recent or near-completion PhD, or 2-3 years of PIC design experience with solid simulation autonomy and layout experience)
-€58-65Kgross-experienced profile (3-5+ years of PIC design experience, able to own larger design blocks and contribute to methodology and architectural decisions)

Perks: annualprofit-sharing- company savings plan - 100% health coverage (Alan) - transport reimbursement or mobility bonus -Swilemeal vouchers -Gymlibaccess.

What will you do?

Design and simulate photonic components
-Perform electromagnetic and thermal simulations (Lumericalrequired; Tidy3D or similar is a plus)
- Analyze trade-offs between loss, footprint, fabrication tolerance, and performance
- Design and optimize waveguides, interferometers, beam splitters, phase shifters, and reconfigurable elements
- Contribute to next-generation components, including high-speed and new-material integrations

Translate simulations into manufacturable layouts
- Generate mask layouts using GDS-based tools
- Prepare designs for tape-out with external foundries
- Ensure designsremaincompatible with real fabrication constraints

Collaborate with characterization
- Analyze measured data against simulations and identify performance gaps
- Refine models and layouts based on fabrication and experimental feedback
- Contribute to continuous performance improvements

Howyou'llgrow?

0/3 months Understand our simulation environment and reproduce existingcomponentdesigns.

3-6 months Lead a full simulation-to-layout cycle on a definedcomponent.

6-12 months Contribute to design improvements and take part in next-generationcomponentdevelopment,supporting the transition toward higher-speed reconfiguration regimes and tighter performance constraints.

Longer term Take ownership of architectural blocks or contribute to defining structured design methodologies as our PIC platform evolves toward larger and fault-tolerant systems.

Whatwe'relooking for:

Must-have:

- Master's or PhD in Photonics, Physics,ElectronicEngineering or related field
- Hands-on experience in PIC simulation (Lumericalstrongly preferred)
- Experience translating simulations into manufacturable layouts using GDS-based tools (GDSFactory, IPKISS, KLayout, or similar)
- Understanding of integrated photonics fundamentals (waveguide physics, interferometers, beam splitters and phase control mechanisms)
-Ability to reason at circuit level, beyond individual components
- Professional English

Important (can grow here):

- Experience closing the loop between simulation and experimental results
- Familiarity with fabrication constraints and design-for-manufacturing logic
- Python for automation,scriptingor data analysis
-Interest in scalable or quantum hardware architectures(quantum knowledge is a plus, not a prerequisite)

Bonus:

- Experience in industrial PIC platforms or foundry-driven environment
- Exposure to high-speed photonic components or cryogenic constraints
- Familiarity with inverse design and particleswarm optimization

We welcome strong PhD profiles as well as engineers with a few years of experience.
What matters most is simulation autonomy, strong physical intuition, and the ability to turn models into robust devices while thinking at system scale.