Director of Optical Interconnect Manufacturing

About OLIX

AI is growing faster than any technology in history and the explosion in demand has created a massive infrastructure gap; we can no longer build chips or power stations fast enough to keep up. The industry is still leaning on a ten-year-old hardware blueprint that has reached its limit. A new paradigm that is faster and more efficient will be the biggest economic opportunity of the next century and create the most important company of the next decade. The OLIX Decode Accelerator 1 (DX-1) is the first accelerator architected specifically for decode. Rack-scale co-design of logic, data movement, packaging, optics and interconnect enables a step change in system level performance.

The Role

We're looking for a Director of Optical Interconnect Manufacturing to develop and industrialize the manufacturing technology required to produce high-performance optical connectors for next-generation AI computing solutions. You'll own waveguide manufacturing process development, equipment development, process characterization, yield improvement, and manufacturing scale-up, ensuring robust, repeatable, high-yield, and cost-effective production from technology development through high-volume manufacturing.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop optical manufacturing technology: Develop and industrialize the end-to-end manufacturing processes required to produce high-performance optical interconnects, including coating, patterning, development, curing, cladding, and optical inspection.
• Develop and qualify manufacturing capability: Design, develop, install, qualify, and optimize manufacturing lines, equipment, tooling, automation, metrology, and process controls required to support scalable, high-volume waveguide production.
• Establish process capability: Develop process characterization methodologies, process capability, statistical process controls, and qualification strategies that ensure optical performance, yield, reliability, and manufacturability.
• Drive manufacturing readiness: Partner with Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Global Supply Management, Planning & Purchasing, material suppliers, equipment vendors, and manufacturing partners to mature waveguide manufacturing technology from development through production readiness.
• Enable manufacturing scale-up: Scale waveguide manufacturing capability to achieve production, cost, quality, yield, and cycle time objectives while supporting successful product launches and high-volume manufacturing.
  

Skills & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Optical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Physics, or other related technical discipline.
• 12+ years of experience developing advanced manufacturing technologies within the semiconductor, photonics, optics, advanced materials, or related industries.
• Subject matter expertise in thin-film and optical manufacturing processes, including coating, optical patterning, curing, lamination, and optical inspection.
• Experience developing integrated manufacturing capabilities by combining manufacturing processes, equipment, metrology, automation, and process controls into qualified production lines.
• Proven success developing and qualifying manufacturing processes that achieve optical performance, yield, quality, reliability, and cost objectives.
  

Nice to Have

• Master's degree or Ph.D. in Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Optical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Physics, or another advanced technical discipline.
• Six Sigma Green Belt, Black Belt, or other advanced continuous improvement certifications.

Compensation & Equity

• Competitive Salary: Commensurate with your experience, skills, and location
• Equity & Ownership: Meaningful stock options. You’re not just joining the mission; you’re owning a piece of it
• Proximity Bonus: We value your time. To minimise your commute and maximise your life, we offer an annual Living-Local Bonus if your residence is within 20 minutes of the office
• Retirement Benefits: Employer-contributed retirement plans to help you build long-term financial security

Due to U.S. export control regulations, candidates’ eligibility to work at OLIX depends on their most recent citizenship or permanent residency status. We are generally unable to consider applicants whose most recent citizenship or permanent residence is in certain restricted countries (currently including Iran, North Korea, Syria, Cuba, Russia, Belarus, China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Venezuela). Applicants who have subsequently obtained citizenship or permanent residency in another country not subject to these restrictions may still be eligible.