Staff Software Engineer, Lightmatter

Test

Salary not provided

Plus a new hire equity grant & annual performance-based equity

MongoDB

Docker

Python

Django

Redis

Postgres

Ansible

Flask

FastAPI

Expert level

San Francisco Bay Area

Office located in Mountain View, CA

Light-powered AI computing

Be an early applicant

Light-powered AI computing

201-500 employees

B2BArtificial IntelligenceManufacturingDeep TechMachine LearningScience

Be an early applicant

Salary not provided

Plus a new hire equity grant & annual performance-based equity

MongoDB

Docker

Python

Django

Redis

Postgres

Ansible

Flask

FastAPI

Expert level

San Francisco Bay Area

Office located in Mountain View, CA

201-500 employees

B2BArtificial IntelligenceManufacturingDeep TechMachine LearningScience

Company mission

Lightmatter's mission is to build an engine that will power discoveries, drive progress, and redefine what computers and human beings are capable of.

Job

Company

Role

Who you are

BS and 12+ years of experience or MS and 8+ years of experience; degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related field
Expert level Python, knowledge of web frameworks such as FastAPI, Flask, Django; strong understanding of API design principles and best practices
Experience with containerization and orchestration technologies such as Docker and Docker Compose
Experience with one or more databases such as MongoDB, PostgreSQL, Redis, time-series databases
Familiarity with testing frameworks such as pytest and integration testing, performance testing tools
Experience with CI/CD tools such as GitHub Actions/Runners and Infrastructure as Code tools such as Ansible
Experience with hardware integration or embedded systems; interfacing with BMCs, FPGAs, temperature sensors, thermal management, power management systems

Desirable

Familiarity with real-time data handling and communication protocols, such as gRPC, TCP/IP, WebSockets, message brokers or similar technologies
Experience with high-availability, mission-critical systems
Experience in the Semiconductor Industry: wafer-level testing, burn-in systems, reliability testing
Professional Certifications: Agile/Scrum certifications
Experience building backend services for web applications like Next.js, proficiency in JavaScript/TypeScript

What the job involves

In this role, you will lead the development of a comprehensive High Temperature Operating Life (HTOL) Test Software system
Your work will involve designing, implementing, and maintaining a scalable multi-chassis testing platform that performs automated stress and performance testing with real-time monitoring and comprehensive data collection capabilities
System Design & Development: Architect, build, and maintain scalable architecture for a multi-chassis HTOL testing system
Orchestration: Develop containerized applications for deployment at scale using Python-based services for chassis coordination and management
Hardware Monitoring & Management: Create hardware abstraction layers and develop APIs that represent hardware systems, providing essential capabilities for monitoring and management of those systems
Manage Data: Develop data collection pipelines handling sensor data and performance metrics
Deploy and Update Software: Create automated deployment and testing pipelines using CI/CD best practices
Collaboration with Front-End Teams: Work closely with the frontend team to ensure seamless integration of backend APIs with applications
Testing & Documentation: Write automated tests to monitor the reliability and performance of the system; maintain clear and concise documentation for troubleshooting
Performance and Reliability: Continuously monitor and optimize performance to reduce response times and improve system scalability; ensure uptime in production environments; establish capacity planning procedures

Our take

Neural networks and CPUs are vital to AI solutions, but manufacturers have largely failed to maintain innovation in recent years. Lightmatter solves this problem by offering a next-generation computing platform powered by photonics (light waves).

Lightmatter offers a forward-facing platform for AI-building that acts as an alternative to traditional solutions. It works by replacing wired CPUs with a combination of photonics and new algorithms. Lightmatter's solution is not only faster, but it is considerably more sustainable, and it has the potential to drive the next generation of AI development.

As of 2025, Lightmatter has raised $850 million across six funding rounds and grown to a staggering valuation of $4.4 billion, a testament to growing industry demand for faster, more effective AI-building solutions. Lightmatter currently has three products on the market - Envise, Passage, and Idiom - and is poised to take on the incumbent chiplet industry with a photonics-based alternative.

Steph

Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle

Insights

Top investors

Glassdoor (4.2)

Company

Funding (last 2 of 6 rounds)

Oct 2024

$400m

SERIES D

Dec 2023

$155m

SERIES C

Total funding: $822m

Company benefits

Commuter benefit
Happy hour -Spend time together and build friendships
Generous vacation policy and holidays
401(K)
Opportunity to learn from your peers and teach them what you know across electronics, photonics, machine learning, and more

Company HQ

Old Mountain View, Mountain View, CA

Leadership

Nicholas Harris

(CEO & Co-Founder)

Previously worked as an R&D Product Engineer at Micron Technology, and as a Postdoctoral Fellow at MIT.

Thomas Graham

(Co-Founder)

Was an M&A Analyst at Morgan Stanley, and worked as an Agency Business Development Manager at Google.

Darius Bunandar

(Chief Scientist & Co-Founder)

Worked as a Research Collaborator at Caltech, and was a PhD Candidate at MIT.

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