# Optical Test Engineer at Nexthop AI

- Company: Nexthop AI
- What the company does: Backed by a16z, Kleiner Perkins and Lightspeed.
- Company website: https://nexthop.ai/
- Type: Startups (AI role)
- Level: Mid level
- Location: Santa Clara, California
- Work setup: On-site
- Posted: 2025-06-11
- Apply by: 2026-10-08
- Apply: https://nexthopai.bamboohr.com/careers/43
- Page: https://www.1752.vc/careers/jobs/nexthop-ai-optical-test-engineer/

## About the role

As an Optical Test Engineer , you’ll be responsible for the qualification, validation, and system-level testing of high-speed optical modules (e.g., 400G, 800G, 1.6T) used in advanced datacenter and AI networking environments. You’ll help bring up test platforms in the lab, perform optical and electrical measurements, and analyze performance under different test conditions, configurations and workloads. Your work will directly support the scalability, efficiency, and reliability of next-generation AI systems.

## What they're looking for

- B.S. or M.S. in Electrical Engineering, Optical Engineering, Physics, or a related field
- 5+ years of experience testing optical modules or electrical/optical systems
- Hands-on experience in high-speed optical transmission testing, including fiber links, and state of the art test equipment: BERT, oscilloscope, DCA, power meters, OSA, thermal chambers
- Strong Python scripting skills for lab automation and programming languages for data collection and analysis
- Familiarity with CMIS, MDIO, or I²C interfaces
- Understanding of high-speed protocols such as Ethernet, PCIe, or SerDes