---
title: 'Mechanical Design Engineer, Frontier AI Hardware at Voyant Photonics'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/mechanical-design-engineer-frontier-ai-hardware-voyant-photonics-new-york-46mtegnzfprf'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-11-08'
---

# Mechanical Design Engineer, Frontier AI Hardware at Voyant Photonics

- **Company:** Voyant Photonics
- **Location:** New York, NY
- **Compensation:** $120k–$170k
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** onsite
- **Posted:** 2026-10-22
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-11-08
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/voyant-photonics/da458ac2-ca37-4e8e-956f-5006124c324e

## Job description

Mechanical Design Engineer, Frontier AI Hardware About us: Voyant Photonics is pushing the boundaries of silicon photonic chips that steer and switch light at high speed. They power next generation, chip-scale FMCW LiDAR for robotics and autonomy, and optical circuit switches (OCS) for AI data centers. Based in NYC, we’re a hands-on team designing, building, and deploying frontier hardware to solve problems that matter, from how machines see to how AI scales. About the Role: We are looking for an experienced Mechanical Engineer to design, document, and release the mechanical hardware for our LiDAR sensing products and the tooling used to build and test them. You will own parts and assemblies from concept through release and support the alignment and assembly processes that bring our sensors to life. In a startup environment, speed matters, and so does getting it right the first time. What You'll Do:

- Design mechanical components, housings, assemblies, and development platforms for LiDAR sensors in SolidWorks
- Create clear, complete, manufacturing-ready drawings with proper GD&T per ASME Y14.5
- Perform tolerance stack-up analyses to verify fit, function, and optical alignment budgets
- Translate system‑level requirements into robust mechanical architecture and detailed designs
- Design fixtures, jigs, and tooling for assembly, alignment, inspection, and test
- Support and improve lens alignment stations and related optical assembly processes
- Manage engineering change requests and revisions (ECR/ECO), keeping documentation and BOMs accurate
- Work with suppliers to resolve manufacturability questions and ensure part quality
- Drive design-to-cost and value engineering efforts to reduce part cost and complexity without compromising performance
- Collaborate with optical, electrical, and manufacturing engineers to turn requirements into robust designs
- Iterate quickly through prototypes and builds, then move designs toward production

## What We're Looking For

- B.S. in Mechanical Engineering or equivalent practical experience
- Minimum of 4+ years of mechanical design experience for precision hardware products
- Strong proficiency in SolidWorks, including assemblies, detailed part modeling and drawings
- Working knowledge of GD&T and its practical application to functional and inspection requirements
- Experience performing tolerance stack-up analysis (worst-case and statistical)
- Experience with tool and fixture design

## Nice to Have

- Experience with precision optomechanical design, such as lens mounting and adhesive bonding.
- Experience with thermal analysis and structural FEA, especially for compact electro-optical packaging
- Hands-on machining, , assembly, or test experience

Life at Voyant We build frontier hardware & systems from our lab and office in Midtown Manhattan, where optical tables, lab benches and electronics sit alongside traditional office space. Our work is hands-on and primarily in person, but we don’t run on a rigid 9-to-5. We partner with customers across time zones, so some calls start early or run late, and we adjust schedules around them. We run a high-trust, high-accountability environment: you’ll own meaningful work, move quickly and often wear more than one hat. Voyant provides catered lunch every day at HQ, and we’re a diverse group of food lovers from around the world who enjoy sharing food, culture and technical ideas around the lunch table.

## Equal Opportunity Employer

Voyant Photonics is an equal opportunity employer committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, pregnancy, marital or partnership status, age, national origin, citizenship, veteran or military status, disability, medical condition, genetic information, caregiver status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

## About Voyant Photonics

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Voyant Photonics develops solid-state, chip-scale FMCW LiDAR sensors using silicon photonics for machine perception in autonomous vehicles, robotics, and smart infrastructure.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Series A)
- **Headquarters**: New York City, New York, United States
- **Founded**: 2019
- **Founders**: Dr. Steven Miller (CTO), Dr. Chris Phare (CSO), Carlos Bhola (Executive Chairman)

## Core Business
- **Primary Industry**: Autonomous sensing / LiDAR / Silicon photonics
- **Target Customers**: B2B; OEMs and system integrators in automotive, robotics, industrial automation, and smart infrastructure
- **Mission**: To enable intelligent machines to operate in harmony with their environment by providing the spatial foundation that AI systems need to perceive the world.

## Products & Services
- **Helium™**: A fully solid-state, medium-range 4D LiDAR with no moving parts. Uses a 2D array of surface emitters for on-chip beam steering. Key specs: 75m range, 0.3cm precision, 60° x 90° FOV, ultra-compact 3x4x4 cm form factor. Ideal for mobile robotics.
- **Carbon 30**: A compact, all-in-one coherent LiDAR for mid-range, high-precision sensing. Combines single-axis on-chip beam steering with a low-speed moving mirror. Available in 32, 64, and 128-line variants. Range: 75m (standard) or 150m (extended), 30° V x 120° H FOV. Up to 977,000 points/sec.
- **Carbon 60**: A wide-FOV coherent LiDAR optimized for dense near-field perception (60° V x 90° H). Designed for short-range, wide-angle coverage in applications like person tracking and mobile robotics.

All products are software-configurable, operate at 1550nm (eye-safe), and provide instantaneous velocity data per point — immune to sunlight interference and other LiDAR sensors.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly disclosed
- **Key Metric**: Total funding of $41.6M across 5 rounds
- **Notable Investors**: UP Partners (led Series A), LDV Capital, Contour Venture Partners, and others
- **Growth Signals**: 150% YoY headcount growth (to ~52 employees); has hired talent from Tesla, Luminar, Aeva, Microsoft, and MIT Media Lab; new CEO Clément Nouvel (former CTO of Valeo’s LiDAR division) brought in to scale the company; presence expanding to France and Japan

## Competitive Advantages
- **True solid-state design**: Their monostatic architecture integrates FMCW LiDAR, beam steering, and coherent detection on a single silicon photonics die — no moving parts, no MEMS, no multi-chip assemblies.
- **Foundry-compatible manufacturing**: Uses datacom-grade photonic foundries for wafer-scale fabrication, enabling cost and performance scaling to millions of units — manufactured like processors, not like optics.
- **Instantaneous 4D data**: Each measurement returns both range and velocity simultaneously, with no compute overhead, reducing perception pipeline complexity.
- **Software-configurable**: Sensors can dynamically trade off range, resolution, FOV, and precision under real-time application control — one sensor for many use cases.

## Strategic Focus
- Scaling production and reducing per-unit cost to enable mass-market adoption in automotive and robotics
- Expanding into smart infrastructure (bridge monitoring, power lines, industrial facilities) and IoT metrology
- Building out commercial sales team and global presence (VP Sales from Ouster/Aeva, Sales Director for Europe, presence in Japan)
- Replacing mechanical and MEMS-based LiDAR with fully solid-state solutions across all market segments

## Why Work Here
- **Cutting-edge technology**: Work on the frontier of silicon photonics, FMCW LiDAR, and coherent detection — a true hardware + perception + AI challenge
- **High-growth trajectory**: 150% headcount growth in the last year, with strong funding and commercial traction — significant career growth potential
- **Small, focused team**: ~52 employees with a high density of PhDs and experienced engineers from Cornell, Columbia, MIT, and top LiDAR companies (Luminar, Aeva, Valeo) — learn from world-class peers
- **Real-world impact**: Your work directly enables autonomous vehicles, robots, and smart infrastructure to perceive the world safely and reliably
- **Culture**: Described as "laser-focused" and balancing innovation with execution; the team includes veterans from Tesla, Microsoft, and leading Tier 1 automotive suppliers
- **Work model**: Based in NYC with a collaborative in-person culture; roles span photonics, electrical engineering, software, systems, and sales
- **Career opportunities**: Actively hiring across technical and commercial roles — "We’re growing fast and always looking for passionate, talented people"

## Sources
1. [voyantphotonics.com](https://voyantphotonics.com/)
2. [voyantphotonics.com/about](https://voyantphotonics.com/about/)
3. [voyantphotonics.com/products](https://voyantphotonics.com/products/)
4. [voyantphotonics.com/careers](https://voyantphotonics.com/careers/)
5. [linkedin.com/company/voyantphotonics](https://www.linkedin.com/company/voyantphotonics)
6. [jobs.ashbyhq.com/voyant-photonics](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/voyant-photonics)

## Other roles at Voyant Photonics

- [Senior Photonics Design Engineer - Semiconductor Optical Amplifier (SOA) / Active Devices)](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-photonics-design-engineer-semiconductor-optical-amplifier-soa-active-ftpz9xgx0rs8) — New York, NY
- [Principal PIC (Photonic Integrated Circuit) Design Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/principal-pic-photonic-integrated-circuit-design-engineer-voyant-photonics-new-2wnhfg389yrp) — New York, NY
- [Principal ASIC Engineer (Mixed-Signal)](https://feeny.ai/job/principal-asic-engineer-mixed-signal-voyant-photonics-new-york-ry7vapnea5zp) — New York, NY
- [Senior Silicon Photonics Design Engineer (Remote)](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-silicon-photonics-design-engineer-remote-voyant-photonics-remote-1shz8qffvrdh)
- [Senior Silicon Photonics Design Engineer (Onsite/Hybrid)](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-silicon-photonics-design-engineer-onsite-hybrid-voyant-photonics-new-york-6q4e8bswvarp) — New York, NY
- [Photonics Layout Engineer (Remote)](https://feeny.ai/job/photonics-layout-engineer-remote-voyant-photonics-remote-rgts7amh4tgd)
- [Photonics Layout Engineer (Onsite/Hybrid)](https://feeny.ai/job/photonics-layout-engineer-onsite-hybrid-voyant-photonics-new-york-h6hqmqmz17nx) — New York, NY
- [Senior Project Manager, Global Supply Chain (LiDAR & Optical Circuit Switches)](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-project-manager-global-supply-chain-lidar-optical-circuit-switches-fx0qq66r9xqr) — New York, NY
- [Silicon Photonics Control & Calibration Engineer - Optical Circuit Switches (OCS)](https://feeny.ai/job/silicon-photonics-control-calibration-engineer-optical-circuit-switches-ocs-qwsypyh2e400) — New York, NY
- [Silicon Photonics Systems Test Engineer – Optical Circuit Switches (OCS)](https://feeny.ai/job/silicon-photonics-systems-test-engineer-optical-circuit-switches-ocs-voyant-57gf42rynbxv) — New York, NY