Jobs / United States / Lightmatter INC
Hardware Systems Technical Lead
Lightmatter INC · 🇺🇸 Mountain View, CA
Sponsorship verdict
Sponsorship possible
One solid signal, not two — worth applying, and worth asking about sponsorship early.
- Employer is on a government sponsor recordThe US Department of Labor certified 21 H-1B/E-3 labor condition applications for this employer between Oct 2025 and Jun 2026 (latest May 2026) — the step every H-1B hire needs first. USCIS also records 1 H-1B approvals in FY2023. Source: LCA disclosure data (US Department of Labor (OFLC)).
- The posting doesn’t mention sponsorshipSilence isn’t a refusal — ask the recruiter before investing much time.
- No salary bar for this routeH-1B has no fixed salary bar: the employer must pay at least the prevailing wage for the role and area. Cap-subject employers enter a lottery weighted by wage level. Source: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/12/29/2025-23853/weighted-selection-process-for-registrants-and-petitioners-seeking-to-file-cap-subject-h-1b, rules effective 2026-02-27.
- What Lightmatter INC paid sponsored hires in similar roles1 certified filing for “IT Support Technician” (Network and Computer Systems Administrators) in CA: $100k–$100k, median $100k. Most were filed at wage level I (100%) — 1 lottery entry, ≈15% projected selection odds for cap-subject employers. Source: US Department of Labor LCA disclosure data (Oct 2025 – Jun 2026).
- Confirmed live todayWhen a source last listed this job as open.
US H-1B: cap-subject employers enter a lottery weighted by wage level — Level I gets 1 entry, Level IV gets 4 (DHS projected selection odds ≈15% at Level I to ≈61% at Level IV). Universities and non-profit research employers are cap-exempt. The $100,000 fee for new petitions from abroad is currently blocked by a court order (appeal pending).
A verdict summarises public evidence; it is not legal advice and never a guarantee — the employer and the immigration authority decide. Sign in to factor in where you can already work.
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Sponsor Radar — Lightmatter INC
The US Department of Labor certified 21 H-1B/E-3 labor condition applications for this employer between Oct 2025 and Jun 2026 (latest May 2026) — the step every H-1B hire needs first. USCIS also records 1 H-1B approvals in FY2023. Source: LCA disclosure data (US Department of Labor (OFLC)).
Past sponsorship or register membership never guarantees sponsorship for this vacancy or for you. Full Sponsor Radar for Lightmatter INC →
About the role
Lightmatter is leading the revolution in AI data center infrastructure, enabling the next giant leaps in human progress. The company invented the world’s first 3D-stacked photonics engine, Passage™, capable of connecting thousands to millions of processors at the speed of light in extreme-scale data centers for the most advanced AI and HPC workloads. Lightmatter raised $400 million in its Series D round, reaching a valuation of $4.4 billion. We will continue to accelerate the development of data center photonics and grow every department at Lightmatter! If you're passionate about tackling complex challenges, making an impact, and being an expert in your craft, join our team of brilliant scientists, engineers, and accomplished industry leaders. Lightmatter is (re)inventing the future of computing with light! We are looking for a talented engineer to provide technical leadership to the Hardware Systems organization to help us build the next generation of silicon photonics based artificial intelligence accelerators and interconnect products. As a Hardware Systems Technical Lead, you will be responsible for delivering board and system solutions using Lightmatter’s innovative technology to create state of the art machine learning/artificial intelligence or massive scale-out interconnect platforms. You will work closely with our hardware and software teams, including mechanical, packaging, and IC engineering, to design and build leading edge system level products. Responsibilities • Collaborate with system architects and technical leads to define and develop hardware systems for photonic AI infrastructure applications • Own hardware systems development throughout the full lifecycle, from concept through production • Define, develop, and review PCBAs to meet system-level electrical, power, and interface requirements • Lead hands-on integration, verification, and validation across bench bring-up, EVT/DVT, and production release • Drive cross-functional collaboration with firmware, photonics, packaging, and software teams to resolve dependencies and manage tradeoffs • Maintain thorough hardware documentation for schematics, design reviews, test plans, validation reports, and other engineering documentation • Research components and technologies to meet current and next-generation product goals and contribute to the technology roadmap, and improve development processes and engineering best practices • Mentor and provide technical guidance to engineers on the team Qualifications • Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering or related discipline with 12+ years of relevant industry experience • Demonstrated track record of taking multiple complex hardware systems from concept through production • Deep knowledge of VRMs, high-speed SerDes, and interfaces/protocols including PCIe, Ethernet, SPI/QSPI, I3C, I2C, and JTAG • Experience leading multi-disciplinary development, integration, and troubleshooting across electrical, mechanical, and firmware domains • Strong ownership mindset with the ability to work in ambiguous and dynamic environments Preferred Qualifications • Experience designing hardware systems for AI/HPC data center infrastructure, optical transceivers, or silicon photonics products • Experience with Systems Engineering methodology, including requirements definition and traceability, FMEA, and EVT/DVT/PVT planning and execution • Familiarity with advanced packaging technologies and high-density PCB design We offer competitive compensation. The base salary range for this role determined based on location, experience, educational background, and market data. Salary Range: total compensation goes beyond base salary, it also includes a new hire equity grant, annual performance-based equity, and other rewards th