Senior RF / Analog Design Engineer (m/f/d)

Your mission

The future of AI computing is light, not electrons. Q.ANT is building photonic processing systems that compute with light – delivering a scalable, energy-efficient alternative to transistor-based architectures for next-generation AI and HPC applications.

As Senior GHz Analog & Mixed-Signal Engineer (m/f/d) , you are the architect of the high-speed electronic signal paths in the GHz-range that make photonic computing real. You will design, simulate, and validate circuits that interface directly with cutting-edge silicon photonic devices, custom ASICs, and advanced 2.5D/3D interposer platforms. Working at the intersection of RF electronics, electro-optics, and semiconductor heterogeneous integration , you will turn individual high-performance components into unified, scalable subsystems.

Your Responsibilities

• High-Speed Analog & Mixed-Signal Design: Specify, design, and simulate GHz-band circuits including TIAs, ADC/DAC front-ends, amplifiers, and PLLs – optimizing for noise, linearity, jitter, bandwidth, and power efficiency using tools such as SPICE, SpectreRF, and ADS.
• Electronic-Photonic Co-Design: Define and optimize electrical-optical impedance matching, biasing, and signal conditioning for silicon photonic components including modulators, photodetectors, and waveguide interfaces.
• Interposer & Advanced Packaging Integration: Develop and validate 2.5D/3D integration architectures using interposers and chiplets; co-simulate RF parasitics, TSV routing, and thermal behavior to ensure signal integrity across heterogeneous boundaries.
• ASIC Collaboration: Partner with ASIC designers to define high-speed interface requirements and support SerDes, CDR, and mixed-signal block integration.
• Lab Bring-Up & Validation: Lead hands-on characterization of electro-optic bandwidth, eye diagrams, jitter, noise spectra, and system-level behavior using oscilloscopes, VNAs, BERTs, and spectrum analyzers.
• Innovation & IP Contribution: Propose novel analog architectures and co-integration strategies that push beyond conventional design limits, contributing to Q.ANT's IP portfolio and next-generation photonic processor roadmap.

Your profile

• Educational Foundation: M.S. or Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Physics, Microsystems Engineering, or a related technical field.
• Industry Expertise: 5+ years designing analog/mixed-signal circuits in the 1–20 GHz range, with strong command of SPICE/Spectre, ADS, HFSS, and S-parameter/EM co-simulation.
• Electro-Optic Experience: Hands-on background integrating electronics with silicon photonic or optoelectronic components – modulators, photodiodes, optical packaging – is a strong advantage.
• Packaging & SI/PI Know-How: Demonstrated experience with high-speed PCB design, signal and power integrity analysis, and advanced packaging concepts (CoWoS, EMIB, or similar).
• Analytical Toolset: Familiarity with Python or MATLAB for measurement automation and data analysis; experience defining test SOPs for reproducibility.
• Language: Fluent English required; German or another European language is a plus.

Why us?

• We hire for attitude and train for skills.

• We encourage self responsibility and accelerate professional development.

• We move fast and encourage experimentation.

• You have the opportunity to be part of developing breakthrough photonic computing technology and have a lasting impact on the future of computing.

• You can be part of a passionate international, highly skilled cross functional team.

• You will have access to the founders of the company.

About us

Who we are and what we do

Q.ANT is a deep-tech scale-up developing photonic processing solutions that compute natively with light and deliver a scalable alternative to transistor-based systems. The analog co-processors are optimised for complex computations and enable energy-efficient performance for next-generation AI and HPC applications. In collaboration with the Institute for Microelectronics Stuttgart IMS CHIPS, Q.ANT operates its own pilot line for photonic chips, based on the material system Thin-Film Lithium Niobate TFLN. Q.ANT was founded by Michael Förtsch in 2018 and is headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany.