[Hiring] Head of Education - Photonics & EM Simulation @Flexcompute Inc.

Role Description

We need someone who will put Tidy3D in front of every photonics researcher, professor, and grad student in the country. This is a hands-on, high-travel, high-visibility role. You'll spend most of your time presenting:

• Giving talks at CLEO and Photonics West
• Running live simulation demos at university labs
• Teaching workshops where students build their first ring resonator in Tidy3D
• Sitting down with professors to show them why this belongs in their syllabus

You are not managing a team or writing strategy decks. You are the person in the room making the product click for people. You'll demo, teach, troubleshoot, write tutorials, record walkthroughs, answer questions on forums, and fly to the next campus. If a professor emails asking how to set up a grating coupler simulation for their photonics course, that's your inbox.

You'll start in photonics and EM, but as we expand into multi-physics (thermal, structural, RF), the scope grows with you. This is a remote position based in the US or Canada. Expect frequent travel - 30-50% of your time will be at conferences, campuses, and research labs. We have an office in the Boston area if you prefer a home base.

Qualifications

• PhD or Masters in photonics, optics, electrical engineering, or a closely related field
• Fluent in Python
• Hands-on photonic simulation experience
• A natural presenter
• Energized by travel
• Self-directed

Requirements

• You can explain the difference between TE and TM modes, design a directional coupler, and discuss dispersion engineering without checking your notes.
• You've worked with electromagnetic simulation in your own research.
• You can write and debug simulation scripts live in front of an audience.
• You've used Jupyter notebooks for research.
• You can walk a student through their first API call.
• You've designed and simulated photonic devices - waveguides, resonators, couplers, gratings, or similar.
• You've used tools like Lumerical, COMSOL, Ansys HFSS, RSoft, Meep, or similar.
• You understand FDTD, FEM, or eigenmode solvers at a working level, not just conceptually.

Nice to Have

• Experience in technical evangelism, developer relations, or academic outreach
• Existing relationships within university photonics/EE departments
• Background in silicon photonics, optical interconnects, or AI datacenter architecture
• Experience with Tidy3D
• Published research using electromagnetic simulation
• Experience creating video tutorials or technical content
• Familiarity with agentic AI, LLM-based tools, or AI-assisted design workflows
• Experience with multi-physics simulation (thermal, structural, RF)

Benefits

• A leadership role at the intersection of AI and photonics, two of the fastest-moving fields in tech
• A clear growth path as we expand into multi-physics products and new academic markets
• The chance to become the most recognized name in photonics simulation education
• A team of deeply technical people who care about getting this right
• The chance to shape how an entire generation of engineers learns to work with AI-driven simulation
• A team that is serious about its mission to advance science and technology education
• A collaborative, technically deep culture that values curiosity and initiative
• Competitive compensation with equity of a fast-growing startup
• Medical, dental, and vision health insurance
• 401(k) Contribution
• Gym allowance
• Friendly, thoughtful, and intelligent coworkers