CTO / Chief Photonics Officer

About the role

Personio is developing a diagnostic platform that shrinks complex, six-figure laboratory optical instruments into affordable, disposable chips. As a founding technical leader, you will oversee the transition of high-end sensing technology from the benchtop to mass-manufacturable silicon. You will define the technical vision that aligns photonics, microfluidics, and detection into a single coherent product strategy. This role requires you to translate abstract scientific requirements into concrete manufacturable architectures. You will be responsible for ensuring that every design decision considers yield, cost, and scalability from the very first prototype. Your work will directly determine whether sophisticated laboratory capabilities can be delivered at a price point suitable for widespread adoption. You will act as the primary technical integrator between simulation, fabrication, and final product validation.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Architect the photonic and detection systems for both the disposable cartridges and the reader hardware, ensuring compatibility across the entire product stack.
• Manage foundry relationships, including tapeout schedules, yield optimization, and tolerance management for PIC, nano-optical, and microfluidic components to meet production targets.
• Validate and refine outputs from the internal multi-physics design engine to ensure physical feasibility and alignment with real-world manufacturing constraints.
• Integrate opto-mechanical, thermal, and electronic components into a cohesive reader device that performs reliably in diverse operating conditions.
• Maintain a technical risk register and engineer proactive solutions for large-scale manufacturing challenges that may arise during ramp-up.
• Recruit and build the initial technical team, focusing on microfluidics, hardware, firmware, and instrumentation to cover all critical skill gaps.
• Define test methodologies and validation protocols that confirm optical performance, sensitivity, and reproducibility across production batches.
• Collaborate closely with Prathap to align hardware roadmaps with AI-driven design automation and business milestones.
• Evaluate new photonics components and packaging solutions to balance performance, manufacturability, and cost throughout the product lifecycle.
• Represent the technical vision of Personio in discussions with partners, investors, and potential manufacturing collaborators.

Requirements

• PhD in silicon photonics or electrical engineering, demonstrating deep theoretical and practical knowledge of photonic systems.
• Proven track record of moving multiple designs from initial layout to functional silicon at a commercial foundry without extended delays.
• Deep expertise in photon-counting detection, photonic integration, and nano-optical component design across relevant wavelengths.
• Ability to interpret and audit complex simulation data rather than treating design software as a black box, understanding underlying assumptions and limitations.
• Willingness to work on-site in London for critical collaborative phases, especially during design reviews, tapeouts, and validation milestones.
• Strong understanding of fabrication processes, error sources, and statistical methods for analyzing yield and performance data.
• Experience translating high-level scientific instrument requirements into low-level hardware specifications and verification plans.
• Commitment to rigorous documentation and traceability so that decisions can be reviewed, audited, and improved over time.

Nice to have

• Background in bio-photonics, scientific instrumentation, or biomedical optical engineering, with familiarity with relevant applications and constraints.

Skills & tools

• Silicon photonics design, simulation, and characterization using standard tools and flows.
• Micro-fluidics design and integration methods relevant to sample handling and reaction control.
• Opto-mechanical integration skills for aligning and packaging photonic components into compact modules.
• Experience with multi-physics simulation tools that couple optical, thermal, and fluidic behaviors.
• Foundry tapeout management, including scheduling, vendor coordination, and yield analysis across multiple process nodes.

Practical notes

• Compensation includes founding team-level equity and a salary calibrated to the pre-seed funding round.
• The role requires a long-term commitment to building a decade-scale company.
• We prioritize direct communication, rapid prototyping, and decisive action over perfect documentation.
• The position is based in London, and on-site presence is required during key project milestones to enable close collaboration with the team.
• No specific visa sponsorship details are provided, so candidates should clarify their eligibility under local regulations.
• The successful candidate is expected to engage full-time and dedicate their efforts to the growth and technical success of Personio.
• Start dates will be determined based on business needs and the availability of the selected candidate.