Technical Project Manager Location: on-site in San Jose Ayar Labs is pioneering the future of high-speed, energy-efficient optical I/O-and we're looking for a skilled and motivated Project Manager to help turn that vision into reality. In this role, you'll be at the heart of silicon development, driving execution across critical phases such as tapeout, bringup, validation, and production ramp. You'll collaborate closely with world-class engineers, foundry partners, 3rd-party IP vendors, and cross-functional teams to keep programs on track and aligned with our roadmap. This is a high-visibility, high-impact opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge photonic chip development that's redefining how data moves in AI, HPC, and cloud infrastructure. If you're energized by complex technical challenges, thrive in fast-paced environments, and want to be part of a team shaping the future of computing-this role is for you. Essential Responsibilities: * Support project planning and execution across the silicon lifecycle, including tapeout, bringup, validation, and production ramp. * Maintain and track detailed program schedules, milestones, deliverables, and cross-functional dependencies. * Collaborate with teams across design, verification, validation, DFT, test engineering, product engineering, packaging, and operations to drive alignment and execution. * Manage relationships with 3rd-party IP (3PIP) vendors, including tracking IP deliverables, licensing terms, and issue resolution. * Track and manage EDA tools and software licenses, including renewals, usage monitoring, and coordination with internal IT and procurement teams. * Coordinate closely with the foundry partner to manage tapeout schedules, manufacturing milestones, technical deliverables, and issue resolution, ensuring alignment. * Identify, track, and escalate risks, blockers, and delays, and work proactively with stakeholders to resolve them. * Support document management, change control, and internal reporting to leadership. * Contribute to continuous improvement by optimizing workflows, communication paths, and execution processes. Basic Qualifications: * Bachelor's degree or higher in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical field. * 3+ years of relevant industry experience, including 2-5 years in program or project management for Silicon, ASIC, or IP development. * Hands-on experience across the silicon development lifecycle, with technical depth in at least one of the following: design, verification, implementation, physical design, DFT, or silicon validation-and working knowledge of the others to effectively evaluate tradeoffs and guide discussions. * Experience working with vendors and external partners across global time zones. Preferred Qualifications: * Excellent organizational and communication skills. * Able to manage multiple workstreams while keeping priorities clear. * Able to navigate and contribute in a cross-functional technical environment involving engineering, operations, supply chain, and more. * Proficient in project tracking and collaboration tools such as Jira, Confluence, Excel/Google Sheets, Smartsheet, or similar platforms. Salary range: $140,000 - $160,000 NOTE TO RECRUITERS: Principals only. We are not accepting resumes from recruiters for this position. Remuneration for recruiting activities is only applicable subject to a signed and executed agreement between the parties. Please don't send candidates to Ayar Labs, and do not contact our managers. About Ayar Labs: At Ayar Labs we're about to revolutionize computing by moving data with light. We're unleashing processing power for artificial intelligence, high performance computing, cloud and telecommunications by removing the bottlenecks created by today's electrical I/O -- making it possible to continue scaling computing system performance. Ayar Labs is the first to deliver an optical I/O solution that combines in-package optical I/O chiplets and multi-wavelength remote light sources to replace traditional electrical I/O. This silicon photonics-based I/O solution enables chips to communicate with each other from millimeters to kilometers, to deliver orders of magnitude improvements in latency, bandwidth density, and power consumption. With our strong collaborations with industry leaders and government, our deep ties to MIT and UC Berkeley, and our commitment to hiring the best engineers in photonics and electronics, joining our team gives you the opportunity to collaborate with renowned experts on challenging, paradigm-shifting work. We are passionate about delivering in-package optical I/O at scale, leveraging the strength of our patent portfolio and our team of leading interdisciplinary experts. We believe that deep cross-collaboration between teams facilitated by honest, open debate is the best way to drive innovation and achieve big wins. Join our team and experience the possibilities. Resources: Executives from Intel and GLOBALFOUNDRIES share their thoughts on Ayar Labs and the promise of in-package optical I/O (video) Ayar Labs in the News and Recent announcements LinkedIn and Twitter Ayar Labs is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer and is strongly committed to all policies which will afford equal opportunity employment to all qualified persons without regard to age, national origin, race, ethnicity, creed, gender, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Veterans are more than welcome and encouraged to apply. #veteranswelcome