Photonics Packaging Engineer

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Role highlights

• Hands-on opportunity to develop cutting-edge photonic packaging for real-world sensing
• Join a collaborative team shaping the future of sustainable mining technologies
• Support the growing photonics ecosystem through impactful applied research

The opportunity

CSIRO’s Sustainable Mining Technologies research program is driving innovation to create a safer, more efficient, and environmentally responsible resources sector. Within this program, the Distributed Mine Sensing Team plays a vital role in developing advanced photonic sensing systems tailored for demanding mining and industrial environments. Joining this dynamic team, you will play an important role in developing high-performance, scalable packaging processes that support both the Sustainable Mining Technologies Program and the Queensland Advanced Photonics Packaging Facility at the Queensland Centre for Advanced Technologies (QCAT).
 

In this hands-on, multidisciplinary role, you will develop and optimise optical assembly and packaging processes – from fibre-to-chip coupling and semiconductor packaging to cleanroom operations and equipment maintenance. You will also support simulation, validation, and prototyping activities, which will ensure reliable, scalable photonic assembly and enable their deployment in mining, industrial monitoring, and other sensing applications. With opportunities to collaborate across research programs, industry, and academia, you will be contributing directly to strengthening CSIRO’s capabilities in photonic innovation, and help grow the photonics ecosystem.
 

If you enjoy working in a collaborative team and contributing to work that creates real-impact, this exciting role presents a great platform to further enhance your skills and experience, and we would love to hear from you soon!

Your high-level duties will include:

• Contributing to the development of low-loss, low-cost, scalable photonic chip packaging solutions.
• Designing and developing new packaging processes and assembly approaches for silicon photonic chip system specifications.
• Operating electrical wire bonders, two-photon polymerisation lithography instruments, and die bonders/optical assembly instruments in a cleanroom environment.
• Maintaining cleanroom facilities and equipment in line with best practices, safety, and quality standards.
• Contributing to the development and implementation of standardized validation methodologies for fibre-coupled photonic chip packages.
• Designing and developing heterogeneous integration (HI) assembly processes for seamless photonic and electronic integration at the chip level.
• Performing Multiphysics modelling and simulations to optimize thermal, mechanical, and optical performance of integrated photonic assemblies using Ansys Lumerical and ZEMAX.

Role particulars

Location and office arrangements: Brisbane (Pullenvale), QLD

Salary: AU$96K – AU$109K per annum plus up to 15.4% superannuation

Tenure & work schedule: Specified Term of 30 months; Full-time  (flexible work options may be considered, based on needs of the role and individual circumstances)

Reference: 99964

As the successful candidate, you will bring:

• Minimum qualification of a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Physics (ideally majoring in Optics), Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience in scientific programming (MATLAB, LabVIEW, C++, or Python).
• Direct experience with manufacturing methods for attaching optical fibres to semiconductor chips using active and passive alignment.
• Experience in semiconductor packaging technologies including die attach, wire bonding, flip-chip, and micro-optics.
• Demonstrated analytical and problem-solving skills.

For full details about this role, and the desirable criteria, please review the Position Description. 

Not sure if you meet all the criteria?

While it is CSIRO policy that the successful candidate must meet all the essential criteria, there are many ways to demonstrate this. Don’t let the list discourage you. If you are unsure about applying, please reach out to the contact person in the Position Description.
 

Setting you up for success

We are committed to providing a recruitment process that is fair, equitable and accessible to everyone. We recognise that it may be helpful for us to adjust our process to make it equitable for your individual situation. Please contact the Talent Acquisition Partner via email (see details in the Position Description) and let us know how we can support you.

Eligibility

To be eligible to apply for this role, you must be either an Australian Citizen, a New Zealand Citizen, or an Australian Permanent Resident. 

Appointment to this role is subject to provision of a national police check and may be subject to other security/medical/character requirements. Given the nature of the role, the successful candidate will also be required to undertake a pre-employment medical examination prior to commencement.

Life at CSIRO and flexible work arrangements

We work flexibly at CSIRO, offering a range of options for how, when and where you work. We can discuss flexible work arrangements with you during the recruitment process. CSIRO also offers a range of leave entitlements, benefits and career development opportunities. To find out more, visit Careers at CSIRO.

Inclusion and belonging

Solving Australia's greatest challenges takes a diversity of minds and lived experiences. We know diverse teams are more effective and deliver more innovative outcomes. As an equal employment opportunity organisation, we are committed to creating diverse and inclusive teams where people feel they belong. We recognise true diversity encompasses all ages, abilities, cultures, faiths, levels of education, genders, sexualities, diversity of thought and much more. We focus on hiring people who share our values of People First, Further Together, Making it Real and Trusted.

CSIRO holds Gold Status for the Australian Workplace Equality Index for LGBTQIA+ inclusion, and a Science in Australia Gender Equity Bronze Award.

Child safety

CSIRO is committed to the safety and wellbeing of all children and young people involved in our activities and programs. View our Child Safe Policy.

How to apply

Please apply online, and provide a CV and a detailed cover letter, responding to each of the selection criteria in detail, that best demonstrate your motivation and ability to meet the requirements of this role. Please attach your selection criteria responses to your cover letter as one document.

We encourage early applications as we will be reviewing applications as they come through. CSIRO reserves the right to withdraw this ad prior to the closing date, if we find our desired candidate and/or if required

If you have any questions regarding this requirement, please reach out to the Talent Acquisition Partner (see details in Position Description). 

Applications close

15 June 2025, 11:00pm AEST