Engineer III

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Date: Jun 26, 2026

Location: Airport City, IL, 70151

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Company: Corning

Requisition Number: 76148

The company built on breakthroughs.
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Corning is one of the world’s leading innovators in glass, ceramic, and materials science. From the depths of the ocean to the farthest reaches of space, our technologies push the boundaries of what’s possible.

How do we do this? With our people. They break through limitations and expectations – not once in a career, but every day. They help move our company, and the world, forward.

At Corning, there are endless possibilities for making an impact. You can help connect the unconnected, drive the future of automobiles, transform at-home entertainment, and ensure the delivery of lifesaving medicines. And so much more.

Come break through with us.

Our Optical Communications segment has recently evolved from being a manufacturer of optical fiber and cable, hardware and equipment to being a comprehensive provider of industry-leading optical solutions across the broader communications industry.This segment is classified into two main product groupings – carrier network and enterprise network. The carrier network product group consists primarily of products and solutions for optical-based communications infrastructure for services such as video, data and voice communications. The enterprise network product group consists primarily of optical-based communication networks sold to businesses, governments and individuals for their own use.

Role Purpose

Systems Engineer, Co-Packaged Optics is responsible for working directly with our customers and ecosystem partners to understand their product challenges, create system-level solutions, translate those solutions into product requirements, and drive design-in of Corning's Co-Packaged Optics (CPO) products. The role combines deep technical expertise in semiconductor manufacturing and photonic connectivity with a strong customer-facing orientation, serving as the technical interface between Corning R&D, program management and the business team to shape the future of AI infrastructure in hyperscale data centers.

This is a highly visible role that combines deep systems expertise with strong communication skills to guide our customers from early architecture discussions through design-in and qualification to serial production, bridging internal engineering teams and our customers to solve deployment challenges and influencing the CPO roadmap based on direct customer insight.

Key Responsibilities
Serve as a primary technical point of contact for strategic customers and ecosystem partners throughout the CPO product lifecycle - from early architecture discussions through design-in, qualification, and deployment
Lead product and system ideation with our customers and partners, with the goal of addressing identified needs through differentiated product offerings
Translate customer requirements into internal product specifications, ensuring alignment between external needs and Corning's R&D and product development capabilities.
Conduct feasibility studies and develop initial design concepts to be transferred to R&D
Establish ongoing and trusting relationships with technical counterparts amongst our primary customers and partners within the CPO ecosystem.
Develop a deep understanding of customer applications, the systems in which they operate, and how Corning products function in these applications.
Lead technical deep-dive sessions, architecture workshops, and design reviews with customer engineering teams, including hyperscaler network architects and ASIC/platform engineers.
Perform system level thermo-mechanical simulations to provide design recommendations
Deliver compelling technical presentations, demos, and proof-of-concept (PoC) engagements
Participate in mapping out market trends and technology roadmaps, identifying key gaps and recommendations in terms of both technology capabilities and new products.
In close collaboration with PLM and Marketing, help refine Corning's value proposition in the context of a deep understanding of the applications and use cases of our CPO solutions
Experiences/Education - Required
Master's or Doctorate Degree in Physics, Electrical, Optical or Mechanical Engineering, or equivalent fields.
7+ years of experience in an applications, systems, or product development function, with meaningful time in a customer-facing technical role (Systems Engineer, Applications Engineer, Scientist, or Solutions Architect).
Participation in complex projects and contribution to multi-functional teams in a fast-paced competitive environment.

Required Skills

Deep understanding of one or more of the following: optics, glass as a material, optical fiber and communications, Silicon Photonics, semiconductor packaging, semiconductor metrology, electronic hardware design and manufacturing.
Ease with frequent customer engagements at a technical level, with the ability to comprehend technical needs and convey effective value propositions.
Ability to collaborate across functional and geographical boundaries to solve problems and develop solutions.
Conceptualize complex specification and application requirements and articulate to internal/external stakeholders to initiate new product development or implement product changes.
Mobilize and influence people within and outside the organization to meet objectives.
Garner trust and lead collaborative work efforts, both internally and externally, across multiple time zones.
Experiences/Education - Desired
Work experience in PLM, Manufacturing, Systems Engineering, and/or Product Development in a fast-paced OEM context.
+3 years of industrial experience.
Systems-level knowledge of CPO architectures, including photonic engines, external laser sources (ELS/ELSFP), fiber attach, ASIC integration and advanced packaging.
Direct experience deploying CPO, NPO, LPO, or advanced pluggable optics in production or pre-production environments.
Familiarity with AI/ML fabric architectures (scale-up / scale-out), including GPU/XPU cluster designs and optical I/O requirements.
Fluent English, verbally and written.

Corning is committed to providing equal employment opportunities and considers requests for reasonable accommodations in accordance with applicable laws. Individuals with disabilities or sincerely held religious beliefs may request reasonable accommodations to participate in the application or interview process, perform essential job functions, or access other benefits and privileges of employment. To submit a request for reasonable accommodation related to disability or religion, please contact us at [email protected].

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