Senior Staff Software Engineer (MES & Distribution Systems)

About Lumilens

At Lumilens we are building the critical photonics infrastructure that powers tomorrow’s AI supercomputing. From chip-to-chip optical interconnects to scalable photonic engines, Lumilens is unlocking a new era of computing faster, cooler, and massively more efficient.

We’re a well-funded startup backed by Mayfield and led by veterans who’ve built and scaled some of the most transformative technologies in the industry. This isn’t incremental innovation, it’s a ground-floor opportunity to rethink the optical layer from the silicon up. You’ll work alongside a team of world-class engineers solving some of the hardest challenges in optics, systems, and scale. Every line of code, every design decision, every breakthrough you help deliver will shape the infrastructure of tomorrow.

If you're looking for mission, momentum, and the chance to make an outsized impact—jump on the rocket ship. We’re just getting started … and we are building a team in Kraków .

About the Role

We are building a next-generation Manufacturing Execution System (MES) to power high-volume production of advanced silicon photonics devices (800G, 1.6T, and beyond). This system will serve as the operational backbone of our manufacturing—integrating shopfloor control, data systems, and external platforms (ERP, vendors, contract manufacturers).

This is a foundational, greenfield opportunity to design and build a large-scale enterprise platform from the ground up. You will operate in a highly dynamic, R&D-driven environment—shaping system architecture, defining requirements, and rapidly iterating through prototypes and production systems.

We are hiring across multiple profiles (Senior, Staff, and Technical Lead/Architect) for engineers who thrive in ambiguity and want to build systems that directly impact real-world hardware and manufacturing at scale.

Key Responsibilities

System Architecture & Development

Design and build distributed backend systems supporting MES and shopfloor control

Define system architecture, APIs, and data models for high-scale, high-reliability environments

Develop microservices and integrations connecting internal systems with ERP, vendors, and manufacturing partners

R&D & Problem Solving

Analyze existing MES and enterprise solutions (commercial and open-source) to inform system design

Translate evolving, loosely defined requirements into robust technical solutions

Lead prototyping, proof-of-concept development, and iterative system refinement

Data & Workflow Integration

Design and implement data pipelines and workflows across multiple systems

Enable real-time data movement, transformation, and event-driven automation

Build integrations that connect manufacturing systems, external partners, and internal tools

Engineering Excellence

Apply best practices in clean architecture, code quality, and system design

Conduct code reviews and enforce strong development standards

Ensure scalability, performance, and reliability through testing and optimization

Qualifications

5+ years of experience building backend or distributed systems

Strong programming experience in languages such as C#, Java, or Go

Solid understanding of distributed systems, microservices, and API design

Strong database design skills (relational models, normalization, performance)

Experience with concurrency, parallelism, and scalable system design

Proficiency with Git, branching strategies, and modern development workflows

Strong analytical mindset with the ability to operate in evolving, ambiguous environments

Excellent communication skills and ability to work cross-functionally

Preferred Qualifications

Technical Lead / Architect (Enterprise Systems)

Experience designing and scaling complex enterprise platforms

Strong system design and architecture leadership

Deep understanding of performance, reliability, and distributed systems trade-offs

Data / Integration Engineer

Experience building data pipelines, workflows, and system integrations

Familiarity with ETL frameworks (e.g., Airflow, n8n, or similar)

Strong experience in data transformation, mapping, and automation

Nice to Have

Experience with MES or manufacturing systems

Familiarity with manufacturing concepts:

BOM, work orders, MRP, production planning

Shopfloor operations, quality, traceability, inventory

Experience integrating with industrial equipment or IoT systems

Exposure to frontend technologies (React, Vue)

What We Offer

Competitive compensation and meaningful equity

Opportunity to build a greenfield, mission-critical system from the ground up

Direct impact on cutting-edge AI and photonics infrastructure

Collaborative, high-caliber engineering team

Fast-paced, high-growth environment with significant ownership