Communications DSP Engineer

About the role

The Aalyria Space team is seeking a highly skilled DSP Engineer to develop next-generation modem technologies for free space optical communication systems. This role sits at the intersection of advanced digital signal processing, system architecture, and real-world hardware implementation.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and optimize coherent DSP algorithms for high-speed communication systems
• Architect end-to-end modem DSP chains including equalization, timing recovery, carrier recovery, and FEC integration
• Perform system-level modeling, simulation, and performance analysis, including link budgets and channel impairments
• Develop advanced algorithms such as:
• Adaptive equalization
• Timing and carrier synchronization loops
• Impairment mitigation
• Evaluate and model optical and electrical channels, including optical components, ADC/DAC, AFE, and mixed-signal impairments
• Define DSP architecture specifications for ASIC/FPGA implementation, ensuring efficient mapping to hardware
• Collaborate with hardware and firmware teams to integrate DSP algorithms into modem designs
• Support lab bring-up, validation, and characterization of modem systems
• Analyze relevant industry standards (e.g., OIF, Ethernet, optical transport) and incorporate them into designs

Requirements

• Active security clearance, or the eligibility to obtain one
• M.S. or Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field
• Strong foundation in:
• Digital signal processing
• Communication theory
• High-speed communication system design
• Hands-on experience with coherent DSP or high-speed SerDes/optical systems
• Proficiency in MATLAB, Python, and/or C/C++ for modeling and algorithm development
• Experience with:
• Adaptive equalization and synchronization algorithms
• FEC techniques (e.g., LDPC, Viterbi, soft decoding)
• System-level simulation and performance analysis
• Familiarity with ASIC/FPGA implementation flows and hardware constraints
• Ability to translate theoretical algorithms into practical, power- and area-efficient implementations
• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to work across multidisciplinary teams
• Hands-on lab experience with high-speed communication systems
• Experience with developing cycle accurate fixed point system models
• Experience with coherent optical communication systems
• Knowledge of IMDD or optical transport systems
• Experience with time-interleaved ADCs and calibration techniques
• Familiarity with industry standards (OIF, OpenROADM, IEEE Ethernet)
• Exposure to RTL design (VHDL/SystemVerilog) or firmware development

Qualifications

• Qualified candidates must meet one of the following criteria:
• U.S. citizen or national
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