Principal Engineer Fiber Optic Transceivers

About the role

This position is responsible for developing/qualifying new products as well as maintaining technical support for current products, focusing on emerging technologies such as high-speed Digital Coherent Optics (DCO).

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership and architectural direction for next-generation pluggable optics and adjacent products, driving innovation and differentiation across the product roadmap in collaboration with Product Line Management (PLM).
• Serve as a technical authority and customer-facing expert on customer calls and site visits, supporting strategic customer engagements and complex technical escalations.
• Own the development and qualification on new and emerging technologies including Digital Coherent Optics (DCO) and next generation technology.
• Lead validation, interoperability, and qualification efforts for transceivers across multiple platforms and network environments.
• Drive root-cause analysis and resolution of complex transceiver issues, working directly with customers and manufacturers to resolve them.
• Provide technical guidance on transceiver coding, configuration, and product data management, ensuring consistency, traceability, and scalability across the portfolio.
• Develop a strong relationship with sales team to increase support for key customers.
• Advise on laboratory strategy, tooling, and infrastructure, ensuring lab capabilities support current and future optic development and testing needs.
• Create and maintain testing and technical requirements documents for customers and vendors.
• Continuously evaluate emerging technologies and industry trends in transceivers, influencing internal strategy and external partnerships.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Physics, or a related field; advanced degree preferred.
• 10+ years of experience in optical networking and transceiver technologies, with demonstrated impact in product development or systems engineering roles.
• Extensive hands-on experience with coherent optical communication systems, including functional knowledge of modulation formats, FEC, baud-rate scaling, and coherent DSP architecture.
• Proven experience developing, testing, and validating pluggable optics, including 100G DCO, 400G ZR/ZR+, 800G, and pre-standard or early-deployment 1.6T transceivers.
• Deep familiarity with coherent pluggable form factors, including QSFP28 DCO, QSFP-DD DCO, OSFP DCO, and CFP2-DCO.
• Experience integrating and troubleshooting DCO optics on carrier-class and data-center platforms, including Cisco, Arista, Juniper, Nokia, Ciena, NVIDIA, Dell, or equivalent.
• Strong knowledge of industry standards and MSAs, such as OIF 400ZR and OpenZR+, and experience applying them to transceiver development.
• Expertise with fiber-optic and electronic test equipment for validation, characterization, and failure analysis.
• Demonstrated ability to work directly with customers in technical, solution-oriented, or escalation-driven engagements.
• Ability to interpret and produce complex technical documentation, including schematics, datasheets, and engineering work instructions.
• Experience with platform configuration, interoperability testing, and advanced troubleshooting across IP and optical domains.

Qualifications

• Hands-on experience with network deployments, turn-up, or operational support.
• Strong understanding of data center network architectures supporting high-capacity optical interconnects; formal network certifications are a plus but not required.
• Experience with fiber-optic test equipment such as EXFO and equivalent vendors.

Skills

• Highly organized and detail-oriented.
• Strong leadership and technical influence.
• Effective communicator across technical and non-technical audiences.
• Results-driven with ability to manage multiple priorities.
• Collaborative, innovative, and solution-focused.

Benefits

Not specified.

Pay

Not specified.

Schedule

Not specified.