Telecommunications Quality Automation Test Engineer - New Grad

About the role

Ciena’s systems quality assurance team ensures every release meets rigorous telecommunications and customer requirements. This role contributes directly to the reliability, performance, and scalability of next-generation networking platforms through system-level verification and lab-based testing. The position supports continuous product evolution by validating real-world use cases before deployment.

Responsibilities

• Develop system-level verification strategies aligned with telecommunications and customer requirements.
• Apply product development lifecycle methodologies to system testing and release validation.
• Design and execute automated and manual test strategies within laboratory environments.
• Validate new features introduced in each system release and record results in test databases.
• Execute regression and backward-compatibility testing to ensure release-to-release quality.
• Identify, document, and track defects to resolution using issue-tracking databases.
• Maintain and scale laboratory system environments to support product line evolution.

Requirements

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or Computer Science.
• Background in Linux-based operating systems and test automation using object-oriented languages, including Python, with interaction through JSON files and Mongo databases.
• Experience interfacing with test equipment using Serial, GPIB, USB, and Ethernet connections.
• Demonstrated debugging of system-level and integration issues.
• Exposure to test and network equipment command-line interfaces, including vendor-specific APIs and SCPI, and to physical-layer fiber-optic concepts.
• Understanding of customer and industry requirements from telecom carriers and cable providers, including standards from IEEE, ITU-T, DOCSIS, and Telcordia.

Qualifications

• Participation in team-based development, mentoring, or collaborative technical environments.
• Exposure to structured learning, networking, or leadership development programs.
• Awareness of employee well-being, work-life integration, or community involvement initiatives.

Skills

• Technical knowledge related to Passive Optical Network (PON) systems.
• Utilization of test automation tools and structured test environments.

Benefits

• Comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, and vision plans, participation in 401(K) (USA) & DCPP (Canada) with company matching, Employee Stock Purchase Program (ESPP), Employee Assistance Program (EAP), company-paid holidays, paid sick leave, and vacation time.
• Compliance with all applicable laws regarding Paid Family Leave and other leaves of absence.

Pay

The annual salary range for this position is $73,000 - $116,600. Pay ranges at Ciena are designed to accommodate variations in knowledge, skills, experience, market conditions, and locations, reflecting our diverse products, industries, and lines of business.