Ciena is committed to our people-first philosophy. Our teams enjoy a culture focused on prioritizing a personalized and flexible work environment that empowers an individual’s passions, growth, wellbeing and belonging. We’re a technology company that leads with our humanity—driving our business priorities alongside meaningful social, community, and societal impact.
Job Description
Research Scientist Engineer: FEC Design - PhD.
Achieve your ideal career at the forefront of innovation with Ciena. We know the importance of life outside of work, which is why our employees enjoy unlimited paid time off and the freedom of working remotely. Ciena empowers our teams with competitive salaries and incentives, community volunteer programs, professional development resources, and support for our mental and physical health—all experienced within a diverse and inclusive culture. To put it simply, we’re a technology company driven by our humanity.
How You Will Contribute:
Ciena is a leading supplier of optical line and transmission equipment. Join a diverse science and engineering team that invents, designs, and verifies Ciena’s next coherent transceivers.
Reporting to Senior Director, Optical Engineering and as a member of the WaveLogic science team you will contribute by means your ideation, design, modelling and coding skills in communication theory, statistics, digital signal processing, forward error correction, optical physics and/or optical transmission & performance measurements. We provide a learning environment that enables rapid progression to contributing membership in the team.
Forward Error Correction Design Responsibilities
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Create and analyze forward error correction (FEC) designs for next-generation high-speed optical communication systems.
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Work closely with the Modem Signal Processing Team on the implementation of digital algorithms in Ciena products.
General Activities
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Analyze challenging problems in your areas of knowledge which would be a subset of: coding theory, statistics, signal processing, communications theory, control theory, high-speed algorithms, and optical physics.
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Create innovative solutions that can be implemented in CMOS.
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Model in MATLAB.
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Learn new mathematical areas.
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Don’t know optical physics? No problem – you can learn it here!
Experience
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Ph.D. degree in Electric Engineering or Computer Science with a background in Coding theory/Statistics/ Mathematics and/or Digital Communications.
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Familiarity with different types of FEC such as LDPC, algebraic (RS, BCH, RM) and Polar codes would be an asset.
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C, C++ experience would be an asset.
Collaboration with stakeholders
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Interface and collaborate with DSP, hardware, firmware, electro-optic, systems, and measurements teams.
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Provide feedback & suggestions on existing designs; contribute ideas to improve design procedures.
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Share expertise and best practices with adjacent teams.
Areas of Impact
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Key DSP technology to enable state-of-the-art coherent optical modem and DWDM systems.
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Verified models and supporting measurements that predict modem performance and define modem specifications, respectively.
Compensation and Benefits
The annual pay range for this position is $80,900 - $129,200 CAD
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. Please note that the pay range information provided in this posting pertains specifically to the primary location, which is the top location listed in case multiple locations are available.
Non-Sales employees may be eligible for a discretionary incentive bonus, while Sales employees may be eligible for a sales commission. In addition to competitive compensation, Ciena offers a 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. We also comply with all applicable laws regarding Paid Family Leave and other leaves of absence.
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At Ciena, we are committed to building and fostering an environment in which our employees feel respected, valued, and heard. Ciena values the diversity of its workforce and respects its employees as individuals. We do not tolerate any form of discrimination.
Ciena is an Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability and protected veteran status.
If contacted in relation to a job opportunity, please advise Ciena of any accommodation measures you may require.
Top Skills
What We Do
Ciena (NYSE: CIEN) is a global leader in networking systems, services, and software. We build the world’s most adaptive networks to enable our customers to deliver richer, more connected experiences for all users. At our core, Ciena is a company rooted in people. We prioritize deep, collaborative relationships within our teams and alongside our customers, partners, and communities around the world.
For three-plus decades, we’ve brought our humanity to our relentless pursuit of innovation. We continue to lead the evolution of networking with a strong track record of industry firsts. As end-user expectations skyrocket, our customers and their networks must transform. Ciena powers this transformation by driving next-generation solutions built for maximum openness and agility—today and into the future.
Corporate/Brand Values:
• Customer First
• Integrity
• Velocity
• Innovation
• Outstanding People
We're the perfect size for you to make an impact. W
Only Ciena has the depth of expertise and the culture of collaboration and partnership required to help our partners evolve. We do this by strategically integrating hardware, services, and software in an open environment to ensure our clients’ networks are ‘fit for flexibility’ today and into the f
Why Work With Us
We are known for our industry-firsts, including the first coherent optical solution, converged packet-optical platform, and intelligence automation platform. Our commitment extends beyond innovation, logging in over 35,000 volunteer hours and $2 million to worthy causes in 2023. We're the perfect size and culture for you to make a difference.
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