As the global leader in high-speed connectivity, Ciena is committed to a people-first approach. Our teams enjoy a culture focused on prioritizing a flexible work environment that empowers individual growth, well-being, and belonging. We’re a technology company that leads with our humanity—driving our business priorities alongside meaningful social, community, and societal impact.
The Hardware Characterization team plays a critical role in ensuring the quality and reliability of Ciena products. As a Hardware Characterization Engineer, you will be responsible for validating product interfaces against industry standards and assessing hardware robustness under varying temperature and voltage conditions. You will collaborate with the design team to develop a test plans and schedule, execute tests, analyze results, assist in debugging issues, and generate detailed test reports.
A key aspect of this role also involves contributing to and enhancing the team's automated test suite. This suite is crucial for improving team efficiency and productivity through streamlined automation processes.
Responsibilities:
- Develop and execute test plans to validate hardware performance.
- Perform hardware testing, including functional, performance, and stress testing.
- Analyze test results, identify and troubleshoot issues.
- Provide updates on test progress and generate comprehensive test reports upon completion of testing
- Contribute to the development and maintenance of the team's automation test suite.
- Collaborate with design engineers to understand product test requirements.
The Must Haves:
- 2+ years of experience in hardware validation, characterization, or test automation.
- Solid understanding and proven application of object-oriented programming (OOP) concepts.
- Experience with automation software development for hardware testing. Proficient in C# and Python; experience with Java is an asset.
- Hands-on experience in testing laser-based telecommunication equipment, including configuration, performance, and reliability testing.
- Working knowledge of test equipment including oscilloscopes, digital multimeters (DMMs), Ethernet and OTN traffic generators, and AC/DC transient test sets.
- Working knowledge of pluggable optical module, such as OSFP, QSFP-DD and SFP.
- Excellent communication, interpersonal, and teamwork skills.
- Experience with relevant industry specifications, including Ethernet (IEEE 802.3), voltage transient and noise (ATIS-0600315), and jitter and wander (ATIS-900105.03.2003).
- Experience leveraging AI and Generative AI tools (e.g., coding assistants, automation agents, and LLM-based solutions) to accelerate software development, automate testing, analyze results, and improve engineering productivity.
Nice to Haves:
- Familiarity with Ciena networking equipment and product lines.
- Experience using software to interface with test equipment, utilizing Ethernet or GPIB communication protocols.
- Experience with Git-based source control systems and Agile development tools such as Jira.
Pay Range: The salary range for this role in Ottawa ia $74, 200 - $118, 400
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.
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.
Skills Required
- 2+ years of experience in hardware validation, characterization, or test automation.
- Solid understanding and proven application of object-oriented programming (OOP) concepts.
- Experience with automation software development for hardware testing; proficiency in C# and Python (Java is an asset).
- Hands-on experience testing laser-based telecommunication equipment, including configuration, performance, and reliability testing.
- Working knowledge of test equipment including oscilloscopes, digital multimeters (DMMs), Ethernet and OTN traffic generators, and AC/DC transient test sets.
- Working knowledge of pluggable optical modules such as OSFP, QSFP-DD, and SFP.
- Excellent communication, interpersonal, and teamwork skills.
- Experience with relevant industry specifications, including Ethernet (IEEE 802.3), ATIS-0600315, and ATIS-900105.03.2003.
- Experience leveraging AI and Generative AI tools (coding assistants, automation agents, LLM-based solutions) to accelerate development and testing.
- Familiarity with Ciena networking equipment and product lines.
- Experience using software to interface with test equipment using Ethernet or GPIB communication protocols.
- Experience with Git-based source control systems and Agile development tools such as Jira.
Ciena Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Ciena and has not been reviewed or approved by Ciena.
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Fair & Transparent Compensation — Pay is often characterized as competitive or above-market in certain roles and regions, with references to market-aligned salary ranges and transparency around pay bands.
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Healthcare Strength — Health coverage is frequently framed as comprehensive, including medical, dental, and vision, with indications that coverage can extend to dependents and is viewed as a meaningful component of total rewards.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Time-off offerings are described as flexible and generous, including Flex/uncapped PTO in many cases and additional paid time for volunteering.
Ciena Insights
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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