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.
Join Ciena’s Non-Coherent Datacenter Interconnects Team as a Product Engineer!
Are you ready to shape the future of high-quality, high-volume optical products? Ciena’s Non-Coherent Datacenter Interconnects team is seeking an experienced Product Engineer to drive innovation and excellence in delivering complex optical and electrical interconnect products (Vesta and Nitro product portfolio). Be part of a dynamic environment where your expertise will make a tangible impact from design through prototyping and into manufacturing. This is an onsite role in New Jersey.
How You Will Contribute:
As a Product Engineer, you will focus on developing and optimizing high-speed, cost-effective optical solutions tailored for hyperscale data centers and enterprise networks. Collaborate with R&D, New Product Introduction (NPI), and Operations to ensure the successful delivery of non-coherent optical products that meet the unique demands of modern datacenter environments, including high capacity, low latency, and energy efficiency. Utilize your skills to rollout and manage products and their lifecycles, oversee assembly & test requirements compliance and support product reliability qualification.
Key Responsibilities:
- Support product development and optimization for manufacturing optical and electrical interconnect products.
- Collaborate with R&D and Operations teams to define manufacturing requirements and assembly specifications.
- Develop and document processes, tools, and workflows to enable seamless product transitions into production.
- Drive process automation and create automation tools to enhance efficiency.
- Transition designs into Contract Manufacturers (CMs) and facilitate on-site support for training, quality, and delivery.
- Work with diverse global teams and interact with CMs and vendors to ensure alignment on processes, quality, and delivery schedules.
- Own product bill-of-materials (BOM) and their lifecycle changes
The Must Haves:
- Bachelor’s degree in Optical, Electrical, Mechanical, Production Engineering, or equivalent.
- Minimum 5 years of experience in optical/electronics manufacturing or product engineering.
- Proven track record of launching complex optical/electronic products to market.
- Knowledge of fiber optic transmission and associated testing methodologies.
- Experience owning product BOMs thru product lifecycle management software (Agile) a must
- Ability to create and manage automated processes, automation tools, and data analysis tools.
- Hands-on experience with fiber optic assembly, handling, and splicing.
- Strong problem-solving skills and effective written and oral communication abilities.
- Capacity to collaborate with cross-functional teams and CMs globally across time zones.
Nice to Haves:
- Advanced degree in Optical/Electrical/Mechanical/Production Engineering or equivalent.
- Experience with specialty and ribbon fiber splicing.
- Prior experience debugging complex optical assemblies.
- Familiarity with high-pressure environments and remote issue resolution.
- Strong organizational and project management skills.
- Experience working with multi-functional, multi-locational teams.
Pay Range:
The annual pay range for this position is $110, 400 - $176, 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
- Bachelor's degree in Optical, Electrical, Mechanical, Production Engineering, or equivalent
- Minimum 5 years of experience in optical/electronics manufacturing or product engineering
- Proven track record of launching complex optical/electronic products to market
- Knowledge of fiber optic transmission and associated testing methodologies
- Experience owning product BOMs thru product lifecycle management software (Agile)
- Ability to create and manage automated processes, automation tools, and data analysis tools
- Hands-on experience with fiber optic assembly, handling, and splicing
- Strong problem-solving skills and effective written and oral communication abilities
- Capacity to collaborate with cross-functional teams and CMs globally across time zones
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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