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As a senior technical contributor on the Optical Systems Performance (OSP) Team, the Optical Systems Engineer advances end-to-end optical fiber sensing architectures and system designs spanning coherent modems, optical line systems, telemetry, signal processing, analytics, and application interfaces. The role applies theoretical and experimental optical engineering expertise to current and next-generation platforms, helping translate customer and business needs into integrated sensing system designs.
How you will make an impact:
- Own end-to-end optical fiber sensing architectures within the OSP team, translating customer and business needs into system requirements, architecture decisions, interface definitions, performance budgets, and technical roadmaps.
- Lead the design and integration of sensing solutions across coherent modems, optical line systems, embedded telemetry, timing and synchronization, data transport, signal processing, analytics, and application interfaces.
- Define sensing performance metrics and system specifications, develop link and noise budgets, identify key trade-offs, and validate designs through analytical modeling, numerical simulation, laboratory experiments, and field trials.
- Provide technical leadership from concept through implementation, verification, deployment, and lifecycle support, including design reviews, risk management, root-cause analysis, and resolution of complex cross-domain issues.
- Develop and apply optical engineering expertise in fiber propagation, coherent detection, optical amplification, optical switching, link engineering, impairments, and measurement science to ensure sensing functions coexist with communications performance.
- Plan and execute laboratory and field investigations of modem-based and line-system-based sensing, including experimental design, instrumentation, data acquisition, signal analysis, performance characterization, and interpretation of results.
- Collaborate with hardware, modem, software, systems, product line management, solutions engineering, services, and customer teams to drive architecture alignment, integration priorities, demonstrations, and deployment readiness.
The must haves:
- Education: Graduate or post-graduate degree in Physics, Electrical Engineering, Engineering Physics, or a related discipline, with application of optical engineering to communications, sensing, or complex photonic systems.
- Experience: 5+ years of experience with optical fiber sensing principles, signal processing, data analysis, and performance characterization, with the ability to connect physical phenomena to system-level requirements and observed measurements.
- Demonstrated ownership of complex system designs through requirements definition, architecture, modeling, prototyping, verification, integration, optimization, and deployment.
- Application of theoretical knowledge of fiber-optic propagation, coherent optical systems, noise and impairments, optical amplification, optical switching, polarization effects, and digital communications.
- Application of experimental optical engineering skills, including laboratory setup design, optical alignment and handling, calibration, uncertainty analysis, and use of oscilloscopes, signal generators, optical power meters, spectrum analyzers, polarization-control equipment, and related test instrumentation in an ESD-protected environment.
- Utilization of MATLAB and Python for development of models, analysis workflows, and reusable engineering tools.
- Proven ability to debug ambiguous, multidisciplinary system issues, make technical decisions with incomplete information, and communicate recommendations to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Nice to haves:
- Education: Advanced degree with research or industry experience in optical communications, distributed fiber-optic sensing, coherent sensing, photonics, or a related discipline.
- 5+ Years experience architecting sensing solutions that use coherent transponders or optical line-system telemetry, including timing, synchronization, data export, signal processing, and analytics.
- 5+ Years experience with laboratory or field trials, customer demonstrations, network planning, optical modeling tools, or deployment of sensing functions over operational telecom fiber.
- Knowledge of distributed acoustic, phase, strain, vibration, or environmental sensing techniques and their implementation or coexistence in optical line systems.
- Familiarity with embedded systems, telemetry pipelines, microservice architectures, cloud or edge analytics, APIs, and distributed-system optimization.
- Experience contributing to technical publications, patents, industry standards, or cross-functional product roadmaps.
- Experience applying LLMs and generative AI to engineering workflows, including technical research, data analysis, software development, automation, and validation of AI-generated outputs.
Pay Range:
The annual pay range for this position is C$94,100 - C$150,300.
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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
- Graduate or postgraduate degree in Physics, Electrical Engineering, Engineering Physics, or a related discipline, with optical engineering applied to communications, sensing, or complex photonic systems.
- 5 or more years of experience with optical fiber sensing principles, signal processing, data analysis, and performance characterization.
- Experience owning complex system designs through requirements definition, architecture, modeling, prototyping, verification, integration, optimization, and deployment.
- Theoretical knowledge of fiber-optic propagation, coherent optical systems, noise and impairments, optical amplification, optical switching, polarization effects, and digital communications.
- Experimental optical engineering experience, including laboratory setup design, optical alignment and handling, calibration, uncertainty analysis, and optical test instrumentation.
- Experience using oscilloscopes, signal generators, optical power meters, spectrum analyzers, polarization-control equipment, and related instrumentation in an ESD-protected environment.
- Experience using MATLAB and Python for models, analysis workflows, and reusable engineering tools.
- Ability to debug ambiguous multidisciplinary system issues, make technical decisions with incomplete information, and communicate recommendations to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
- Advanced degree with research or industry experience in optical communications, distributed fiber-optic sensing, coherent sensing, photonics, or a related discipline.
- 5 or more years of experience architecting sensing solutions using coherent transponders or optical line-system telemetry.
- 5 or more years of experience with laboratory or field trials, customer demonstrations, network planning, optical modeling tools, or deployment over operational telecom fiber.
- Knowledge of distributed acoustic, phase, strain, vibration, or environmental sensing techniques and their coexistence in optical line systems.
- Familiarity with embedded systems, telemetry pipelines, microservice architectures, cloud or edge analytics, APIs, and distributed-system optimization.
- Experience contributing to technical publications, patents, industry standards, or cross-functional product roadmaps.
- Experience applying large language models and generative AI to engineering workflows.
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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