Staff Optical Engineer

Ottawa, ON
On-site
Posted Oct 8, 2026
1 position

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Employment type: Full-time
Experience level: Mid-level · 2+ years
Minimum education: Master’s degree
Posting language: English
Working hours: 40 hours per week
Seniority: Not Applicable

Job summary

Lead testing, validation, and performance characterization of coherent optical linecards and pluggables, ensuring products meet specifications, quality standards, and industry requirements. Develop test plans and Python automation, investigate performance issues, collaborate across engineering and manufacturing teams, and mentor junior engineers.

Job details

Job Description As a Staff Optical Design Verification Test (ODVT) Engineer, you will lead the comprehensive testing, validation, and performance characterization of the next generation of coherent linecards and pluggables. This position involves developing and executing detailed test plans, analyzing complex data, and ensuring that Nokia's optical products meet stringent performance specifications, quality standards, and industry compliance requirements. In this role, you will frequently face intricate technical problems, requiring advanced problem-solving skills and a deep understanding of state-of-the-art DSP, optical front-end technologies, and basic transmission impairments. You will play a critical role in the product development lifecycle, from early-stage integration and contributing to detailed line card architectures with peer engineering groups, to final product release, directly driving the delivery of high-performance and reliable optical networking solutions. How You Will Contribute And What You Will Learn Translate system requirements into detailed line card architecture in collaboration with peer engineering groups. Lead complex technical investigations, drive innovative solutions, and mentor junior engineers. Verify and enhance optical performance, including testing aspects such as OSNR, signal quality, and environmental resilience. Compare test results against specifications to ensure all requirements are met as well as identify and implement improvements for modules and systems. Develop and explore strategies to integrate the use of AI into the ODVT test environment Drive test automation initiatives by developing and maintaining robust Python-based scripts to significantly enhance testing efficiency and coverage. Collaborate with hardware, firmware, manufacturing and design teams to diagnose and resolve optical performance issues, ensuring timely solutions. Key Skills And Experience You have MS or PhD degree in Optical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Applied Physics, or related majors. 3 years of experience in the area of coherent optical communication. Deep technical competency in coherent optical communication technology, digital signal processing and high-speed optical signal generation and detection. Proven understanding of coherent optical transmission systems and their linear and nonlinear impairments and tradeoffs (e.g., cross-talk, OSNR, chromatic dispersion, PMD, SPM, XPM, FWM). Expertise in standard industry design validation processes and the product life cycle. Hands-on experience with characterizing and troubleshooting high-speed coherent optical transceivers using various lab equipment such as optical spectrum analyzers (OSA), wave analyzers, and real-time oscilloscopes. Proficiency in Python scripting for test automation, data acquisition, and analysis. It would be nice if you also had Hands-on experience with system-level optical communication hardware and components. Proficiency in Git workflow and version control systems (e.g., Git, GitHub, Bitbucket) Experience with database management systems such as SQL, NoSQL, or time series databases.

What you’ll do

Requirements

Requires a master's or PhD in Optical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Applied Physics, or a related field, plus three years of coherent optical communications experience. Candidates need expertise in coherent systems, DSP, transmission impairments, validation processes, lab characterization equipment, and Python scripting.