Hardware Electro-Optics Engineer

Nokia; Ottawa; On-site; CAD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Nokia in Ottawa seeks a senior electro-optical engineer to lead design, integration, and testing of high-speed optical networking solutions.

You will work with Optical Engineering, FW, Hardware Systems, DSP, FPGA, and Product Development teams to analyze requirements and validate architectures.

The role emphasizes hands-on lab work, rigorous test methodologies, and thorough documentation to ensure production readiness.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD in EE, Physics, or Optical Engineering.
• Strong experience in electro-optical hardware design and testing.
• Hands-on lab experience with optical components and systems.
• Proficiency with MATLAB/Simulink for modeling.
• Experience scripting in Python or similar.

Responsibilities

• Define, analyze, and validate subsystems requirements for high-speed systems.
• Collaborate with Optical, Hardware Systems, DSP, FPGA, and Firmware teams.
• Perform electro-optical modeling, simulation, and performance analysis.
• Develop and validate system-level link budgets and SI analyses.
• Lead integration activities for circuit packs and subsystems.
• Develop test methodologies and execute characterization and reliability testing.
• Create detailed technical documentation and reports.

Skills

Electro-optical design

Hardware testing

System-level analysis

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's / Master's / PhD in Electrical Engineering / Physics / Optical Engineering

Tools

MATLAB/Simulink

Python

Oscilloscopes

BER/OSA test tools

Job description

Job Description

The successful candidate will possess deep expertise in electro-optical technologies, strong analytical capabilities, and extensive hands-on laboratory experience. You will collaborate closely with cross-functional teams including Optical Engineering, Firmware (FW), Hardware Systems, DSP, and Product Development teams to deliver industry-leading optical networking solutions.

Job Description

The successful candidate will possess deep expertise in electro-optical technologies, strong analytical capabilities, and extensive hands-on laboratory experience. You will collaborate closely with cross-functional teams including Optical Engineering, Firmware (FW), Hardware Systems, DSP, and Product Development teams to deliver industry-leading optical networking solutions.

How You Will Contribute And What You Will Learn

• Define, analyze, and validate electro-optical subsystem requirements and specifications for high-speed communication systems.
• Collaborate with Optical, Hardware Systems, DSP, FPGA, and Firmware teams to ensure optimal system-level performance.
• Perform electro-optical modeling, simulation, and performance analysis to evaluate design trade-offs and support architecture decisions.
• Develop and validate system-level link budgets, signal integrity analyses, and performance metrics for optical transmission systems.
• Support hardware design reviews and provide technical leadership in electro-optical design decisions.
• Lead integration activities for circuit pack assemblies and electro-optical subsystems.
• Develop comprehensive test methodologies and execute characterization, validation, and reliability testing.
• Analyze test results, identify root causes of performance issues, and drive corrective actions.
• Create detailed technical documentation, including specifications, test plans, procedures, and reports.
• Work closely with manufacturing and product engineering teams to support product qualification and production readiness.

Key Skills And Experience

• Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD degree in Electrical Engineering, Physics, Optical Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Significant industry experience in electro-optical hardware design, integration, and testing.
• Strong understanding of opto-electronic devices and subsystems, including lasers, modulators, photodiodes, transceivers, and optical networking technologies.
• Extensive hands-on laboratory experience testing and characterizing electro-optical components and systems.
• Experience using MATLAB and Simulink for system modeling, performance analysis, and DSP algorithm evaluation.
• Experience creating automated test solutions using scripting languages such as Python, MATLAB, Perl, or similar.
• Demonstrated ability to develop detailed test plans, execute validation activities, and document results.
• Excellent troubleshooting, debugging, and root-cause analysis skills.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to present technical findings to multidisciplinary teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with coherent optical communication systems and high-speed optical transport technologies.
• Familiarity with FPGA-based platforms and digital hardware architectures.
• Knowledge of high-speed analog and mixed-signal circuit design principles.
• Experience with optical and electrical simulation tools.
• Familiarity with telecom/networking standards and optical transmission protocols.
• Experience working in product development environments from concept through production release.
• MATLAB / Simulink
• Python or other scripting languages
• Digital Signal Processing (DSP)
• Optical system simulation and modeling
• Oscilloscopes, Bit Error Rate Testers (BERT), Optical Spectrum Analyzers (OSA), Network Analyzers, and related laboratory instrumentation
• Automated test development and data analysis