Job Posting Title Senior Hardware Design Engineer

Ciena; Ottawa; On-site; CAD 77,000 - 165,000; Full time

Job summary

Ciena, a global leader in high-speed connectivity, is seeking a Hardware Engineer for their Ottawa location. The role involves designing advanced printed circuit boards and collaborating with various engineering teams to ensure high-quality hardware solutions. Candidates should have significant experience in hardware design, particularly in handling complex circuit packs and possessing strong troubleshooting skills.

Benefits

Comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, and vision plans

401(K) with company matching

Employee Stock Purchase Program

Paid sick leave and vacation time

Employee Assistance Program

Qualifications

• 7+ years of hardware design experience required.
• Proficiency in high-speed SERDES interfaces like 56G/112G PAM4.
• Experience in design validation and lab measurement techniques.

Responsibilities

• Lead design and development of complex hardware circuit packs.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to meet quality standards.
• Mentor and guide junior engineers.

Skills

Hardware design

Collaborative teamwork

Analog and digital circuit design

Troubleshooting

Education

Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering

Tools

Cadence Concept

Allegro

Job description

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.

Please note: This Hardware Engineer position requires on-site presence during certain cycles and is not eligible for full-time remote work.

How You Will Contribute:

Reporting to the Senior Manager, Hardware Engineering, you will be an integral part of a strong and vibrant hardware team that performs design, development, and validation of sophisticated printed circuit boards for Ciena’s current and next-generation platforms.

In this role, you will collaborate with multidisciplinary teams (systems architects, mechanical, software, FPGA, operations, etc.) to bring to market high-quality and high-performance hardware solutions that meet rigorous quality and reliability standards.

• Lead the end-to-end design and development of complex hardware circuits packs. This includes:

  • Implementing design alternatives and selecting components that will satisfy functional requirements while fitting within the cost, power, and real estate budgets that you have codeveloped.

  • performing schematic capture, assessing signal integrity, and guiding PCB layout.

  • working with operations to coordinate PCB fabrication and circuit pack assembly.

  • ensure compliance through detailed validation of design interfaces against component and commercial requirements.

  • lead investigations and draw in expertise from other teams as needed to uncover the root cause and resolution for technical issues as they arise.

  • support internal customers and prototype inventory during the development phase and external customers during the production lifetime.

• Author design documentation and conduct design milestone meetings to ensure the fulfillment of multidisciplinary architectural objectives in alignment with TL9000 requirements.

• Drive continuous improvement in design practices, tools, and processes.

• Mentor and provide technical guidance and growth opportunities for junior engineers.

The Must Haves:

• Bachelor’s, or Master’s, degree in Electrical Engineering, with 7+ years of hardware design experience

• Implementation history as a design lead of high layer count circuit packs and possess a deep understanding of technology related to CPU’s, Networking devices, FPGA, timing devices, DDR, PCIe, FLASH memory.

• Expertise in analog and digital circuit design, including simulation, design, and testing of high-speed SERDES interfaces (e.g. 56G/112G PAM4).

• Experience in design validation with a focus on lab measurement techniques and test equipment. Ability to parse component datasheets and extract design and verification criteria.

• Proven record of supporting and troubleshooting hardware issues both during development and within production environments.

• Proficiency with Schematic Capture and Layout tools, such as Cadence Concept and Allegro, or equivalent EDA software.

Assets:

• Excellent communication, documentation, interpersonal and team-working skills

• Strong project management skills, including the ability to prioritize, collaborate and delegate as necessary to meet schedules and respect internal and external customer commitments.

• Datacom and Telecom experience (400GE/800GE, OTN, PCIe, Pluggable Optics, etc.).

Pay Range: $77,500 - $164,500

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.

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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 anEqual 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.