Principal Systems Engineer -Optical Transceivers

Jabil; Ottawa; On-site; CAD 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

Jabil in Ottawa, Canada seeks a Principal Systems Engineer to lead next-generation optical transceivers for hyperscale data centers and AI networking. You will translate customer and industry requirements into product specifications and guide cross-functional teams through development, qualification, and deployment.

The role requires expertise in optical communications, coherent or direct-detect systems, DSP architectures, and emerging data center networking standards, with strong leadership

Qualifications

• 12+ years of experience in optical communications, networking systems, or transceiver development.
• Strong understanding of optical communication systems, silicon photonics, high-speed SerDes architectures, DSP-based communication systems, FEC and coding techniques.
• Experience with optical standards and interoperability requirements; excellent analytical and problem-solving abilities.

Responsibilities

• Define system requirements and product architecture for next-generation optical transceivers; develop specs, link budgets, and performance targets.
• Lead architecture decisions on optical engines, DSPs, lasers, packaging, thermal management, and host electrical interfaces; mentor cross-functional teams.
• Collaborate with optics, ASIC, packaging, firmware, and operations from concept to production release; drive validation plans and issue resolution.

Job description

About Jabil

At Jabil (NYSE: JBL), we are proud to be a trusted partner for the world's top brands, offering comprehensive engineering, supply chain, and manufacturing solutions. With 60 years of experience across industries and a vast network of over 100 sites worldwide, Jabil combines global reach with local expertise to deliver both scalable and customized solutions. Our commitment extends beyond business success as we strive to build sustainable processes that minimize environmental impact and foster vibrant and diverse communities around the globe.

Job Details

Job Family: General Design Services Job Profile Title: Principal Design Engineer Job Posting Title: Principal Systems Engineer – Optical Transceivers Location/ Division Specific Information- CAN - Ottawa/ P05

How will you make an impact?

We are seeking a Principal Systems Engineer to lead the development of next-generation optical transceivers for hyperscale data center and AI networking applications. This individual will play a critical role in driving system-level innovation, translating customer and industry requirements into product specifications, and leading cross-functional teams through product development, qualification, and deployment. The ideal candidate possesses expertise in optical communications, coherent or direct-detect optical systems, DSP architectures, electrical and optical interfaces, and emerging data center networking standards. This role requires both technical leadership and strong collaboration across silicon, optics, packaging, firmware, manufacturing, and customer-facing teams. As a Principal Systems Engineer, you will define the architecture and technical direction of next-generation optical interconnect solutions, enabling the massive bandwidth demands of AI clusters and hyperscale data centers. Your work will directly influence product strategy, industry standards, and the future of high-speed optical networking.

What will you do?

• Define system requirements and product architecture for next-generation optical transceivers. Develop transceiver specifications, link budgets, performance targets, and system trade-off analyses. Lead architecture decisions involving optical engines, DSPs, laser technologies, packaging, thermal management, and host electrical interfaces. Evaluate various modulation schemes, lane rates, and optical interconnect architectures to optimize performance, power, cost, and manufacturability. Serve as the technical lead transceiver product development, influencing technology roadmaps and strategic investments. Mentor engineers across systems, optics, hardware, firmware, and validation disciplines. Drive design reviews and resolve complex cross-functional technical issues. Represent the company in customer engagements and industry technical discussions.
• Optical and Electrical System Analysis, including Define and analyze optical link performance, Link budgets/ Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR)/ BER/FEC performance/ Power consumption, and Reliability margins Perform system-level modeling and simulation of optical and electrical channels. Analyze and optimize high-speed interfaces operating at 200G/lane and beyond. Work closely with DSP and ASIC teams to define equalization, FEC, and signal integrity requirements.
• Product Development & Validation, including Collaborate with optics, ASIC, packaging, firmware, and operations teams from concept through production release. Define validation methodologies and interoperability test plans. Drive root-cause analysis and corrective actions for system-level performance issues. Support customer qualifications, field deployments, and technical escalations

How will you get here?

Education

BS degree in Electrical Engineering, Optical Engineering, Physics, or related technical field is required

Experience

12+ years of experience in optical communications, networking systems, or transceiver development is required Demonstrated experience developing high-speed optical modules is required

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities

Strong understanding of: Optical communication systems Silicon photonics High-speed SerDes architectures DSP-based communication systems FEC and coding techniques Experience with optical standards and interoperability requirements Strong analytical and system-level problem-solving capabilities Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills Systems thinking and architecture leadership Cross-functional collaboration; Customer engagement; Strategic technology planning; Data-driven decision making; Mentoring and team development

Preferred Qualifications

MS or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Optical Engineering, Physics, is preferred Prior experience with: 1.6T PAM4 optical modules Co-packaged optics (CPO) Linear Receive Optics (LRO) Linear Pluggable Optics (LPO) Silicon photonics integration Advanced packaging technologies Expertise in coding for test and verification in languages such as Python or other, preferably Proven record of technical leadership and architectural ownership of complex products is a plus

Equal Opportunity Employer

Jabil, including its subsidiaries, is an equal opportunity employer and considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Accessibility Accommodation

If you are a qualified individual with a disability, you have the right to request a reasonable accommodation if you are unable or limited in your ability to use or access Jabil.com/Careers site as a result of your disability. You can request a reasonable accommodation by sending an e-mail to [e-mail] with the nature of your request and contact information. Please do not direct any other general employment related questions to this e-mail. Please note that only those inquiries concerning a request for reasonable accommodation will be responded to.

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