Principal Hardware Engineer

ADTRAN, Inc. in; Atlanta (GA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

ADTRAN, Inc. in the United States is seeking a Principal Hardware Engineer to lead the architecture and development of next‑generation optical transport hardware, including coherent transceivers and DWDM subsystems.

You will drive design direction, mentor engineers, and collaborate across optics, electrical, firmware, and software teams. You will define system architectures, perform signal integrity and EMC analyses, oversee verification and production transfer, and contribute to product

Qualifications

• Experience leading hardware architecture and design of high‑speed optical hardware.
• Strong background in signal integrity, power integrity, and EMC analyses.
• Ability to mentor engineers and drive technical decisions.

Responsibilities

• Lead hardware architecture and design of coherent pluggable transceivers and subsystems.
• Drive decisions on high‑speed digital, RF, mixed‑signal, and optical hardware.
• Mentor engineers across multiple product teams and lead design reviews.
• Define system architectures, schematics, and hardware specs.
• Oversee hardware verification, qualification, and transfer to manufacturing.

Skills

Technical leadership

Hardware architecture

Optical hardware design

Signal integrity

Cross‑functional collaboration

Job description

Our Growth is Creating Great Opportunities!

Our team is expanding, and we want to hire the most talented people we can. Continued success depends on it! Once you've had a chance to explore our current open positions, apply to the ones you feel suit you best and keep track of both your progress in the selection process, and new postings that might interest you!

Thanks for your interest in working on our team!

Position Summary

ADTRAN is seeking a Principal Hardware Engineer to provide technical leadership in the development of next-generation Optical Transport and Coherent Pluggable solutions for metro, core, long-haul, and data center interconnect applications. This role is responsible for the architecture, design, validation, and production support of advanced optical networking products, including coherent transceivers, DWDM systems, and optical transport platforms. The successful candidate will serve as a subject matter expert and collaborate across optical, electrical, firmware, FPGA, software, mechanical, manufacturing, and systems engineering teams to deliver innovative, high-performance networking solutions.

Key Responsibilities

Technical Leadership

• Lead the hardware architecture and design of coherent pluggable transceivers and optical transport subsystems.
• Drive technical decisions related to high-speed digital, RF, mixed-signal, and optical hardware design.
• Provide mentorship and technical guidance to engineers across multiple product development teams.
• Serve as the primary technical resource for complex engineering challenges and design reviews.
• Evaluate emerging technologies, components, and architectures to support future product roadmaps.

Hardware Design & Development

• Develop system architectures, block diagrams, schematics, and detailed hardware specifications.
• Design and validate high-speed circuit boards supporting coherent optical communication systems.
• Lead signal integrity, power integrity, and electromagnetic compatibility analyses.
• Collaborate with PCB layout engineers to optimize designs for performance, manufacturability, reliability, and cost.
• Oversee hardware integration, verification, qualification, and release activities throughout the product lifecycle.
• Support new product introductions and production transfers to manufacturing partners.

Optical Transport Systems

• Define and evaluate optical subsystem requirements including:
  • Coherent pluggable modules
  • DWDM transport systems
  • Optical amplifiers
  • ROADM technologies
  • Wavelength-selective switches
  • Laser and photodetector-based subsystems
• Perform system-level analysis, performance modeling, and design trade studies.
• Work with suppliers to evaluate and qualify optical components and technologies.

Test & Validation

• Develop test strategies, qualification plans, and validation methodologies.
• Utilize laboratory equipment including:
  • Network analyzers
  • Spectrum analyzers
  • BER testers
  • Oscilloscopes
  • Optical measurement equipment
• Analyze performance data and lead root-cause investigations.
• Drive corrective actions and continuous product improvements.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with Systems, Software, FPGA, Mechanical, Manufacturing, Quality, and Product Management teams.
• Participate in customer, supplier, and executive technical reviews.