Senior Product Development Engineer

Amphenol ICC; Nashua (NH); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Amphenol Communications Solutions (ACS), a division of Amphenol Corporation, in Nashua, NH, seeks a Senior Product Development Engineer to lead next-generation optical interconnects for AI, cloud, and hyperscale data centers.

The role focuses on designing active optical systems, backplanes, co-packaged optics, silicon-photonics, and terabit-class interconnects with collaboration across optics, electronics, and packaging teams.

Qualifications

• Advanced degree in optical engineering, photonics, electrical engineering, physics, or related field.
• 7+ years of industry experience in optical communications or photonics.
• Strong knowledge of fiber optics, waveguides, lasers, and high-speed networking.
• Experience with optical characterization and laboratory testing.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and development of advanced optical interconnect solutions for high-density backplane and rack-scale networking.
• Develop architectures supporting 400G, 800G, 1.6T and beyond.
• Collaborate with customers to optimize products for industry needs.
• Evaluate emerging optical technologies for integration into products.
• Drive innovation in optical backplane and board-level interconnects.
• Develop micro-optic assemblies, fiber-coupling structures, and photonic packaging.
• Lead alignment strategy and tolerance analyses for high-volume manufacturing.
• Collaborate with electronics engineers on high-speed electro-optical interfaces.
• Work with cross-functional teams to validate and qualify optical products.
• Engage with hyperscale customers and industry consortia.
• Participate in OFC, ECOC, OCP Summit, and DesignCon.
• Contribute to optical technology roadmap and mentor junior engineers.

Skills

Optical Engineering

Photonic Interconnects

High-speed Networking

Fiber Optics

Lab Testing

Education

Degree in Optical/Electrical Engineering or Physics

Tools

Optical testing equipment

Silicon photonics tooling

Job description

Amphenol Communications Solutions (ACS), a division of Amphenol Corporation, is a world leader in interconnect solutions for Communications, Mobile, RF, Optics, and Commercial electronics markets. Amphenol Corporation is one of the world’s largest designers and manufacturers of electrical, electronic and fiber optic connectors and interconnect systems, antennas, sensors and sensor-based products and coaxial and high-speed specialty cable. ACS has an expansive global presence in research and development, manufacturing, and sales. We design and manufacture a wide range of innovative connectors as well as cable assemblies for diverse applications including server, storage, data center, mobile, RF, networking, industrial, business equipment, and automotive.

Title: Senior Product Development Engineer – Optical Interconnects

Location: Nashua, NH

Position Overview

Amphenol High Speed Products Group is seeking an innovative Senior Product Development Engineer to lead the development of next‑generation optical interconnect technologies for AI, cloud computing, hyperscale data centers, networking, and high‑performance computing applications. This role focuses on the design and integration of advanced optical connectivity solutions, including active optical systems, optical backplanes, co‑packaged optics, silicon‑photonics‑enabled architectures, and emerging high‑bandwidth interconnect technologies supporting 400G, 800G, 1.6T, and beyond. As a key member of our advanced engineering team, you will work at the intersection of optics, electronics, and system architecture to develop the technologies that will enable the next generation of AI infrastructure and hyperscale networking platforms.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design and development of advanced optical interconnect solutions for high‑density backplane, mid‑board, and rack‑scale networking applications.
• Develop next‑generation optical connectivity architectures supporting 400G, 800G, 1.6T, and future terabit‑class systems.
• Collaborate with customers to optimize products to meet industry needs and drive success in the marketplace.
• Evaluate emerging optical technologies and identify opportunities to incorporate them into our product portfolio.
• Drive innovation in optical backplane and board‑level optical interconnect solutions.
• Develop and optimize micro‑optic assemblies, fiber‑coupling structures, waveguide interfaces, and photonic packaging solutions.
• Lead the development of optical alignment strategies and tolerance analyses for high‑volume manufacturing.
• Collaborate with electronics engineers on high‑speed electrical‑to‑optical interface development.
• Collaborate cross‑functionally to perform engineering validation and qualification testing of optical products.
• Engage with hyperscale customers, networking OEMs, and industry consortia.
• Participate in industry events such as OFC, ECOC, OCP Summit, and DesignCon.
• Contribute to Amphenol’s optical technology roadmap and mentor junior engineers.

Qualifications

Required

• B.S., M.S., or Ph.D. in Optical Engineering, Photonics, Electrical Engineering, Physics, or a related discipline.
• 7+ years of industry experience in optical communications, photonics, optical interconnects, or transceiver development.
• Strong understanding of fiber optics, waveguide theory, laser physics, physical optics, optical communication systems, and high‑speed networking architectures.
• Experience with optical characterization and laboratory testing techniques.

Preferred

• Experience with silicon photonics, co‑packaged optics, optical I/O architectures, optical engines, optical backplanes, photonic packaging, active optical cables, or optical transceivers.
• Familiarity with AI clusters, data center, and high‑performance computing architectures.
• Knowledge of PAM4 signaling, DSP architectures, and high‑speed SerDes interfaces.
• Experience working across optical, mechanical, electrical, and manufacturing disciplines.

Amphenol Corporation is proud of our reputation as an excellent employer. Our focus is to provide the highest level of support and responsiveness to both our employees and our customers, the world's largest technology companies. Amphenol Corporation offers the opportunity for career growth within a global organization. We believe that Amphenol Corporation is unique in that every employee, regardless of his or her position, has the ability to positively impact the business.

Amphenol is an “Equal Opportunity Employer” - Minority/Female/Disabled/Veteran/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity/National Origin. For additional company information please visit our website at https://www.amphenol-cs.com/