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Senior Optical Transceiver Design Engineer Jobs

AEI-CIG

Optical Engineer

Santa Clara, CA · On-site

$110K - $200K/yr

Position Overview We are seeking an Optical Engineer to support the design, development, and optimization of optical transceiver products for high-speed optical communication systems. The candidate ...

Arycs Technologies, Inc.

System Engineer, DSP

Los Gatos, CA · On-site

$166K - $195K/yr

Our systems are engineered for deployment in real networks -- not theoretical environments. We ... optical transceiver design teams to ensure that the product meets the industry standards and our ...

Lumilens

Optical Systems Engineer

San Jose, CA · On-site

$151K - $195K/yr

Lead the design of optical transceiver products from concept through implementation. * Define ... MS or Ph. D. in Engineering, Physics, Optics, or a related technical field What We Offer

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Senior Optical Transceiver Design Engineer information

See salary details

$70.5K

$134.6K

$195K

How much do senior optical transceiver design engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Jun 4, 2026, the average yearly pay for senior optical transceiver design engineer in the United States is $134,577.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $107,500.00 and $157,500.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Senior Optical Transceiver Design Engineer, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Senior Optical Transceiver Design Engineer, you need deep expertise in optical communication principles, circuit design, and experience with high-speed analog and mixed-signal electronics, typically supported by a degree in electrical engineering or a related field. Proficiency with tools like MATLAB, SPICE, and optical simulation software, as well as familiarity with industry standards (e.g., IEEE, ITU), is commonly required. Strong problem-solving abilities, meticulous attention to detail, and effective teamwork and communication skills help you excel in complex project environments. These skills are crucial for designing reliable, high-performance transceivers that meet demanding specifications and ensure seamless data transmission in modern communication networks.

What are some common challenges faced by Senior Optical Transceiver Design Engineers during new product development?

Senior Optical Transceiver Design Engineers often encounter challenges such as meeting stringent performance specifications while ensuring signal integrity and minimizing power consumption. They must balance design trade-offs between cost, manufacturability, and compliance with industry standards like IEEE or MSA. Collaborating closely with cross-functional teams—including hardware, firmware, and test engineers—is essential to address interoperability issues and accelerate time-to-market. Staying current with rapidly evolving optical technologies and component availability is also crucial for success in this role.

What does a Senior Optical Transceiver Design Engineer do?

A Senior Optical Transceiver Design Engineer is responsible for designing, developing, and testing optical transceivers, which are devices that transmit and receive data using light, typically in fiber optic communication systems. They work on high-speed optical modules, ensuring performance, reliability, and compliance with industry standards. Their role often includes circuit design, simulation, prototyping, and collaborating with manufacturing teams to bring products from concept to production. They also troubleshoot design issues and stay updated on the latest technological advancements in optical communication.

What is the difference between Senior Optical Transceiver Design Engineer vs Optical Transceiver Test Engineer?

AspectSenior Optical Transceiver Design EngineerOptical Transceiver Test Engineer
Primary FocusDesign and development of optical transceiversTesting and validation of optical transceivers
Skills RequiredOptical engineering, circuit design, CAD toolsTesting procedures, measurement tools, troubleshooting
Work EnvironmentDesign labs, R&D departmentsTesting labs, quality assurance teams
Industry UsageTelecom, data centers, networking equipmentManufacturers, quality control, product validation

The Senior Optical Transceiver Design Engineer focuses on creating and improving optical transceiver hardware, while the Optical Transceiver Test Engineer specializes in testing and validating these devices to ensure performance and reliability. Both roles are essential in the optical communications industry but differ in their core responsibilities and skill sets.

Infographic showing various Senior Optical Transceiver Design Engineer job openings in the United States as of May 2026, with employment types broken down into 100% Full Time. Highlights an 55% In-person, 7% Hybrid, and 38% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $134,577 per year, or $64.7 per hour.
Sr. Staff Engineer, Electronic Hardware Design

Sr. Staff Engineer, Electronic Hardware Design

Ayar Labs

San Jose, CA • On-site

$170K - $223K/yr

Full-time

Posted 24 days ago

Job description

Sr. Staff Engineer, Electronic Hardware Design
Location: San Jose, CA
Ayar Labs is shattering AI data bottlenecks by moving data at the speed of light. As pioneers of co-packaged optics (CPO), we are using light instead of electricity to move data faster, further, and with a fraction of the energy needed to fuel the explosive growth of AI models.
Backed by industry giants like NVIDIA, AMD, Mediatek and Intel and manufactured in partnership with the world's leading semiconductor ecosystem, Ayar Labs' co-packaged optics solution is key to unleashing next-generation AI scale-up architectures.
We are seeking an Electronic Hardware Design Engineer to help us revolutionize photonic interconnects for high performance computing. The exceptional candidate will be highly motivated and energetic, willing to take on paradigm-shifting systems design challenges to meet growing scale-up and scale-out bandwidth needs.
The Sr. Staff Hardware Design Engineer role will take ownership over New Product Introduction (NPI) for External Laser Source (ELS) module hardware design. The candidate must demonstrate excellent capability to execute multi-disciplinary projects, meeting aggressive schedules and technical requirements.
Ayar Labs is a process-driven and collaborative design environment; the successful candidate will be organized and communicative. This role is full-time on-site in our San Jose office.
Essential Functions
  • Create and maintain External Laser Source module specifications to meet product requirements
  • Manage communication between cross-functional teams including optical, mechanical and thermal design disciplines
  • Design printed circuit boards schematics for all functions of External Laser Source NPI
  • Manage hardware design resources internal and external to Ayar Labs
  • Develop and execute validation test plans for all laser module hardware design components

Required Qualifications
  • Bachelors in Electrical Engineering with 7+ years of industry experience, or Masters/PhD in Electrical Engineering with 5+ years of industry experience
  • Strong fundamentals in low-noise analog circuit design and electromagnetics
  • Knowledge of electro-optic building blocks such as TIA and Laser Driver
  • Power user of Altium PCB design tools, including Altium 365 and Agile workflows
  • Deep understanding of BMC architecture for enclosure management (OCP)
  • Expert experience using electrical and electro-optic lab equipment such as: Oscilloscope, VNA, ESA, OSA, protocol analyzer, etc..
  • Expert user of circuit simulation tools such as LTspice, PSpice, and vendor-specific switching regulator software
  • Strong programming ability in python, with the ability to automate hardware testing and analysis
  • Strong ability in fundamental embedded programming concepts: real-time operating systems, MCU memory usage, bootloader, serial interfaces

Preferred Qualifications
  • Optical transceiver design experience (OSFP, QSFP-DD, CDFP)
  • Firmware development in C (bare-metal / RTOS)
  • Basic RTL development (FPGA, CPLD)
  • Basic Mechanical CAD tool experience (Solidworks, Fusion)

Salary range: $170,000 - $223,000
NOTE TO RECRUITERS:
Principals only. We are not accepting resumes from recruiters for this position. Remuneration for recruiting activities is only applicable subject to a signed and executed agreement between the parties. Please don't send candidates to Ayar Labs, and do not contact our managers.
Ayar Labs is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is strongly committed to all policies which will afford equal opportunity employment to all qualified persons without regard to age, sex, national origin, race, color, ethnicity, creed, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. It is the policy of Ayar Labs to provide reasonable accommodation when requested by a qualified applicant or employee with a disability, unless such accommodation would cause an undue hardship. Veterans are more than welcome and encouraged to apply.

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