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Senior Optical Transceiver Design Engineer Jobs

AEI-CIG

Application Engineer

Santa Clara, CA · On-site

$130K - $160K/yr

... optical transceiver products * Engage with customers to understand customer requirement and provide solutions * Work closely with product development teams, such as hardware design engineers ...

Analogdevices

Senior RFIC Design Engineer

Dallas, TX · On-site

Senior RFIC Design Engineer ADI's Digital Business Unit is seeking an RFIC design engineer to join ... Candidate must be familiar with modern wireless transceiver architecture design, system/behavior ...

Analog Devices

Senior RFIC Design Engineer

Dallas, TX · On-site

$103K - $142K/yr

Senior RFIC Design Engineer ADI's Digital Business Unit is seeking an RFIC design engineer to join ... Candidate must be familiar with modern wireless transceiver architecture design, system/behavior ...

Lumilens

Systems Applications Engineer - Optical

San Jose, CA · On-site

$151K - $195K/yr

Every line of code, every design decision, every breakthrough you help deliver-will shape the ... The ideal candidate brings deep expertise in optical transceiver operation, DSP configuration, and ...

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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.
Senior Optical System Engineer

Senior Optical System Engineer

Arista Networks

Santa Clara, CA • On-site

$151K - $196K/yr

Full-time

This job post has expired today. Applications are no longer accepted.

Job description

Company Description
Arista Networks is an industry leader in data-driven, client-to-cloud networking for large data center, campus and routing environments. What sets us apart is our relentless pursuit of innovation. We leverage the latest advancements in cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and software-defined networking to provide our clients with a competitive edge in an increasingly interconnected world. Our solutions are designed to not only meet the current demands of the digital landscape but to also anticipate and adapt to future challenges.
At Arista we value the diversity of thought and perspectives that each employee brings to the table. We believe that fostering an inclusive environment, where individuals from various backgrounds and experiences feel welcome, is essential for driving creativity and innovation.
Our commitment to excellence has earned us several prestigious awards, such as Best Engineering Team, Best Company for Diversity, Compensation, and Work-Life Balance. At Arista, we take pride in our track record of success and strive to maintain the highest standards of quality and performance in everything we do.
Job Description
What You'll Do
We are seeking a highly skilled and motivated Senior Optical System Engineer to join ourhardware engineering team focused on next-generation AI/datacenter optical interconnect technologies. In this role, you will lead the design, development, validation, qualification, and optimization of advanced optical sub-systems including silicon photonics PICs, optical engines, high-speed DSP-based optical links, and 1.6T/3.2T optical Interconnects.
The ideal candidate will have strong expertise in optical systems, CPO/OCI architectures, system-level interoperability, high-speed optical/electrical characterization, automated test development, and optical system qualification. This role requires close collaboration with photonics, DSP/ASIC, SI/PI, packaging, firmware, and manufacturing teams to support the development and production ramp of scalable, high-performance, and power-efficient optical interconnect solutions for hyperscale AI infrastructure.
Key Responsibilities:
  • Lead system-level design validation and qualification of advanced optical interconnect products including 1.6T/3.2T optical interconnect, silicon photonics PICs, optical engines, DSP-based optical links, and CPO/OCI systems.
  • Develop and execute comprehensive validation plans for optical modules, high-speed electrical and optical interfaces, switch-level interoperability, and rack-level system qualification.
  • Characterize and optimize key optical and electrical performance metrics including BER, TDECQ, jitter, OSNR, extinction ratio, receiver sensitivity, eye quality, link margin, and power efficiency.
  • Perform module-level, simulation-level, and system-level qualification testing for IMDD and coherent optical systems.
  • Lead high-speed optical and electrical debug activities for PAM4 links operating at 200G/lane, 400G/lane, and beyond.
  • Develop, automate, and maintain optical/electrical test stations using Python, MATLAB, LabVIEW, and database-driven analytics tools.
  • Collaborate closely with photonics, DSP/ASIC, SI/PI, packaging, firmware, manufacturing, and system architecture teams to optimize overall system performance and manufacturability.
  • Support optical architecture development for AI clusters, XPO/LPO/LRO systems, co- packaged optics, optical switching systems, and optical compute fabrics.
  • Contribute to industry standards activities including IEEE 802.3, OIF, CMIS, and MSA specifications.
  • Analyze test results and generate detailed technical reports to support design reviews, customer qualification, and production deployment.

Qualifications
  • Bachelor's degree in Optical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics, or a closely related field.
  • Minimum 5 years of hands-on experience in optical system validation, optical transceiver qualification, or optical subsystem testing.
  • Strong experience with silicon photonics PICs, optical transceivers, optical engines, high-speed DSP-based links, CPO/OCI architectures, LPO/LRO/XPO optical systems, and AI/datacenter optical interconnect architectures.
  • Direct experience with 400G, 800G, and 1.6T optical systems, PAM4 modulation, high-speed Rx/Tx characterization, switch-level interoperability testing, firmware and EEPROM validation, BER/TDECQ/RIN measurements, receiver sensitivity testing, and wafer-level optical characterization.
  • Strong familiarity with optical communication principles including NRZ/PAM4 modulation, dispersion, OSNR, jitter, equalization, signal integrity, and power integrity concepts.
  • Proficiency with optical and electrical lab instrumentation including BERTs, DCAs, high-speed oscilloscopes, OSAs, tunable lasers, VOAs, network analyzers, high-speed probes and fixtures, and optical power meters.
  • Strong experience with test automation and scripting using Python, MATLAB, and LabVIEW, along with familiarity with database-driven analytics and regression automation frameworks.
  • Familiarity with optical and RF simulation tools such as Lumerical, HFSS, ADS, COMSOL, VPI, and Zemax.
  • Strong understanding of IEEE 802.3 standards, QSFP-DD/OSFP modules, CMIS, optical module architectures, equalization techniques including CTLE, DFE, and FIR, as well as optical packaging and thermal considerations.
  • Experience with interoperability testing, root-cause and debugging.
  • Strong analytical, troubleshooting, debugging, and communication skills with the ability to work independently and collaboratively in cross-functional teams.

Preferred Qualifications:
  • Master's or Ph.D. degree in Optical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics, or a related field.
  • Experience with silicon photonics, optical engine packaging, AI interconnect architectures, optical switching systems, co-packaged optics (CPO), Optical Compute Interconnect (OCI), and coherent optical systems.
  • Experience with high-speed transceiver and optical engine testing at 100G, 400G, 800G, and 1.6T data rates.
  • Familiarity with DSP tuning and equalization techniques including CTLE, DFE, FIR equalization, adaptive equalization, and PAM4 eye optimization.
  • Familiarity with optical and RF simulation tools including Lumerical, HFSS, ADS, COMSOL, VPI, and Zemax.
  • Exposure to AI cluster optical interconnect architectures, optical switching fabrics, XPO/LPO/LRO systems, and high-density optical engine architectures.
  • Experience with database-driven analytics platforms, automated regression validation systems, and production test automation frameworks is highly desirable.
  • Publications, patents, industry conference presentations, or contributions to IEEE, OIF, MSA, or CMIS standards activities are considered a strong plus.

Additional Information
Arista Networks is an equal opportunity employer. Arista makes all hiring and employment-related decisions in a non-discriminatory manner without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin or any other factor determined to be unlawful under applicable federal, state, or law law. All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

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