Nokia

Coherent Systems Architect - Mixed Signal AFE development

Nokia • $150K — $180K *
Santa Monica, CA 90411In-Person
Aerospace & Defense
Less than 5 years of experience
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Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering or Applied Physics with mixed-signal silicon test/validation experience.
  • Strong background in high-speed electronics and testing equipment like oscilloscopes and spectrum analyzers.
  • Experience in characterizing RF and mm-wave components.
  • Proficient in Python for automation, including data analysis and pipelines.
  • Ability to read schematics and debug signal integrity issues.
  • Experience in a fast-paced lab environment with hands-on testing.

Responsibilities

  • Lead first-silicon bring-up for DAC/ADC/PLL blocks, ensuring successful validation.
  • Debug mixed-signal issues across various domains and create procedural documentation.
  • Perform AFE characterization through bench measurement and automation.
  • Design experiments for PVT sweeps and margin analysis to ensure robustness.
  • Characterize RF performance of the Transmitter and Receiver Optical Sub-Assembly.
  • Develop automated measurement systems and maintain data analysis practices.
  • Collaborate with cross-functional teams to define testing and observability requirements.

Benefits

  • Access to cutting-edge technology and methodologies in RF and optical systems.
  • Collaborative work environment with cross-disciplinary teams.
  • Opportunity to lead innovative silicon validation projects.
  • Professional development opportunities in high-speed electronics and optical coherent technologies.
Full Job Description
Job Description

We are seeking a hands-on Coherent RF Architect to lead silicon bring-up, validation, and production test development for a mixed-signal Analog Front-End (AFE) featuring high-speed DACs, ADCs, PLL/clocking , and the RF electrical interface to the Transmitter and Receiver Optical Sub-Assembly (TROSA) used in the optical coherent pluggable. The role owns end-to-end AFE characterization, from bench measurement and automation through correlation to simulation test coverage.

NION2026

Responsibilities

  • Key Responsibilities
  • Silicon Bring-up & Debug


  • Own first-silicon bring-up for DAC/ADC/PLL blocks: power-up sequencing, register access, clock tree bring-up, and initial functional validation.


  • Debug mixed-signal issues across domains (clocking, analog biasing, digital control, interfaces, and test modes).


  • Create debug playbooks and "known-good" procedures to accelerate lab triage and cross-team communication.


  • Full AFE Characterization (Bench + Automation)


  • DAC: SFDR, IMD, THD, SNR, ENOB, spurs vs. output amplitude, output frequency, sampling frequency, temperature, supply, and code format; static linearity where applicable.


  • ADC: SNR, ENOB, SFDR, interleaving mismatch (offset/gain/timing), harmonic/spurious behavior, clock sensitivity.


  • PLL/Clocking: phase noise, integrated jitter, spur analysis, jitter transfer/tolerance where relevant to the system.


  • AFE-level metrics: frequency response, passband ripple, impedance/termination impact, crosstalk, noise coupling, and sensitivity to board/connector effects.


  • Design experiments for PVT sweeps and margin analysis; develop guard-banding strategies aligned to production realities.


  • RF characterization of TROSA


  • Characterize RF electrical behavior of the Transmitter and Receiver Optical Sub-Assembly, including bandwidth, frequency response, impedance matching, insertion and return loss, Gain, noise figure (where applicable), and linearity.


  • Work closely with photonics, SiGe IC, and module teams to correlate electrical AFE performance to optical metrics.


  • Support electro-optical (E/O) and opto-electrical (O/E) RF validation for coherent transmit and receive chains.


  • Measurement Infrastructure & Data Analytics


  • Build and maintain automated measurement systems using Python and standard instrument control (SCPI/PyVISA).


  • Use robust data practices: versioned test scripts, metadata capture, calibration traceability, and reproducible analysis notebooks.


  • Create dashboards/reports summarizing performance trends, correlations, and anomalies.


  • Cross-Functional Collaboration & Requirements


  • Work with design teams to define: test hooks, observability, calibration registers, and design-for-test requirements for analog blocks.


  • Define measurable acceptance criteria aligned to coherent system requirements.


  • Collaborate closely with Analog/RF design, SiGe IC teams, DSP, Signal Integrity (SI), photonics, module, and manufacturing teams.


Qualifications

Required Qualifications

  • Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering or Applied Physics with experience in mixed-signal silicon test/validation/characterization, high-speed electronics or systems.


  • Strong fundamentals in high speed electronics and practical experience with test equipment such as high bandwidth oscilloscopes, phase noise analyzer, spectrum analyzer, VNA.


  • Experience characterizing high-speed RF and mm-wave interconnects, amplifiers, and components


  • Solid automation skills in Python including data pipelines and plotting.


  • Ability to read schematics, understand board-level effects, and debug signal integrity/power integrity interactions.


  • Comfortable in a fast-moving lab environment: hands-on probing, rework coordination, fixture bring-up


Preferred Qualifications

  • Experience with optical coherent systems and coherent transceiver architectures.


  • Experience with MZ modulator drivers (MZMD) and TIAs in coherent links.


  • Experience with high-speed data converters, interleaved ADCs, and calibration techniques.

About Nokia

Nokia is a Finnish multinational telecommunications, information technology, and consumer electronics company. The company was founded in 1865 and has since grown to become one of the largest telecommunications equipment manufacturers in the world. Nokia's products include mobile phones, smartphones, and network equipment, among others. The company is committed to innovation and has a strong focus on research and development. Nokia is also committed to sustainability and has set ambitious targets for reducing its environmental impact. The company operates in over 100 countries and has a strong presence in Europe, Asia, and North America.
Learn more about Nokia
Size
87,927 employees
Market Cap
$25.8 billion
Industry
Telecommunications & Hardware
Net Income
-$2.5 billion
Founded
1865
5 Year Trend
-1.2%
Revenue
$21.8 billion
NASDAQ
NOK
* Ladders Estimates

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