Ciena

Senior Hardware Engineer

Ciena$99K — $159K *
Telecommunications & Hardware
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering
  • 3+ years in board bring-up and prototype validation
  • Strong understanding of electronics fundamentals in analog and digital domains
  • Ability to read and review schematics
  • Experience with lab instrumentation such as oscilloscopes and power supplies
  • Familiarity with interfaces like SPI, I2C, UART, Ethernet, PCIe
  • Scripting experience, preferably in Python, for lab automation

Responsibilities

  • Review analog and digital schematics for design accuracy
  • Identify risks in power integrity and layout constraints
  • Provide feedback to enhance hardware reliability and manufacturability
  • Conduct board bring-up for new prototypes
  • Debug system-level issues including power and clocking problems
  • Evaluate signal integrity and execute validation tests
  • Perform root-cause analysis on hardware failures

Benefits

  • Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans
  • 401(K) and DCPP with company matching
  • Employee Stock Purchase Program (ESPP)
  • Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
  • Paid holidays, sick leave, and vacation time
  • Compliance with Paid Family Leave and other absence laws
Full Job Description
Ciena is advancing the adaptive network through innovation in optical and routing systems, services, and automation software. We are seeking a hands-on Hardware Engineer who enjoys deep technical analysis, practical measurement work, and collaborating closely with design teams to ensure robust, high-quality hardware systems. This position plays a key role in validating designs, identifying issues early through schematic reviews, and troubleshooting hardware in a lab environment using industry-standard instrumentation.

How you will make an impact:
  • Review analog and digital schematics for correctness, completeness, and alignment with design best practices
  • Identify risks related to power integrity, signal integrity, component selection, and layout constraints and collaborate cross-functionally to isolate cross-domain issues
  • Provide actionable feedback to improve reliability, manufacturability, and testability
  • Perform board bring-up activities for new boards and prototypes
  • Debug power, clocking, interface, and system-level issues
  • Evaluate signal integrity, noise, timing and power behavior and develop/execute basic validation test procedures
  • Execute root-cause analysis of hardware failures and recommend corrective actions
  • Conduct electrical measurements using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, DMMs, spectrum analyzers, and power supplies
  • Capture and analyze waveforms to validate performance against specifications
  • Document schematic reviews, lab findings, and prepare debug reports to support knowledge sharing


The must haves:
  • Education: Bachelor's or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering
  • Experience: 3+ years experience in board bring-up and prototype validation
  • Application of electronics fundamentals across analog and digital domains
  • Capability to read and review schematics
  • Utilization of lab instrumentation including oscilloscopes and power supplies
  • Familiarity with common interfaces (e.g., SPI, I2C, UART, Ethernet, PCIe is a plus)
  • Application of debugging and problem-solving techniques
  • Scripting or automation experience (Python or similar) for lab workflows


Nice to haves:
  • Exposure to power electronics including DC/DC converters, PMICs, and power sequencing
  • Understanding of signal integrity and high-speed design considerations
  • Familiarity with PCB layout concepts
  • Experience using EDA tools such as Altium, Cadence, KiCad, or OrCAD
  • Embedded firmware experience with ARM microcontrollers


Pay Range: The annual salary range for this position is $99,800 - $159,400 USD

Pay ranges at Ciena are designed to accommodate variations in knowledge, skills, experience, market conditions, and locations, reflecting our diverse products, industries, and lines of business. Please note that the pay range information provided in this posting pertains specifically to the primary location, which is the top location listed in case multiple locations are available.

Non-Sales employees may be eligible for a discretionary incentive bonus, while Sales employees may be eligible for a sales commission. In addition to competitive compensation, Ciena offers a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, and vision plans, participation in 401(K) (USA) & DCPP (Canada) with company matching, Employee Stock Purchase Program (ESPP), Employee Assistance Program (EAP), company-paid holidays, paid sick leave, and vacation time. We also comply with all applicable laws regarding Paid Family Leave and other leaves of absence.

About Ciena

Ciena Corporation is a global supplier of telecommunications networking equipment, software, and services. The company was founded in 1992 and is headquartered in Hanover, Maryland. Ciena's products include optical transport and switching systems, software, and services that support the transport, switching, aggregation, and management of voice, video, and data traffic. Ciena serves customers in the telecommunications industry, including telecommunications service providers, cable operators, governments, and enterprises. The company has approximately 7,000 employees worldwide and operates in more than 100 countries.
Learn more about Ciena
Size
7,241 employees
Market Cap
$7.3 billion
Industry
Net Income
$354.3 million
Founded
1992
5 Year Trend
+5.3%
Revenue
$3.4 billion
NASDAQ

Similar Jobs

More Jobs at Ciena

More Telecommunications & Hardware Jobs

Find similar Senior Hardware Engineer jobs: