Ciena · 4 weeks ago
Senior Software Engineer – Embedded Software (Optical Networking)
Atlanta, GA
Full-time
Hybrid
Senior Level, Lead/Staff
$108K/yr - $172K/yr
10+ years expCiena is a global leader in high-speed connectivity, fostering a people-first culture that emphasizes individual growth and community impact. The Senior Software Engineer will lead the design and implementation of embedded C/C++ software for optical networking systems, influencing product performance and customer success through hands-on coding and software architecture.
CollaborationDeliverySoftwareTelecommunications
Responsibilities
Lead design, coding, and integration of embedded C/C++ software on Linux and real-time operating systems (RTOS such as Zephyr)
Develop software that interfaces with FPGA/ASIC hardware on SoC platforms
Own the full lifecycle: requirements, architecture, implementation, testing, and customer deployment
Prototype solutions on target hardware; create detailed technical specifications
Collaborate with local and global teams to deliver scalable, high-performance systems
Act as a technical lead: mentor engineers, review designs, and guide project progress
Support field teams during deployments and troubleshooting
Qualification
Required
Bachelor's degree in electrical/computer engineering
10+ years in embedded software engineering (telecom, networking, datacom, or related)
5+ years programming in C, C++, embedded C, with strong debugging tools (e.g. GDB, Valgrind)
Hands-on experience with FPGA/ASIC integration, device bring-up, and SoC platforms
Knowledge of CPU architectures, hardware specifications, and timing diagrams
Experience with Linux kernel and user-space drivers
Strong foundation in embedded systems concepts: interrupts, synchronization, inter-process communication
Familiarity with telecom and networking protocols: DWDM, OTN, Ethernet, TCP/IP
Strong written and verbal communication skills for technical collaboration
Preferred
Experience designing large-scale distributed embedded systems using micro service architectures
Knowledge of telecom standards such as G.709, IEEE 802.3
Familiarity with data modelling (YANG)
Experience with development tools: Git, Eclipse, JIRA, Confluence, or Yocto
Benefits
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
Vacation time
Company
Ciena
Ciena collaborates with customers to unlock the strategic potential of their networks and and change the way they perform and compete.
5001-10000 employees
H1B Sponsorship
Ciena has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (34)
2024 (21)
2023 (36)
2022 (44)
2021 (30)
2020 (29)
Funding
Current Stage
Public CompanyTotal Funding
unknown1997-02-07IPO
1995-12-01Series C
1994-12-01Series B
Leadership Team
Gary Smith
President & CEO
Kevin Kimberlin
Co-Founder
Recent News
2026-01-09
2026-01-06
2026-01-03
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