Nokia · 1 day ago
Principal Optical Coherent Systems Architect
San Jose, CA
Full-time
Onsite
Senior Level, Lead/Staff
3+ years expNokia is seeking a Coherent Optical System Architect to join their Optical Systems Group. The role involves contributing to the development of coherent MODEMs and optimizing system performance through collaboration with various engineering teams and hands-on experimentation with optical communication hardware.
ElectronicsEnterprise SoftwareInternet of ThingsMobile DevicesTelecommunications
Responsibilities
Contributing to the development of leading coherent MODEMs based on Infinera's next-generation coherent photonic integrated circuits (PICs)
Working with early prototype hardware to get an initial look at product performance and provide rapid feedback to the PIC and high-speed analog ASIC teams
Performance characterization including MODEM SNR, OSNR tolerance, systematic breakdown of the MODEM impairment penalties, sensitivity studies and model alignment
Collaborating closely with coherent ASIC team on coherent signal processing issues and ADC/DAC ENOB, with optical, high-speed analog ASIC, and systems engineering teams
Understanding and making tradeoffs between optical, electrical, and digital capabilities to optimize overall system performance
Defining, developing, characterizing, and optimizing optical testbed for Nokia’s next generation communications platform
Owning the optical design, optimization methods, and stabilization techniques
Pushing optical systems to higher baud rates
Capturing coherent waveforms on a high-speed oscilloscope and performing coherent signal processing on waveforms, and measuring bit-error rate performance in the presence of optical noise and other impairments
Assisting in optimizing performance-critical aspects such as powerup self-calibration, receive acquisition, real-time performance monitoring, and in-service performance optimization
Testing algorithms during implementation stage to ensure they operate properly
Presenting results internally and documenting as electrical and optical performance specifications for next-generation platforms
Engaging in customer-facing interactions, such as field trials using prototype equipment, or debugging unusual field failures
Qualification
Required
PhD. in Electrical Engineering or Applied Physics with minimum of 3 years of industrial experience in optical communications, photonics, high speed electronics or systems
Fundamental understanding of optical communication systems, DWDM transmission systems, fiber transmission penalties, photonic integrated components, electronic (integrated) circuits, and signal analysis and processing
Hands-on experience working with system-level optical communication hardware and components
Extensive understanding of coherent communications systems, including experience with QPSK, 16QAM, and 64QAM, as well as coding and forward error correction algorithms
Experience characterizing high-speed RF and mm-wave interconnects, amplifiers, and components
Characterization of RF/mm-wave systems, such as S parameter measurements, jitter measurements, and ADC/DAC performance and ENOB
Hands-on experience with high-speed optical and electrical test, and measurement equipment control and data acquisition
Preferred
Programming experience in Matlab, Python, VB.net, or C desired
Company
Nokia
Nokia manufactures mobile devices, network infrastructure, and location-based technology for businesses. It is a sub-organization of Enscryb.
10001+ employees
H1B Sponsorship
Nokia 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 (262)
2024 (264)
2023 (259)
2022 (250)
2021 (296)
2020 (287)
Funding
Current Stage
Public CompanyTotal Funding
$4.45BKey Investors
European Investment BankNVIDIANational Telecommunications and Information Administration
2025-12-16Post Ipo Debt· $511.84M
2025-10-28Post Ipo Equity· $1B
2025-06-30Post Ipo Debt· $1.76B
Leadership Team
Justin Hotard
President and CEO
Victoria Hanrahan
Chief of Staff to the CEO
Recent News
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